A blog for sightings of Dragonflies and Damselflies in Oxfordshire. To submit records and photos for posting, just email stephen_burchemail at yahoo.co.uk. Photos with resolutions up to 1600 pixels horizontally may be provided. These will be displayed at a resolution of 640 pixels but viewers can then click to see them at full resolution
4 Banded Demoiselle
2 Emerald Damsels (males Orchard lake)
Common Blue/Azure Damsels
8 Blue Tailed Damsels
40+ Red Eyed Damsels
4+ Small Red Eyed Damsels (Orchard lake)
3 Emperor Dragonflies
1-2 Lesser Emperor (Thrupp Lake) One seen from metal railings on E side and then another (or the same) 2 hrs later from the boardwalk in the NW corner
2 Brown Hawker
2 Downy Emerald ( 1 Orchard lake, 1 Thrupp lake)
8+Four Spotted Chaser
20+ Black Tailed Skimmer
1 Common Darter
2 Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
2 Black-tailed Skimmer
8 Banded Demoiselle
10 Red-eyed damselfly
6 Azure damselfly
James Wainscoat
 |
| Banded Demoiselle and Red-eyed Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
 |
| Black-tailed Skimmer (c) James Wainscoat |
Brown Hawker - 2
Emperor Dragonfly - 4
Four-spotted Chaser - c20
Black-tailed Skimmer - c10
Small Red-eyed Damselfly - 1
Red-eyed Damselfly - 10
 |
| Brown Hawker |
 |
| Black-tailed Skimmer |
Common Blue Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly 3
Red-eyed Damselfly 3
Southern Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 6
Ruddy Darter 10
David Hastings
 |
| Southern Hawker © David Hastings |
Near car park:
4 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Broad-bodied chaser
2 Beautiful demoiselles
James Wainscoat
 |
| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) James Wainscoat |
 |
| Beautiful Demoiselle (c) James Wainscoat |
1f White-legged Damselfly
Tim & Ali Baker
 |
| White-legged Damselfly (c) Tim & Ali Baker |
Azure Damselfly 20+
Common Spreadwing 1
Emperor Dragonfly 4
Brown Hawker 1
Four-spotted Chaser 5
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Ruddy Darter 5
David Hastings
 |
| Common Spreadwing (imm ♂) © David Hastings |
10s blue damsels,
2 Ruddy Darters
1f Black-tailed Skimmer
James Wainscoat
 |
| Black-tailed Skimmer (f) © James Wainscoat |
10s Small Red-eyed Damselflies,
6 Azure Damselflies
James Wainscoat
 |
| Small Red-eyed Damselflies in cop and an Azure Damselfly © James Wainscoat |
Slightly belated report via iRecord:
1m Lesser Emperor
Adrian Hickman
Good description provided.
Location given as SU657841 - a site that is being rewilded (Wild Oakingham)
Visits today and 21st June
Emperor Dragonfly - 4
Hairy Dragonfly -1
Downy Emerald - 1
Four-spotted Chaser - c20
Black-tailed Skimmer - double figure numbers across the lakes within the site.
Common Darter - 2
Beautiful Demoiselle - 1
Large Red Damselfly - 1
Red-eyed Damselfly - c20
Blue-tailed Damselfly - c50
Common Blue and Azure in good numbers.
 |
| Emperor Dragonfly |
 |
| Common Darter |
 |
| Blue-tailed Damselfly (violacea) |
Less than half a kilometre over the border in Bucks at SP6122011468
1 Southern Migrant Hawker (female)
 |
| Southern Migrant Hawker (female) © Wayne Bull |
2 Banded Demoiselle
5 Emerald Damsels (4 male 1 female Orchard Lake)
Common/Azure Blue Damsels
20+ Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
5 Emperor Dragonflies
4 Brown Hawker
1 Downy Emerald (Bullfield Lake)
8 Four Spotted Chaser
12+ Black Tailed Skimmer
6 Common Darter
4 Ruddy Darter
No sign of any Lesser Emperors...
Wayne Bull
 |
| Emerald Damselfly (female) © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Emerald Damselfly (male) © Wayne Bull |
Banded Demoiselle 3m 2f river
Beautiful Demoiselle 2m river
Large Red Damselfly 1 river
White-legged Damselfly 2m river
Azure Damselfly 3 BP
Common Blue Damselfly 8m river, 5m 1 ten, 2 pr in tandem BP
Blue damselfly sp 50+ BP
Blue-tailed Damselfly 11m plus a pair in tandem - river, 3m plus 1 pair with female ovipositing BP
Red-eyed Damselfly 8m BP
Small Red-eyed Damselfly 2m BP
Hairy Dragonfly 1m BP
Brown Hawker 1 river
Emperor 1m river, 8 (6m 2 fem ovipositing) BP
Four-spotted Chaser 1 BP
Black-tailed Skimmer 4m BP
Steve and Gill Holliday, Gareth Blockley
Please note the reservoir levels are currently very low with no access to the water's edge. The best area for dragonflies at the western end is virtually dried up.
Common Blue Damselfly 13 (8m, 1f, 1 pair in cop, 1 pair in tandem)
Red-eyed Damselfly 2m
Black-tailed Skimmer 8 (6m, 1 pair in cop)
Broad-bodied Chaser 1m around small residual pools. (An addition to the site species list)
Steve and Gill Holliday
Common Blue Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Emperor? Brief glimpse on arrival
Black-tailed Skimmer
Four-spotted Chaser
Common Blue Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
1 Banded Demoiselle
Emperor 1-2
Black-tailed Skimmer
Stephen Burch
5+ Small Red-eyed Damselfly
10+ Red-eyed Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
3 Emperor (2m, 1f ovipositing)
2+ Four-spotted Chaser
Stephen Burch
 |
| Emperor (f) in flight © Stephen Burch |
 |
| Emperor ovipositing © Stephen Burch |
 |
| Small Red-eyed Damselfly (and reflection) © Stephen Burch |
Southern damselfly - c10, including some tandem pairs.
