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.
SCARCE CHASER 1m
On the Thames footpath on the west bank of the Thames north of Shillingford in the vicinity of SU 58990 92622. On a reed at the water's edge in one of the anglers embayments on the bank. Worth checking others as well?
John Bloomfield
Note: Beware! The riverside parking in front of the hotel is pay and display.
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| Mature male Scarce Chaser © John Bloomfield |
Azure damselfly 3m
Common blue damselfly 150+ including several pairs in tandem, a few with females ovipositing and several tenerals
Emperor 1m
Four-spotted chaser 12+ Lots of activity, mating seen twice, 1f ovipositing
Steve Holliday
Important note: The only access to the permanent pond is during monthly surveys to minimise disturbance to breeding birds
Common Blue Damselflies 20+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 2m
Broad bodied Chaser 1m, 1f ovipositing
Emperor 1m, 1f ovipositing
But water quality looked very poor (cloudy)
Stephen Burch
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| Broad-bodied Chaser in flight © Stephen Burch |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser ovipositing © Stephen Burch |
100s Common Blue/Azure Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Black-tailed Skimmer
Four-spotted Chaser
Ruddy Darter 1 teneral
Stephen Burch
A reminder that teneral Southern Migrant Hawkers may begin to be seen on the wing at Otmoor very shortly.
In 2021, the first record of a teneral was on 23 June, whereas in 2020 (when the weather was more favourable), the first sighting was as early as 15 June.
Stephen Burch (still waiting for his first definite sighting and any photo!).
Seen on the MOD land at Otmoor today:
Banded Demoiselle - 2
Azure Damselfly - many
Large Red Damselfly - 2
Emperor Dragonfly - 2
Four-spotted Chaser - 3
Broad-bodied Chaser - 1
Ruddy Darter - 8 teneral
David Hastings
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| Ruddy Darter (teneral ♂) © David Hastings |
Ruddy Darter 1 (first of the year)
Hairy Dragonfly 1m
Banded Demoiselle 1m
Large Red Damselfly 1
Common Blue Damselfly abundant (min. 3 pairs on cop.)
Azure Damselfly abundant
Blue-tailed Damselfly 20
Nicola Devine
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| Ruddy Darter © Nicola Devine |
Earth Trust Waterboards Odonata Transect: 20 Azure Damselflies, 9 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 2 Hairy Dragonflies, 4 Four-spotted Chasers, 1 White-legged Damselfly, 1 Red-eyed Damselfly.
Earth Trust Two Ponds Odonata Transect: 42 Azure Damselflies, 2 Emerald Damselflies, 2 Banded Demoiselles, 1 White-legged Damselfly, 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies 1 Red-eyed Damselfly, 2 Emperor Dragonflies, 2 Four-spotted Chasers
Little Wittenham Woods: 40+ Azure Damselflies, 1 Emperor Dragonfly (female ovipositing), and 2 Common Clubtails (both female).
Note Adrian Parr provided the identification of the Emerald Damselflies as immature females and noted the following: there is no 'spur' on the side of the thorax, and although the pterostigma are still quite pale they are too long and thin for a Willow Emerald - the latter being more barrel-shaped - and it is possible to see a darker main section with white bars at each end starting to develop.
All sightings entered on iRecord
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| Common Clubtail female (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Common Clubtail female (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Teneral female Emerald Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
River Thames Odonata transect at Shillingford: 13 Banded Demoiselle, 12 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 2 Red-eyed Damselflies, 10 White-legged Damselflies, and 9 Azure Damselflies.
Sightings entered on iRecord
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| White-legged Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Red-eyed Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
White-legged Damselfly 1m
Common Blue Damselfly 7m
Azure Damselfly 10m,and 3 pair in tandem
Blue-tailed Damselfly 6 plus 2 teneral
Red-eyed Damselfly 25+ mainly on amphibious bistort.
Also, well over 100 unidentified damsels out of view or distant
Hairy Dragonfly 6m, 1 pair in tandem, 1f = 9 in total. Seen flying low
over reservoir and moving low through stems of common(?) club rush.
Emperor 1m, 1f ovipositing
Note: western end is best
Steve Holliday & Gareth Blockley
Barton Field fishing pond:
1 Hairy Dragonfly briefly
Azure Damselfly 20+
Red-eyed Damselfly 1-2
Downy Emerald - possible
Note: this pond is even more overgrown than last year and the best part previously for Variable Damselfly was inaccessible without blazing a trail through thick undergrowth.
