Oxfordshire Dragonfly Site Guide - Part 3
Introduction
This is Part 3 of a guide to the best places for dragonflies and damselflies in Oxfordshire.
Sites
See below for more information on these sites:
Wroxton College Lakes
Location
West of Banbury on the south eastern edge of Wroxton village. SP 420415
Access
Wroxton lies off the A422 Banbury to Stratford-upon-Avon road. Take any of the roads south of this road into the village, until you reach the main gates of Wroxton College. Parking is usually available by the village duck pond. Permissive access is available to the Abbey grounds which are generally open in summer unless temporarily closed for safety work. There is a donations box just through the main gates and donations are welcomed to help with management of the grounds and in maintaining access for visitors. Walk down the main drive and, keeping the Abbey on your left, follow the track down to the ponds. A circular route takes you alongside the margins of the ponds and an overspill channel at the eastern end.
Habitat
Landscaped parkland and woodland including two large ponds created in the 18th century by earth banks on a brook. The upper, Her Ladyship’s Pool, is the shallowest and extensively covered with water lilies, edged with willows and marginal vegetation including burr-reed. A small channel then winds through woodland before reaching the largest pond, Great Lake, which has tree-shaded margins and marginal vegetation including Reedmace. Great Lake overspills through two cascades into a winding channel at its eastern end, with fringing vegetation and marshy areas. Paths enable a walk around both ponds and the channel although only a few sections of the Great Lake margins are accessible.
Description:
This is perhaps the easiest site to see almost all of the regularly occurring species in the north of the county. The first damselflies are on the wing on sunny days from late April to May when Large Red Damselfly can be conspicuous along the margins of both main ponds, together with Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies. A speciality at this time is Hairy Dragonfly with males often seen among tall fringing vegetation on both main ponds.
In Brownett’s The Dragonflies of the Banbury Area (1990), Wroxton Abbey was one of only two sites listed for this species, with records in 1959, after which there were no records for many years and it was then presumed locally extinct.
Sunny days in June and July can see a dazzling range of activity, especially on the Great Lake, where 100s of Common Blue Damselflies can be seen at times low over the water, along with Four-spotted Chasers and Back-tailed Skimmers. Both Emperor and Brown Hawker start to emerge and small numbers of both can usually be seen over the two ponds. Broad-bodied Chaser is regular but scarce, while Beautiful Demoiselles are more frequent and can be seen along the wooded paths and along the channel at the eastern end. Look out for Red-eyed Damselfly on lily pads on the upper pond where over 30 have been counted.
Small Red-eyed Damselfly was first recorded in August 2024 when a breeding population discovered on algal mats on the Great Lake. On sunny days in summer, Black-tailed Skimmers and Ruddy Darters will readily settle on the ground or fallen logs by the ponds and the occasional Southern Hawker can be found, often hunting away from water.
Late season species include Willow Emerald Damselfly, first recorded in 2022 with ovipositing noted on ash and wych elm. A full survey in 23 September 2024 found at least 36 including several pairs in tandem. Migrant Hawker and Common Darter numbers both reach double figures in August and September with some still on the wing on sunny days in October.
Dragonfly list (notable species in bold)
Beautiful Demoiselle
Willow Emerald Damselfly
Large red Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Small Red-eyed Damselfly
Migrant Hawker
Hairy dragonfly
Brown Hawker
Southern Hawker
Emperor
Broad-bodied Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser
Black-tailed Skimmer
Common Darter
Ruddy Darter
Steve and Gill Holliday, Gareth Blockley. October 2024
Location
This reservoir is in the upper catchment of the Cherwell valley, approx 5 miles north of Banbury, access at SP451491, car-park at SP 453487. Other than a small stretch of the Oxford Canal, this is the northernmost dragonfly site in Oxfordshire!
Access
The site lies north of Banbury and is signposted together with Claydon, on a right turn off the A423 Southam Road. The reservoir entrance is on the right, c 1 mile along this road. Alternatively approach from Claydon to the north. A track leads to a small car-park, on the right just before the dam wall, although this can be busy, especially at weekends, as it is a popular fishery. The site is managed by the Canal and River Trust with full access to the perimeter on a wooden walkway and the dam wall.
Habitat
The 21 acre reservoir is an open water body with a wooden walkway which runs inside a marshy perimeter at its western edge. The site has several perimeter willows by the walkway and 3 small islands with willows near the western end. Emergent and surface vegetation includes Amphibious Bistort and algal mats, while the marshy edges have extensive areas of Common Club Rush. Small watercourses feed the reservoir and link it to the Oxford Canal to the east.
Description:
An easy site at which to get close views of dragonflies, and although the wooden walkway is often busy with anglers, there are undisturbed areas of fringing vegetation, especially at the western end. The Reservoir is an important breeding site for White-tailed Damselfly with 64 recorded in July 2022, including 28 pairs. Common, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselfly are present in small numbers and Red-eyed Damselfly can be seen on the Amphibious Bistort.