Common Blue damselfly - c10
Azure Blue damselfly - c10
Large Red damselfly - 5
Small Red damselfly - 3
Keeled skimmer - 6 including one pair in cop.
Black-tailed skimmer - 1
Four-spotted chaser - 2
Emperor dragonfly - 1
Gareth Casburn
 |
| Keeled Skimmer © Gareth Casburn |
 |
| Small Red Damselfly © Gareth Casburn |
 |
| Southern Damselfly © Gareth Casburn |
Azure Damselfly, 30+
Common Blue Damselfly, several
Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, 1m
Ruddy and Common Darter Dragonfly, 5+
Phil Cruse
 |
| Ruddy Darter (c) Phil Cruse |
Azure Damselfly : 15+
Large Red Damselfly : 1
Blue-tailed Damselfly : 3
White-legged Damselfly : 8
Emperor Dragonfly : 4
Four-spotted Chaser : 4
Broad-bodied Chaser : 1
Black-tailed Skimmer : 2
David Hastings
 |
| Four-spotted Chaser © David Hastings |
 |
| Emperor Dragonfly © David Hastings |
 |
| White-legged Damselfly © David Hastings |
4+ Large Red Damselfly
10s Blue Damsels, presumed Azure
Very low water levels on all the ponds
Stephen Burch
 |
| Large Red Damselfly [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch |
News from over the border in Bucks, per Phil Cruse:
2 Norfolk Hawker at College Lake BBOWT for about 7 days.
Anyone looking on Otmoor at the moment?
Stephen Burch
10+ Common Blue Damselfly (including one tandem pair being attacked by a spider)
10 + Azure Damselflies
1 Large Red damselfly
6 Beautiful Demoiselles
4 Broad Bodied Chaser
5 Four-spotted Chaser including one Preanubila form
Mark Hunter
 |
| Four-spotted Chaser (Preanubila form) © Mark Hunter |
 |
| Common Blue Damselflies being attacked by a spider © Mark Hunter |
Parsonage Moor
Small Red Damselfly, 1
Large Red Damselfly, 3
Azure Damselfly, 5+
Common Blue Damselfly, 2
Southern Damselfly, 15+
Keeled Skimmer , 6+
Black-tailed Skimmer, 2
Four-spotted Chaser, 4+, inc. 1 ovipositing
Hairy Dragonfly, 1
Cothill Fen
Large Red Damselfly, 4
Azure Damselfly, 3
Common Blue Damselfly, 2
Southern Damselfly, 12+
Keeled Skimmer, 4+
Black-tailed Skimmer, 1
Four-spotted Chaser Dragonfly, 4+
Emperor Dragonfly, 1
Phil Cruse
 |
| Keeled Skimmer (f) © Phil Cruse |
 |
| Southern Damselfly (f) © Phil Cruse |
 |
| Black-tailed Skimmer (over-mature female) © Phil Cruse |
8 Banded Demoiselle
6 Emerald Damsels (4 males,2 females)
40+ Common/ Azure Damsels
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
10+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Downy Emerald (Bullfield Lake)
2 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer
3 Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
 |
| Ruddy Darter © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Emerald Damselfly (female) © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Emerald Damselfly (male) © Wayne Bull |
At the weir (SU426877), in a brighter moment between showers:
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 20+ (highest count at this site by far)
Azure Damselfly - 1
Stephen Burch
1 Beautiful Demoiselle
10+ Banded Demoiselle
5 Emerald Damsels ( 3 females 2 males)
100+ Common / Azure Damsels
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
8 Red Eyed Damsels
1 Club Tailed Dragonfly (male) SU5219996918
2 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
 |
| Clubtail (mature male) © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Blue-tailed Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Beautiful Demoiselle © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Emerald Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
Lamb's Pool BBOWT
Beautiful demoiselle 2 (1m 1f/imm)
Large red damselfly 1
White-legged damselfly 4
Azure damselfly 18 (13m 3 fem/imm 1 pair in tandem)
Blue-tailed damselfly 14 (10m 2 teneral 1 pair in cop)
Red-eyed damselfly 2m
Four-spotted chaser 4 (3m 1 fem ovipositing)
Woodford Bottom
White-legged damselfly 4
Azure damselfly 1m
Four-spotted chaser 2
Steve and Gill Holliday
2 Beautiful Demoiselle
2 Banded Demoiselle
8 Large Red Damsels
3 White-Legged Damsels
30+ Azure Damsels
2 Blue-Tailed Damsels
3 Hairy Dragonflies
5 Emperor Dragonflies
7 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
2 Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
 |
| Azure Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
.jpg) |
| Large Red Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
 |
| Ruddy Darter © Wayne Bull |
30th May - Lyford & River Ock
Beautiful Demoiselle x 100+ m/f
Banded Demoiselle x 50+ m/f
Azure Damselfly x 2 m/f
1st June - Venn Mill
Large Red Damselfly x 2 m/f
Common Blue Damselfly m
Blue-tailed Damselfly m
Tim & Ali Baker
Seen in the MoD area at Otmoor this morning (while doing a butterfly survey):
Azure and Common Blue Damselflies
Emperor Dragonfly 2
Four-spotted Chaser 2
Ruddy Darter 2 (my earliest ever sighting of this species)
David Hastings
 |
| Ruddy Darter ♀ © David Hastings |