Large Red Damselfly and Broad-bodied Chaser emergences

Thanks to Anna Walsh for sharing these images showing emergence from a water tank in her garden

Large Red Damselfly emergence © Anna Walsh

Large Red Damselfly emergence © Anna Walsh

Broad-bodied Chaser emergence © Anna Walsh

Ardley Trow Pool, 28th July

Lesser Emperor - 1 male hunting flies over long grass in the area between the Trow Pool and the quarry lake this evening.

Southern Hawker - 1

Bodicote, 26 July

 Sidleigh Lake, Bodicote

10+ White-Legged Damsels
20+ Common Blue Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
15+ Red Eyed Damsels
2+ Small Red Eyed Damsels
1 Emperor Dragonfly
1 Brown Hawker
1 Common Darter
1 Ruddy Darter

Bodicote Reservoir

30+ Common Blue Damsels
1 Emperor Dragonfly
2 Southern Migrant Hawkers (males) SP4534837714
4 Common Darter

Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

White-Legged Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Whitecross Green Wood, 25 July

Emerald Damselfly, 15+
Blue-tailed Damselfly, 3
Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, 1m
White-legged Damselfly, 3
Southern Hawker, 2m
Brown Hawker, 6 (inc. 1f ovipositing)
Southern Migrant Hawker, 7+
Ruddy Darter, 20+

Phil Cruse

Southern Migrant Hawker © Phil Cruse

Southern Hawker © Phil Cruse

White-legged Damselfly © Phil Cruse

Radley Lakes 25th July

Most activity was in the SW corner of Thrupp Lake, and Orchard Lake. But there wasn't a lot about.

Red-eyed Damselfly 5
Small Red-eyed Damselfly 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2
Common Blue Damselfly 25+
Brown Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Common Darter 4
Ruddy Darter 7

David Hastings

Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Farmoor 25th July

There weren't many odonata about 10:30 to 11:45. Most activity was around the pond south of the Shrike Meadow hide.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly 4
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2
Common Blue Damselfly 10+
Emperor Dragonfly 1
Brown Hawker 3
Common Darter 6

David Hastings

Small Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Whitecross Green Wood, 25th July

15+ Emerald Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
2 Southern Hawker
3 Migrant Hawker
7+ Southern Migrant Hawker
3 Emperor Dragonflies
4 Brown Hawker
Ruddy Darters

Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

Migrant Hawker © Wayne Bull

Lower Windrush Valley, 25 July

Pit 60 Langley Lane hide

A surprising dearth of odonata:

1 Banded Demoiselle
Blue damsels (a few)
1 Probable Lesser Emperor - flew rapidly past the hide once

Tar Lakes

Common Blue Damselfly - many
Brown Hawker
Emperor 1-2m, 1f ovipositing
Brown Hawker 1
Lesser Emperor 4+ Along SW shore of first pit and in NE corner of second pit
Migrant Hawker 2+
Black-tailed Skimmer
Common Darter

Stephen Burch

Lesser Emperor record shot © Stephen Burch

Otmoor, Noke end pond - 25th July

2 Emperor (m & f)
3 Black-tailed Skimmer (m)
Common and Ruddy Darters
1 Small Red-eyed Damselfly
1 Blue-tailed Damselfly

A few other blue Damselflies

1 Banded Demoiselle

(All from accessible corner nearest to Noke Farm, late morning)

Emperor (female)

Black-tailed Skimmer (male)

Also: plenty of Brown Hawker in the ditch between Big Otmoor and the bridleway

Blenheim, 18 July

In the location where the Norfolk Hawkers were reported previously:

Migrant Hawker 10-20
Brown Hawker 1-2
Emperor 1-2
Lesser Emperor 1, per Gareth
Four-spotted Chaser
Blue Damsels

No definite sign of any Norfolk Hawkers

Stephen Burch & Gareth Casburn

Otmoor, 17 July

Disappointing numbers of dragonflies:

3 Banded Demoiselle
8+ Azure Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
1 Small Red Eyed Damsel (male) between 1st & 2nd screen
2 Emperor Dragonflies
6+ Brown Hawker
2 Migrant Hawker
2 Southern Migrant Hawkers (males) between 1st & 2nd screen
3 Black Tailed Skimmer
Common & Ruddy Darters

Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker (m) © Wayne Bull

Southern Migrant Hawker (m) © Wayne Bull

Small Red-eyed Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Otmoor 14th July

Banded Demoiselle 1
Common Blue Damselfly 4
Common Spreadwing 1
Brown Hawker 4
Southern Migrant Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Ruddy Darter 40+ 

Southern Migrant Hawker © David Hastings

Banded Demoiselle © David Hastings

Norfolk and Southern Migrant Hawkers, 14 July

Norfolk Hawkers were reported from two sites today!