Both Large Red Damselfly and Broad-bodied Chaser are also likely to be present in early season, although visits have been limited then. A speciality in late May/June is Hairy Dragonfly with 9 (7 males and 2 females) seen in June 2022, with close views possible as they move among stems of club rush. It is probably the easiest site in the Banbury area to see this species.
Of the larger dragonflies, it is particularly good for Emperor (max 7 July 2022) and Migrant Hawker (max 24 August 2024). Brown and Southern Hawkers can be seen in small numbers and on sunny days in late summer, Black-tailed Skimmers and Ruddy Darters will readily settle around reservoir margins.
The first Small Red-eyed Damselflies were seen on algal mats at the western end, in 2022. Late season species are Migrant Hawker and Common Darter which can both be common in August and September. There have been no searches for Willow Emerald to date.
Dragonfly list (notable species in bold)
White-legged Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Small red-eyed Damselfly
Hairy Dragonfly
Migrant Hawker
Brown Hawker
Southern Hawker
Emperor Dragonfly
Four-spotted Chaser
Black-tailed Skimmer
Ruddy Darter
Common Darter
[In Brownett’s Dragonflies of the Banbury Area and Dragonflies of Oxfordshire, the following historic records are noted:
Emerald Damselfly - female (July) and male (Sept) – both 1963.
Common Hawker – single record 21/09/1964.
Yellow-winged Darter – a male 11/08/1995]
Steve and Gill Holliday, Gareth Blockley. February 2025
Grimsbury Reservoir and Upper Cherwell Valley, Banbury
Location
North side of Banbury town centre, access at SP 45899 41711 or from the Oxford canal towpath.
Access
The site lies just north of Hennef Way, between the A423 Southam Road and the M40 junction at Banbury. The main access is through outer perimeter gates at the southern end, which are invariably open.
A small car park is off Grimsbury Green, a small road off Hennef Way (follow brown signs for the sailing club), at the northern end of Spiceball Park. Walk north to the reservoir which has a sailing club based at the southern end, and is fenced with no general access.
A perimeter path runs close to the reservoir edge and links to the canal towpath and Upper Cherwell Valley. The best route is to keep right at the reservoir and walk between the Reservoir and the River Cherwell. Access is limited to the river but there are views in various places, particularly adjacent to Grimsbury Woodland Nature Reserve (managed by Banbury Ornithological Society). Once through the woodland, you can go north on the Canal towpath and follow this beyond the M40 bridge, to the Roman Meadow Country Park which includes the Borrow Pit pool in the Upper Cherwell Valley.
Habitat
The Thames Water reservoir is an open water body within a concrete bowl. There is generally no emergent vegetation but there are occasional algal mats in summer. The adjoining River Cherwell has steep banks in places and is lined with mature trees including Alders and Willows. The River opens out adjacent to Grimsbury woodland with some low, fringing and emergent vegetation.
Dragonflies often perch in path side vegetation in this area. At the northern end of the woodland is a fairly shaded section of the Oxford Canal. An obvious path runs along the eastern bank and the canal opens out to the north with some low fringing vegetation. A path leaves the canal and leads into the Upper Cherwell Valley where there is a shallow Borrow Pit pool with low fringing vegetation. A perimeter path around the pool allows access in places to the water’s edge.
Description
A good site to see almost all of the regularly occurring species in the north of the county, with 20 species recorded. It is one of the few sites where good numbers of both Banded and Beautiful Demoiselles can be seen together. The reservoir itself is least productive but Broad-bodied Chaser and especially basking Black-tailed Skimmers can be seen around the edges.
From May onwards Large Red Damselfly, together with Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies can be seen along the River Cherwell. White-legged Damselfly has been seen in small numbers both by the River and around the Borrow Pit. A speciality in late May/June is Hairy Dragonfly with males often seen over the River Cherwell adjacent to the woodland. It is currently only known from a handful of sites in the Banbury area. The river (and Borrow Pit pool) was one of the first sites in the Banbury area to record Small Red-eyed Damselfly (2023).
Sunny days in June and July can see a wide range of activity, especially along the River and wetland margins where both demoiselles can reach double figures. Red-eyed Damselflies are found where there is floating vegetation and both Brown and Southern Hawker can be seen along the river. The Borrow Pit can hold large numbers of Common Blue Damselfly and is the best area for Four-spotted Chasers and Emperors.
On sunny days in late summer, Black-tailed Skimmers and Ruddy Darters will readily settle around all the wetland margins. Late season species include Willow Emerald Damselfly, first recorded in 2022 with subsequent sightings now annual along the river. Migrant Hawker and Common Darter can both be common in August and September with some still on the wing on sunny days in October.
Dragonfly list to 2024 (notable species in bold):
Beautiful Demoiselle
Banded Demoiselle
Willow Emerald Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Small Red-eyed Damselfly
Migrant Hawker
Hairy Dragonfly
Brown Hawker
Southern Hawker
Emperor
Broad-bodied Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser
Black-tailed Skimmer
Common Darter
Ruddy Darter
Steve Holliday, Gareth Blockley. December 2024
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