Hampshire Dragonflies

After studying the forecast every closely for 24 hours, we were still hopeful there would be a reasonable amount of sun to entice the insects out. The drive across the forest looked promising, but when we arrived at Pennington a dull blanket of cloud put everything in shadow. A gusty wind cooled temperatures further and my mood began to reflect the climate.

We did a full round of the first pond and at least found a few Large Red, one Blue-tailed and a couple of Azures.

Azure Damselfly – Immature male

Azure Damselfly – Immature male

The other ponds produced nothing, but I should imagine there were some Blue-tailed buried down to escape the wind. We did have a fine display of Sand Martins carpet-bombing the surface of the water.

Crockford was another disappointment, although we did see the sun briefly and an immature female Beautiful Demoiselle. Oh, and about 20 Large Red sheltering in a gorse bush.

More Large Red at Hatchet Pond, but absolutely nothing else. Choices? Where next? I had meant to visit Badminston if the weather was good enough, but decided to leave it until some decent weather arrives.

Instead we decided to end the day with a visit to one of the few places in the New Forest where Pearl-bordered Fritillary are still found. We hadn’t been there for 4 years!

At least we were greeted by a sunny spell. Brief, but enough to show a couple. Sue saw the first, but lost sight of it before I got there. And then suddenly I saw the unmistakeable orange vibrancy of a fresh male perched on an old tree stump.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary – Male

He wouldn’t allow me to get too close, and led me a merry dance across the clearing before settling low down and presumably out of view from my prying eyes. I persevered as this was the only opportunity I have this afternoon.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary – Male

So, despite the disappointing weather, a few shots to come home with.

A reasonably good forecast for Thursday meant a trip to the pond followed by a visit to Bentley Wood, firstly in case the Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies were out, but also to check the progress on the ponds. But more of that later.

At the pond the promised sunny intervals were mostly absent; although our cloud appeared to be surrounded by blue sky. Isn’t that just the way sometimes?

No matter. Despite being too cool (and probably too early) for activity over the water (it was a cold night), we did manage to find a few Large Red, including one which chose the wooden bridge to emerge.

It wasn’t long before our passage through the gorse thicket disturbed a few (immature) Broad-bodied Chasers, the majority flying out of reach. Luckily I managed to stealthily pursue an immature male who was reluctant to travel too far.

Broad-bodied Chaser – Immature male

A few more BBC’s announced their presence, but it was a Four-spotted Chaser which caught my eye, having failed to get a shot last time. I watched as (she) rose from a stand of dead fern and flew south towards a gorse bush, keeping my eye fixed on her landing place and approaching steadily until I could isolate her from the foliage. If I’m honest the task was made a lot easier by her fresh diaphanous wings.

Four-spotted Chaser – Immature female

That’ll do for me!

Next stop Bentley Wood…and that turned out to be a real disappointment. We failed to find any Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, and failed to find any other butterflies except a couple of passing Brimstones and a solitary Small White. The Eastern Clearing – and much of the wood – has suffered though with the recent downpours, and has reverted to a sticky quagmire with little appeal for butterflies. Birdsong was entertaining though!

The ponds were just as disappointing, with just a few inconspicuous Large Red and no sign of any exuvia.

Feeling that we may have peaked too soon, or simply chosen the right location on the wrong day, we reminded ourselves that we at least had something to go home with.

Except the day wasn’t over yet.

Curiosity convinced me to call in at a pond recommended by Paul Winters on the way home. This pond isn’t the type of pond I would normally consider, being (I’m presuming) man-made on the site of a (relatively new) business estate right next door to the M271.

But it was worth it for the addition of two new species for this season;-

Azure Damselfly – Immature male

There weren’t many. A quick foray produced around half-a-dozen Azures and a solitary Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly – Immature female (rufenscens)

It would’ve been nice to get a better shot, but there’s plenty of time for that! This short visit to an unfamiliar location more than made up for the three hours since I last had chance to use the camera.

Scattered showers with occasional sunny spells should not prevent dragonfly enthusiasts from exploring sheltered roosting areas, provided you know where to look. After the delight of finding the Beautiful Demoiselles on Monday, we returned to the spot on Wednesday and, after tenacious searching, we managed to almost double the numbers.

Beautiful Demoiselle – Immature male

The probability is there were figures well in excess of this, with the majority observed preferring to shelter high up in the trees. This isn’t the first time we’ve observed the Beautiful acting in this way – especially at this location – but we are more used to them perching at less than human head height. At the end of the day we’ve usually witnessed them burying themselves deep within the foliage; as close to ground level as possible.

Some of the larger species do the same. The Hairy and Brown Hawker for instance.

Besides offering a safe refuge for newly-emerged tenerals, the trees also provide the majority of insect prey, will offer better shelter from the rain and maximum exposure to sporadic sun. I’m also guessing the temperature is higher than the ground level of sheltered woodland with warm, moist air rising from the banks of the shaded stream below.

