A blog for sightings of Dragonflies and Damselflies in Oxfordshire. To submit records and photos, email stephen_burchemail at yahoo.co.uk.
Photos with maximum resolutions up to 2400 pixels may be provided.
Recorders are encouraged to upload their own sightings to iRecord, but any remaining records will be uploaded at the end of the season.
Blenheim
Hundreds of blue damselflies at , mainly Common Blue, with Azure in smaller numbers.
A few Blue-tailed Damselfly
1 Red-eyed Damselfly
North Woodstock
Good numbers of Azure Damselflies near the Glyme river, outnumbering Commons in this area.
Good numbers of Large Red Damselflies.
Woodstock Town Meadows
20+ Beautiful Demoiselles
10+ Banded Demoiselles
Gareth Casburn
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly © Gareth Casburn |
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| Red-eyed Damselfly © Gareth Casburn |
Azure Damselfly 100+
Common Blue Damselfly 100+
Red-eyed Damselfly 30
Blue-tailed Damselfly 7
Banded Demoiselle 1
Hairy Dragonfly 4
Downy Emerald 1
Four-spotted Chaser 1 (disappointingly)
Brian Walker
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| Downy Emerald © Brian Walker |
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| Hairy Dragonfly © Brian Walker |
20+ Banded Demoiselle
5 Large Red Damsels
Common Blue Damsels
Azure Damsels
7+ Variable Damsels (Barton Pool)
10+ Blue Tailed Damsels
10+ Red Eyed Damsels
8+ Hairy Dragonflies (mostly orchard lake)
17 Four-Spotted Chaser
4+ Downy Emerald (Orchard Lake)
Wayne Bull
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| Variable Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
Two Broad-bodied Chasers at my garden pond in Aston today. The female was ovipositing, while the male hovered overhead protecting her. The female departed once she had finished egg-laying, but the male stayed around all afternoon until at least 17:35.
David Hastings
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| Broad-bodied Chaser ♂© David Hastings |
5 Downy Emerald: Freshly emerged and making their first flight between 10.00 - 11.00. 4 flew over the trees, directly away from site, a fifth (photo) damaged a wing and was unable to fly.
3 Hairy Dragonfly
2 Blue-tailed Damselfly
Also several of:
Banded Demoiselle
Azure Damselfly
Common Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
Geoff Wyatt
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| Hairy Dragonfly (just emerged) © Geoff Wyatt |
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| Downy Emerald and exuvia © Geoff Wyatt |
Hundreds of Common Blue and Azure Damselflies
2 Blue-tailed Damselflies,
1 Large Red Damselfly,
2 Four spotted Chaser
1 Exuvia - probable Four-spotted Chaser
James Wainscoat
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| Azure Damselfly © James Wainscoat |
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| Common Blue Damselfly in cop. © James Wainscoat |
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| Exuvia - probable Four-spotted Chaser © James Wainscoat |
Willow Emerald Damselfly - ovipositing scars, presumably from last year, seen on alder. This is the first evidence of Willow Emerald at the site.
Steve Holliday
3-4 Hairy Dragonfly
1 Broad-bodied Chaser
2 Azure Blue Damselfly
12 Banded Demoiselle
19 Beautiful Demoiselle
(submitted on iRecord)
100s Azure Damselfly
James Wainscoat
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| Azure Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
8 Banded Demoiselle
2 Large Red Damsels
Common Blue Damsels
Azure Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
3 Downy Emerald
8 Hairy Dragonflies
18 Four-Spotted Chaser
Wayne Bull
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| Downy Emerald (c) Wayne Bull |
21st April – Pinkhill, Farmoor
29th April – Pinkhill, Farmoor
30th April - Garden in West Hanney
4th May – Tar Lakes, LWV
5th May – Otmoor
8th May – Garden in West Hanney
9th May – Garden in West Hanney
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (f) (c) Tim Baker |
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| Large Red Damselfly (c) Tim Baker |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Tim Baker |
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| Common Blue Damselfly (teneral) (c) Tim Baker |
Clubtail 4
Banded Demoiselle 35+
Beautiful Demoiselle 1
Ian Lewington
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| Clubtail (c) Ian Lewington |