Barton Field
Banded Demoiselle 1f
Thrupp Lake:
Downy Emerald: at least 2m in NW corner from boardwalk - but being constantly harassed by the damselflies and hence never hovering long enough for photos!
Common Blue Damselfly: many
Red eyed Damselfly: c. 10.
Stephen Burch
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| Common Blue Damselfly © Stephen Burch |
Azure Damselflies abundant, many in cop. / ovipositing
Common Blue Damselfly abundant
Blue-tailed damselfly 30+ (1 pair in cop.)
Large Red Damselfly 1
Banded Demoiselle 1m
Hairy Dragonfly 2m
Emperor Dragonfly 1 ovipositing (foy)
Nicola Devine & Adam Hartley
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| Blue-tailed damselfly - pair in copulation © Nicola Devine |
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| Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing © Nicola Devine |
Large pond
Large Red Damselfly 1 pair in cop. & 2+ singles
Azure Damselfly 50+
Broad Bodied Chaser 1m & 1f ovipositing
Banded Demoiselle 1m. First site record!
Garden Pond
Large Red Damselfly 2-3
Azure Damselfly 10+
Kidney Pond
Large Red Damselfly 3+ singles & 2 pairs in cop.
Azure Damselfly 5-10
Also Emperor reported later (per Pat Mansfield)
Stephen Burch
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| Azure Damselflies in cop. and in flight © Stephen Burch |
Common Blue Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
Blue tailed Damselfly
Emperor Damselfly
Four-spotted Chaser
Black-tailed Skimmer
Alan Dawson
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| Black-tailed Skimmer © Alan Dawson |
There were lots of odonata in WGW today, mainly around the pond.
Azure Damselfly - many, lots in tandem or in cop
Red-eyed Damselfly - few
Blue-tailed Damselfly - few
Beautiful Demoiselle - 1 male
Broad-bodied Chaser - at least four males and eight females seen
Four-spotted Chaser - 2 males at least, 1 ovipositing female
Emperor Dragonfly - 1 male, 1 ovipositing female
Hairy Hawker - 1
Black-tailed Skimmer - 1
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| Four-spotted Chaser © David Hastings |
Azure Damselfly: 100s
Emperor: 5+ inc 1 ovipositing
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| Emperor © Stephen Burch |
Pit 60:
Common Blue/Azure Damselflies - 100s
Four Spotted Chaser: 5+
Red-eyed Damselfly
LL bridge over stream:
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle
Stephen Burch
Azure Damselflies
Blue tailed Damselflies
White-legged Damselfly nearer the river
Emperor
Four-spotted Chasers
Black-tailed Skimmer
Alan Dawson
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| Emperor ovipositing © Alan Dawson |
Many will recall the record and photograph of an immature Scarce Chaser said to have been taken at Farmoor on the 21 May. If correct, it would have been only the third record for the County, and the first immature.
Sadly it now transpires that this record was erroneous and hence the original post has been deleted.
Most disappointing that so much time was wasted by several county enthusiasts looking for it in vain.
Stephen Burch
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly: about 12 (6m, 3 ad f, 3 aurantiaca females)
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Ian Lewington
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (left) and Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (right) comparison © Ian Lewington |
Dry Sandford Pit:
Southern Damselfly 12+
Broad-bodied Chaser 1
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Large Red Damselfly 5
Parsonage Moor:
Keeled Skimmer 4
Hairy Dragonfly 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Emperor Dragonfly 1
Four-spotted Chaser 5
Ian Lewington
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| Teneral Keeled Skimmer © Ian Lewington |
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| Southern Damselflies in cop. © Ian Lewington |
Abundant Azure Damselflies
Many Red-eyed Damselflies
Several Four-spotted Chasers
James Wainscoat
.jpeg) |
| Four-spotted Chaser © James Wainscoat |
6 Beautiful Demoiselle
8+ White-legged Damsels
3 Common Blue Damsels
7 Azure Damsels
1 Blue Tailed Damsel
1 Four Spotted Chaser
Wayne Bull
.jpg) |
| White-legged Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
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| White-legged Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
Hairy Dragonfly 1m
Large Red Damselfly 3
Azures Damselfly abundant
Common Damselfly abundant
Blue-tailed Damselfly abundant
Nicola Devine
%20TGs%203rd%20June%202022.jpg) |
| Hairy Dragonfly © Nicola Devine |
.JPG) |
| Hairy Dragonfly © Nicola Devine |
Along the Thames at Chimney:
Banded Demoiselle - very numerous
Blue-tailed Damselfly 6
Red-eyed Damselfly 9
Also in my garden in Aston (new pond), one male Broad-bodied Chaser and a female Black-tailed Skimmer.