Beautiful Demoiselle – Immature male

We are used to seeing Demoiselles frolicking in open areas on warmer days, and this is also the case here. When temperatures are too high in the canopy they descend to the few open sunny areas along the path to roost and feed. At these times the sight is a wonder to behold, as dozens cascade around you giving credence to the ‘fairies-at-the-bottom-of-the-garden’ myth.

This young section of river is one of the few places you can observe Beautiful Demoiselles outside of the New Forest, and it’s certainly one of the earliest – no doubt testament to temperatures being a few degrees higher inland from the coastal climate. The deep, sheltered valley also retains heat and humidity better than open heathland.

The wet meadow is popular all insects, including butterflies.

Green-veined White

Although relatively small, this location provides the perfect mix of traditional wooded river valley, water meadow and farmland. A peaceful, compact area ideal for spending a couple of hours.

After a decent period of warm & sunny weather our climate reverted to default; a continuing band of low pressure bringing grey skies, rain and strong winds. Not ideal weather for pursuing dragonflies, but can be beneficial for photographing butterflies provided the sun peeks through sporadically.

Monday looked to be a promising choice for taking a third trip in the hope of finding some Duke of Burgundy at a North Hampshire location, and this time we were lucky.

Duke of Burgundy

On the way home I followed a hunch and stopped in at a favourite upstream section of the River Hamble. Just before the deluge we were greeted with the unmistakeable vision of cascading Demoiselles. Just a few, but enough to round off the day nicely.

(Beautiful) Demoiselle – female

We counted 14 in total during our brief stay, but acquiring photographs proved to be a challenge as most rose up into the trees beyond reach. I did have one perch beautifully, until a passing Speckled Wood butterfly took exception and chases off my subject. Twice! I don’t recall ever being so furious with a butterfly.

The impending gloom put a stop to all insect life, and I just managed another snapshot before wrapping up for the day…

Beautiful Demoiselle – male

A brief 45 minute jaunt to the pond on a fine Tuesday lunchtime produced several Large Red damselflies, including 3 pairs in tandem across the water.

Large Red Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Better still was the all-too-fleeting glimpses of nervous teneral Four-spotted Chasers – a total of eight sightings, although there may have been duplicates. A couple of immature Broad-bodied Chasers were more obliging.

Broad-bodied Chaser

Broad-bodied Chaser

Afterwards Sue & I headed over to Bentley Wood where a reasonable amount of Large Reds have emerged. There were a few adorning the foliage, and a great deal of spent exuvia among the reeds.

Large Red Damselfly

Elsewhere in the New Forest and Dorset, Downy Emeralds have been observed and photographed, bringing the current total to eight species seen on the wing so far this Spring.

…as long as it’s red!

At least that’s all I’ve managed myself over this pleasant Bank Holiday. Thankfully others have had better luck with Hairy, Broad-bodies and Four-spotted Chasers, Azure, Blue-tailed and Variable Damselflies adding to this season’s count.

I did manage a morning reccie around a few sites on Sunday morning in the hope that I might find something larger; maybe even emerging…but it wasn’t to be. During a whistle-stop tour of Cadnam, Broomy and Slufters on a fine morning I realised I’d jumped the gun again, and resolved to reign in a little. Give it another week and we can see some action on the ponds; which for me is the best part of observing dragonflies.

I did however see my first Dartford Warbler, which made the trip worthwhile.

Monday’s weather was superb; warm enough to colour the skin and with a cooling breeze which meant the New Forest was going to play host to a large influx of tourists. Desperate to make the most of the fine weather, Sue and I repeated the circular tour we took a week ago; taking in Pennington, Crockford and Hatchet Pond.

Pennington is one of the few places within the New Forest where the Hairy can be found; the emergent vegetation ideal for their zig-zag patrols of the shore. It’s also a prime spot for Blue-tailed, Azure and Red-eyed, but Large Red were all we got today. A result though. Only a few, but the first we’ve seen there this season.

Large Red Damselfly – Immature Male

Crockford produced a few more Large Reds and we were hoping it might throw up a Chaser or two. But it was Hatchet which took the prize today.

It’s a funny old place…normally left off the map for discerning dragonfly observers. However it can provide some real surprises; being a prime spot for early Downy Emeralds, decent and accessible populations of Red-eyed and good numbers of Black-tailed Skimmers in season.

Large Red Damselfly – Immature female

It certainly threw up the largest population of Large Red I’ve seen so far this season; despite the intrusion of day-trippers of every nationality. Definitely one for the quieter weekday…

On Wednesday 1st May Sue & I returned to the pond on another glorious day to find a couple of dozen Large Reds scattered throughout the gorse thicket, emerging from close to shore and rising from the island.

Large Red Damselfly

Despite a three hour stay we didn’t observe any signs of larger prey, but if the weather stays this good it won’t be long before we get a little variety.

