Cothill and Oxford Botanic Gardens, 16 June

Parsonage Moor

Broad-bodied chaser - 1 
Large red damselfly - 1
Azure damselfly - c. 10
Four-spotted chaser - 4
Emperor dragonfly - 2
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Keeled skimmer - 3
Blue-tailed damselfly - 2
Black-tailed skimmer - 1
Southern damselfly - c. 20

Cothill NNR

Black-tailed skimmer - 4
Broad-bodied chaser - 2
Emperor dragonfly - 2
Four-spotted chaser - 1
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Small red damselfly - c. 10
Blue-tailed damselfly - 2
Large red damselfy - 2
Keeled skimmer - 2
Beautiful demoiselle - 1
Lots of azures/common blues

Oxford Botanic Garden

Azure damselfly
Red-eyed damselfly
Small red-eyed damselfly
Blue-tailed damselfly
Broad-bodied chaser
Emperor dragonfly - 2 egg-laying females

Eoin Morris

John Allen Pit, Bishop's Court Farm, Dorchester, 16 June

Lesser Emperor, 2.

A male and female in tandem, harassed by a male Emperor.

Geoff Wyatt 

Oxford Way storm water ponds, Chalgrove - 16th June

This newly created site, serving new housing development to the west of Chalgrove (51.674778, -1.100130) yielded:

2 Emperor (male and ovipositing fem)
5 Black-tailed Skimmer (4 male, 1 fem incl mating pair)
1 Broad-bodied Chaser
1 Four-spotted Chaser
3 Azure Damselfly

Broad-bodied Chaser

Emperor (fem)

Black-tailed Skimmers

Four-spotted Chaser

The maturing larger pond - SU 62310 97728

A new second pond

Grove Meadows Storm Water Pond, 16 June

Common Blue Damselfly 
Azure Damselfly
Emperor 1m
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1

Stephen Burch

NB Gate now secured by a padlocked chain

Lockinge, 14 June

Pool by weir:

Azure Damselfly 10-20
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2+
Emperor 1m

Stephen Burch

Whitecross Green Wood, 15th June

2 Lesser Emperor - first site record?
1 Southern Migrant Hawker - teneral male
10+ White-Legged Damselflies

Jeremy Dexter

Southern Migrant Hawker (teneral male) © Jeremy Dexter

A Broughton Garden, 14 June

 

Blue-tailed Damselfly ovipositing © Paul Wyeth

Azure Damselfly (m) © Paul Wyeth

Wroxton Quarry, 13th June

A brief visit to check the pools. Small numbers of Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer and blue damselflies seen, but no darters. 

The pool that the Red-veined Darters were ovipositing in is drying out rather rapidly.

Day's Lock, Church Farm Backwaters, 14:June

Lesser Emperor 1

Seen patrolling the stream that feeds from the Thames to Church Farm Backwaters, approximately 1km north of Day's Lock.

Geoff Wyatt 

Bicester Wetlands Reserve, 13 June

Bicester Wetland Reserve Dragonfly survey 13 June 2026

Banded Demoiselle 6m 2f
Common Blue Damselfy 21m 3f including 2 pairs in tandem and 1 pair in cop. 
Azure Damselfy 5m
Blue-tailed Damselfy 5m
Red-eyed Damselfy 2m
Emperor 5m
Four-spotted Chaser 4
Broad-bodied Chaser 3m 1 f – female ovipositing 
Black-tailed Skimmer 11m 6f including 4 pair in cop and 2 females ovipositing

Steve Holliday and Gareth Blockley

Whitecross Green Wood 14th June

10:30 to 12:30

Beautiful Demoiselle : 1
Azure Damselfly : 20+
Common Blue Damselfly : 4
Blue-tailed Damselfly : 1
White-legged Damselfly : 8
Emperor Dragonfly: 6
Hairy Hawker : 1
Four-spotted Chaser : 9
Black-tailed Skimmer : 1

David Hastings

White-legged Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Four-spotted Chaser ♂ © David Hastings

River Cherwell in University Parks, 8 June

 

Banded Demoiselle (c) James Wainscoat

Otmoor RSPB, 7 June

3 Common blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) - 2 males and 1 female
1 Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) - male
1 Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
1 Downy Emerald and (Cordulia aenea)
1 Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - female or immature male
At least 3 Ruddy Darters (Sympetrum sanguineum) - all immatures
Azure Damselflies in good numbers.

Eoin Morris

River Thames at Farmoor, 8th June

From Buckthorn Meadow to Pinkhill 14:45 to 16:00

Banded Demoiselle 6
Azure Damselfly 50+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 3
Red-eyed Damselfly 3
Emperor Dragonfly 1 (♀ ovipositing)
Four-spotted Chaser 4
Black-tailed Skimmer 2

David Hastings

Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Aston, 7th June

I was surprised to find an immature male Beautiful Demoiselle in my garden in Aston, west Oxon this afternoon.

David Hastings

Immature male Beautiful Demoiselle © David Hastings

 

Boundary Brook Nature Reserve, Oxford, 26 May

Belated news of a first site record:

1 Four-spotted Chaser

Helen Edwards

Lockinge, 2 June

Pool above the small weir SU425877

1 Emperor (m)
1 Blue Damselfly

Stephen Burch

Wroxton College Lakes, 30th May

Both lakes checked but not the stream.

Hairy Dragonfly, 6

Darter sp., 1 adult male seen distantly and briefly 3 times over the large lake. Considering time of year, the national influx and having just found the Wroxton Quarry Red-veined Darters, I think there is a good chance this was another one.

12 species recorded (not including the unidentified darter) with other more common species quite numerous. For example, easily over 1000 Azure and Common Blue Damselflies mostly over the lake surfaces.

Spital Farm Lake, Banbury - 30th May

Hairy Dragonfly, 3 - SP 4707 4041

I think it's now reasonable to assume all suitable habitats in Banbury has this species.