Blenheim: 2 still present, per Ewan

Otmoor: Along path 100 yds from second screen, per Jeremy Dexter

Southern Migrant Hawkers were also reported from Otmoor: 

3 males between the corner and second screen per Jeremy Dexter 

Norfolk Hawker on Otmoor (c) Jeremy Dexter

Southern Migrant Hawker on Otmoor (c) Jeremy Dexter 

.

Blenheim, 13 July

Norfolk Hawkers still present at same location

Jason Coppock et al

Click for Video (c) Jason Coppock

Blenheim, 12th July

Norfolk Hawker - I think almost certainly 2 today in the same area. I suspected 2 in the field but couldn't be sure, but having looked at photos I think it's clear. Superb views for a couple of hours, almost constantly on show.

Lesser Emperor - 2 seen this morning, but certainly more.

This is the "original" insect taken this morning and the one I saw yesterday. Compare the wing damage with the picture below which I think confirms it is a different insect. I also think structurally they are slightly different.

Blenheim, 11th July

Norfolk Hawker - 1 flew into view while I was looking for Lesser Emperors. It appeared to have a different jizz to a Brown Hawker which drew my attention and when it perched, I could confirm the ID. Seen at SP431163 which is right at the tip of the Main Lake as it tapers off.

Lesser Emperor - 4 at least. 2 seen at the north end of the Queen Pool, and also 2 on the Main Lake near Rosamund's Well. No doubt some more given the size of the lakes and other suitable areas.

Plenty of Emperors, and 1000s of blue damselflies.

Radley Lakes 11th July

1 Beautiful Demoiselle
1 Banded Demoiselle
4 Emerald Damsels (males orchard lake)
Common Blue/Azure Damsels
8 Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
8+ Small Red Eyed Damsels (orchard lake)
1 Southern Hawker
2 Brown Hawker
12+ Emperor Dragonflies
6+ Lesser Emperor ( 2 pairs in tandem with 1 pair ovipositing + separate males, Thrupp/Bullfield lake)
8+ Four Spotted Chaser
10+ Black Tailed Skimmer
3 Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

Small Red-eyed Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull

Sideleigh Lake, Bodicote, 9th July

1 Beautiful Demoiselle
6 White Legged Damsels
Common/Azure Blue Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
2 Emperor Dragonflies
2 Four Spotted Chaser

Wayne Bull

White-legged Damselfly (f)  (c) Wayne Bull

White-legged Damselfly (m) (c) Wayne Bull

Tar Lakes 11th July

Common Blue Damselfly 100+
Red-eyed Damselfly 1
Emperor Dragonfly 2
Lesser Emperor 2 (one at Tar Lake, the other patrolling the car park)
Brown Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 8
Common Darter 2

David Hastings

Emperor Dragonfly ♂ © David Hastings

Blenheim 10th July

Lesser Emperor - a male seen this evening over the Main Lake at roughly SP432161. Originally found a couple of days ago by Roger Wyatt. It appeared to be patrolling a small section of the lake edge.

Gareth Casburn

Wroxton College Lakes, 10 July

Willow Emerald Damselfly - 1 (teneral)
Large Red Damselfly - 1
Red-eyed Damselfly - 50+
Small Red-eyed Damselfly - 4
Azure/Common Blue Damselflies - numerous
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 17
Emperor Dragonfly - 7
Four-spotted Chaser - 3
Black-tailed Skimmer - 9
Common Darter - 8
Ruddy Darter - 13

Gareth Blockley

Willow Emerald Damselfly (and old egg laying scars on Ash)

Wroxton Quarry, 10 July

SP 40230 41577. Not an easy site to view, one pool now dry.
Red-eyed Damselfly - 20+
Azure/Common Blue Damselflies - many
Emperor Dragonfly - 4
Black-tailed Skimmer - 8
Common Darter - 10+