13 Banded Demoiselle, 6 Common Blue Damselflies, and one male Common Clubtail. Sightings entered on iRecord.
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| Common Clubtail (male) (c) John Bloomfield |
Banded Demoiselle : 8
Azure Damselfly : 12
David Hastings
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| Banded Demoiselle ♂© David Hastings |
Red-eyed Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
James Wainscoat
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
1f probable Azure Damselfly (not Variable)
1 Banded Demoiselle
10s Blue Damselfly
James Wainscoat
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| Azure Damselfly (f) (c) James Wainscoat |
Downy Emerald 1
Broad-bodied Chaser 1
Hairy Dragonfly 1
Banded Demoiselle c30
Azure Damselfly c40
Large Red Damselfly 4
Geoff Wyatt
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| Downy Emerald (c) Geoff Wyatt |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Geoff Wyatt |
Radley Lakes 8th May:-
4 Banded Demoiselle
1 Large Red Damsel
20+ Azure Damsels
50+ Common Blue Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
4 Hairy Dragonflies
1 Downy Emerald (Female) Orchard lake
Also:
1 Four-spotted Chaser Radley lakes 29th April
7+ Beautiful Demoiselle Sor Brook, Bloxham Grove 7th May
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| Downy Emerald (f) (c) Wayne Bull |
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| Common Blue Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull |
3 Clubtail - 1 upstream from Ferry Lane. 2 downstream towards railway bridge
Alan Dawson
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| Clubtail (c) Alan Dawson |
20+ Large Red Damselfly
Broad-bodied Chaser
Gareth Casburn
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| Large Red Damselfly (c) Gareth Casburn |
Banded Demoiselle,
Large Red Damselfly,
Azure Damselfly,
Broad-bodied Chaser
Probable Hairy Dragonfly.
Peter Philp
Three Azure Damselflies (male), six Large Red Damselflies (male & female), and one Banded Demoiselle (female). All sightings entered on iRecord.
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| Azure Damselfly (male) (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Large Red Damselfly (female) (c) John Bloomfield |
1f Azure Damselfly
James Wainscoat
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| Azure Damselfly (female) © James Wainscoat |
Two immature Large Red Damselflies this afternoon.
David Hastings |
| Large Red Damselfly (imm ♂) © David Hastings |
Probable Hairy Dragonfly this morning - didn't see enough of it to confirm.
David Hastings
2 Large-red Damselflies
James Wainscoat
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| Large-red Damselfly © James Wainscoat |
2 Large Red Damselfly
Also 1 at Cothill
Brian Walker
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| Large Red Damselfly © Brian Walker |
With the new season nearly upon us, here are some of the 2023 highlights:
In 2023 there was fine weather in May and early June, which gave way to a generally disappointing July and August, with fine sunny days at a premium. At least there were no issues with sites drying out this year! For VC23 only, there were about 1230 records which is another all-time high.
The early season was notable for Common Clubtail sightings, with 39 records between 4 May and 15 June, including an unprecedented report of 27 adults and 11 exuviae along a short stretch of the Thames downstream from Clifton Hampden! There were also reports from well upstream at Rushey Lock, Tadpole Bridge and Chimney Meadows, where this species is only rarely encountered.
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| Common Clubtail © Wayne Bull |
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| Variable Damselfly © Ian Lewington |
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| Downy Emerald © Wayne Bull |
Following their discovery in 2020, Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies were again reported from stormwater ponds at Longford Park, Banbury and Didcot, but in smaller numbers than previously. These sites are becoming increasingly overgrown and may well soon become unsuitable for this species. However, with large numbers of stormwater ponds appearing all over the county there is a good chance of the species relocating to more suitable habitat. Whether or not they can be located is another matter!
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch |
One of the main highlights of the season was the highest number of Southern Migrant Hawker sightings since the discovery of the species in 2020. Last year there were only two records of mature adults but this year there were 20 reports both from Otmoor and, thanks to Gareth Casburn for his initial sighting, a nearby new site – Whitecross Green Wood. At this latter site, sightings were far more reliable than on Otmoor and a potential breeding pool was located with males holding territory.
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| Southern Migrant Hawker © Stephen Burch |
The Cothill BBOWT transect surveys for Southern Damselflies and Keeled Skimmer showed smaller daily counts than the record numbers seen last year, probably due to the poorer weather. It was of some concern that there no transect survey reports of Small Red Damselfly, with only 2 records from the adjacent Cothill Fen NNR.
Small Red-eyed Damselfly continued its recent range expansion but with reduced numbers probably due to the mixed weather. A late-season highlight was the continued spread of Willow Emerald Damselfly, although the rate of increase appears to have slowed following its dramatic expansion last year.
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| Willow Emerald Damselfly [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch |
Over the year, 29 species were recorded.
Stephen Burch, Oxfordshire Dragonfly Recorder
3+ Common Darter
1 on the fence by the weir, and 1 tandem pair ovipositing in the pool! SU426877
Are there going to be any December dragonfly records this year, anyone?
If so, I am pretty sure that would be a county first.
Also a Red Admiral nearby and 1 Brimstone on the footpath to the SE of Ardington SU435881!
Stephen Burch
On fence by weir trying to warm up in the weak late morning sun. SU426877
1 Common Darter
Stephen Burch
3 m Common Darters sunning themselves on the small gate leading to the bird feeder. SP569128
Report of more nearer the hide
Phil Cruse