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| Red-eyed Damselfly © David Hastings |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly © David Hastings |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer © David Hastings |
2 Beautiful Demoiselle
100+ Common Blue/ Azure Damsels
10+ Red Eyed Damsels
3 Downy Emerald
1 Emperor Dragonfly
4 Four Spotted Chaser
Wayne Bull
Note: only previous Downy Emerald record for this site was in 2006!
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| Downy Emerald © Wayne Bull |
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| Downy Emerald © Wayne Bull |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle © Wayne Bull |
Along the R Thames near Shillingford: 9 Banded Demoiselle, 25 Azure Damselflies, 1 White-legged Damselfly, 5 Blue-tailed Damselflies and 1 Broad-bodied Chaser.
At Edward VII field, Earth Trust, Shillingford: 12 Azure Damselflies, 1 White-legged Damselfly, 1 Broad-bodied Chaser and 1 Clubtail.
Sightings added to iRecord
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| Clubtail (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) John Bloomfield |
Just off Ferry Lane:
3+ White-legged Damselfly
Alan Dawson
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| White-legged Damselfly (c) Alan Dawson |
Three transects near the R. Thames on Fri 27th May: 58 Banded Demoiselle, 21 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 3 Red-eyed Damselflies, 26 Azure Damselflies, 5 White-legged Damselflies.
On Sat 28th May in Little Wittenham Wood 35 Azure Damselflies and 2 Black-tailed Skimmers, and along the Thames 3 Four-spotted Chasers, 1 Broad-bodied Chaser, and 3 Hairy Dragonflies (including a female ovipositing).
All observations entered in iRecord.
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (c) John Bloomfield |
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| White-legged Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
1 Red-eyed Damselfly (prob. teneral male). Scarce at this site.
Nicola Devine
.JPG) |
| Red-eyed Damselfly (c) Nicola Devine |
Banded Demoiselle: abundant
Red-eyed Damselfly: tens
James Wainscoat
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| Banded Demoiselle (c) James Wainscoat |
27/05/22 - Longford Park, stormwater pond:
5-6 Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - 3 males, 1 teneral male and 2 females (both auratiaca phase)
5+ Blue-tailed Damselfly - including tenerals
12+ Large Red Damselfly - including pairs in tandem and ovipositing
20+ Azure Damselfly - including pairs in tandem and ovipositing
1 Common Blue Damselfly - teneral male
Warning: Water Rail may be breeding in the pond
28/05/22 - Upper Cherwell Valley, Borrow Pit pool (SP 46453 43152)
1 Emperor Dragonfly - teneral (first of the year)
28/05/22 - Grimsbury Reservoir, River Cherwell
1 Red-eyed Damselfly - male (first of the year)
2+ Azure Damselfly
Numerous Demoiselles!
Gareth Blockley
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (auratiaca form female) (c) Gareth Blockley |
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) (c) Gareth Blockley |
Downy Emerald: 6+ (4+ at Thrupp Lake and 2 at Orchard Lake)
Hairy Dragonfly: 11+ mostly around Orchard Lake
Clubtail: 1 female next to Orchard Lake
Broad-bodied Chaser: 3-4
Four-spotted Chaser: 6+
Black-tailed Skimmer: 2+
Ian Lewington
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| Clubtail (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Downy Emerald (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Hairy Dragonfly (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Hairy Dragonfly (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Four-spotted Chaser (c) Ian Lewington |
Hairy Dragonflies 3+ males, 2 females
Downy Emeralds 2 possibly 3
Broad Bodied Chaser 1 male
Banded Demoiselle 4m, 2f
Beautiful Demoiselle 1f
Large Red Damselflies 4
Azure Damselflies abundant
Blue-tailed Damselflies 10+
Common Blue Damselfly 3+
Nicola Devine
%20TGs%2027th%20May%202022_640.JPG) |
| Broad Bodied Chaser (c) Nicola Devine |
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| Downy Emerald (c) Nicola Devine |
Where footpath crosses stream. SU426878
2 Banded Demoiselle
3 Blue-tailed Damselfly
Stephen Burch
Hairy Dragonfly 2m
Beautiful demoiselle 4
Azure damselfly
Common blue damselfly
Steve Holliday [in iRecord]
Stormwater pond: SP469390
2 Scarce Blue-tailed Damsels (1 Adult male and an "Aurantiaca" female)
3 Blue-Tailed Damsels
2 Large Red Damsels
6 Azure Damsels
Wayne Bull
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly ("Aurantiaca" form female) © Wayne Bull |
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) © Wayne Bull |