Gareth Blockley

Lambs Pool and Woodford Bottom BBOWT, 10 July

Banded Demoiselle - 1
White-legged Damselfly - 4
Red-eyed Damselfly - 50+
Small Red-eyed Damselfly - 3 (new species record for the site)
Azure/Common Blue Damselflies - numerous
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 15
Brown Hawker - 2
Emperor Dragonfly - 11
Four-spotted Chaser - 8
Broad-bodied Chaser - 3
Black-tailed Skimmer - 7
Common Darter - 20+

Gareth Blockley and Steve Holliday

Grimsbury Reservoir and River Cherwell, 9 July

Beautiful Demoiselle - 1
Banded Demoiselle - 4
Red-eyed Damselfly - 18
Azure Damselfly - 50+
Common Blue Damselfly - 50+
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 7
Brown Hawker - 3
Emperor Dragonfly - 5
Black-tailed Skimmer - 6

Gareth Blockley

Otmoor, 7 July

Southern Migrant Hawkers:  have been showing for about a week. Mostly teneral/female sightings. A couple of blue males were showing today (7/7/25). Pictures taken at SP559129 (Big Otmoor).

Jeremy Dexter

Mature male Southern Migrant Hawker (c) Jeremy Dexter

Mature male Southern Migrant Hawker (c) Jeremy Dexter

Parsonage Moor/Cothill Fen 8th July

Beautiful Demoiselle 1
Azure Damselfly 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly 3
Southern Damselfly 3
Small Red Damselfly 4 (2m,2f)
Brown Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Keeled Skimmer 6
Common Darter 3

David Hastings

Small Red Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Small Red Damselfly ♀ © David Hastings

Searching for Clubtails at Goring, 1 July

Further to the earlier post on the remarkable Clubtail records from 1 July, I am very grateful to Alan Holmes for providing the following account and photograph.

Note that in addition to their Clubtail sightings, Alan et al reported no less than 3 Lesser Emperors!

Stephen Burch

Clubtails in tandem flight (c) Steve Cham

On Tuesday 1st July, Steve Cham,  John Van-Gowler and myself were looking for larvae and copulating females as part of a scoping exercise to investigate the feasibility of reintroducing clubtail larvae to an old New Forest site. The idea was either to catch enough larvae or alternatively raise up eggs from a gravid female and release them. In the UK, larvae take two years before emergence, though up to 4 years at some German sites. Occasional September adult records indicate that occasionally UK larvae develop fast enough to emerge earlier, late in the season after their emergence.

Four larvae were found by John and Steve in the finer silt round reeds with none being found further out in the river. In common with other Gomphus species, larvae have a special spine or tooth at the tibial tarsal-joint of the front and middle legs which is absent on the hind legs which is thought to help with digging through the substrate.

At least 5 males were seen flying over the centre of the river and one was seen engaging with a female who initially resisted, resulting in the pair hitting the water before flying up into the air above the river and landing in the willows on the south bank. 

Seeing Clubtails at Goring in the season seems fairly reliable on the classic walk along to the railway bridge but the numbers do not seem to be viable for catching a female or getting enough larvae on the Thames. Numbers of individuals seen on the Severn seem to be significantly higher where the season is a little later (the average exuviae record on the Thames is the 21st of May, and the 26th of May on the Severn.) There are records this year on the Thames all the way along from Windsor up to upstream of Oxford but at very low densities.  Often these records are from members of the general public rather than dedicated dragonfly, naturalists.

At Goring, it is very easy in season to find the exuviae on the concrete bridge parapet and in culverts. But this would be much more difficult among vegetation further upstream. This would require a thorough search by canoe as has been done historically. 

Alan Holmes

Radley Lakes 4th July

 3 Banded Demoiselle
1 Beautiful Demoiselle
6 Emerald Damsels (5 males,1 female Orchard Lake)
1 Willow Emerald (male Orchard Lake)
Common/Azure Damsels
8 Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
3 Emperor Dragonflies
3 Brown Hawker
3 Four Spotted Chaser
10+ Black Tailed Skimmer
2 Ruddy Darter
1 Common Darter

Wayne Bull

Emperor (c) Wayne Bull

Otmoor, 4 July

Hairy Dragonfly 1

Black-tailed Skimmer 1

Ruddy Darter 2

Common Blue Damselfly 5

Azure Damselfly 16

Blue-tailed Damselfly 5

Willow Emerald Damselfly 1

Brian Walker

Ruddy Darter (c) Brian Walker

Hairy Dragonfly (c) Brian Walker

Willow Emerald Damselfly (c) Brian Walker