Large Red Damselfly

The fleeting glimpse of a teneral flying over Rushbush Pond yesterday fed my hunch. It was going to be another glorious day with warming sunshine and little cloud, just the occasional stiff and biting breeze blowing in from the north-west – and tomorrow’s even better! What better opportunity for the Large Reds to emerge.

The one place I didn’t visit yesterday was my favourite pond; partly because it’s usually a week behind Broomy, but more because it was getting late in the day. Today however it was the first stop – and it didn’t disappoint!

The ground is still pretty much saturated, but it is showing signs of drying out. The wind direction was a bonus – any tenerals were going to be blown towards the gorse thicket rather than towards the scrub leading up the hill.

No sooner than I arrived at just before 1.00pm I saw the first teneral fly out across the pond from under the bank towards the thicket, closely followed by two more.

After negotiating the muddy bridge, I searched the South shore and island for more signs and found this rather colourful individual clinging onto an emerging stem.

A thorough search of the gorse thicket revealed a few more well-coloured individuals and several fresh tenerals. I should imagine the numbers will be a great deal higher tomorrow!

I took the short trip to Bentley Wood afterwards – mainly to look for butterflies, but to also check out the ponds. I’m pleased to say they’ve done a great deal of work over the winter, with several areas now cleared to provide more insect-friendly habitat.

The past two years have been disappointing at the ponds, excepting the emerging Southern Hawkers later in the season. The sheltered position should’ve shown signs of Large Reds, especially considering it is only 8.75 miles as the damsel flies. But it wasn’t to be.

Surprisingly the small pond with the bench seemed a little dry? There was a constant babbling indicating outflow. Maybe an accumulation of debris? Both ponds are certainly due for some attention, but having seen the promising work already during my stroll I’m cautiously confident they can attend to both ponds and bring them back to a better life.

Other (LR) sightings have been recorded in Kent, Berkshire, Devon and Dorset as I post…

The sighting of Large Reds at Studland on the 20th April almost seems like a lucky strike if it wasn’t for a few other scattered sighting around the Country. At least Hampshire has scored with a sighting at Fishlake Meadows. Where there is one there are usually others, although difficult to pin down if not in reasonable numbers.

One of the four I spotted on that day was a male with almost fully developed adult colours. The other three were reasonably fresh. How many more were there beyond reach?

Sad to say that a couple of trips the week following taking in a few potential locations in the New Forest came up blank. If they were around then they should’ve been seen.

Today (April 29th) I scouted a total of six locations in the New Forest for signs and did strike lucky with a single teneral Large Red at Rushbush Pond (Ipley Cross). However there still wasn’t any sign at Hatchet, Crockford, Pennington, Blashford or Broomy.

For those contemplating a trip to the New Forest, I wouldn’t come just yet. The ground is still far too saturated and vegetation is minimal.

On the subject of saturation, one of the locations we visited last week was Troublefield…a name which has been all too real the past two seasons. The flooding last summer basically killed the season, and conditions right now are still treacherous. There are still large areas of flooding and if I can’t make it through with my tenacity and appropriate footwear I doubt anyone else can.

Even the resident cows were conspicuous by their absence. Or they’d sank…

Hopefully the next post will contain some better news and photos, but for now we still wait…

Not primarily dragonfly related, but it does involve one of my recommended locations.

Last week I received an e-mail from one of my Flickr contacts informing me of a potential disaster with the neighbouring sites owners clearing a section of bank bordering the reserve.

A visit to Higher Hyde Heath is not complete without a foray ‘around the back’ on what I assume is still (unused) industrial land belonging to the Quarry owners. The detritus left behind by human workings have been taken over by nature as only nature will – by adapting to the environment.

At Higher Hyde Heath old tyres and roof tiles have provided home to the rare and protected Sand Lizard along with other native British reptiles. The concrete and tarmac is bordered by a fine selection of hedge fauna which provides food and shelter to many birds and invertebrates – dragonflies included!

Sue & I had a look last week, and found the subsidence caused by the Dorset Wildlife Trust’s removal of gorse more worrying!

The section of bank the contractors had dug was a basking spot for reptiles, and the result ‘may’ have affected more than just a basking spot. In my experience reptiles choose to bask close to their shelter, so there may have been more damage caused than meets the eye…

Back to the subsidence…there is a thin strip of land – the path through the reserve proper – with a large pond on one side and a landfall the other! This would cause me more concern. The section of path has been taped off, but regular visitors will (and do) ignore this…I don’t think the minimal people traffic is priority. My concern is the weight of the large body of water behind it!

What is significant is the Higher Hyde Reserve would probably not exist if the site owners – currently Hansons – had not come to some arrangement with the DWT, so in some ways we should be thankful it exists at all.

Like everyone else I try to avoid politics, but if you’re passionate about anything then at some point it will catch up with you – whether you like it or not!

A simple e-mail was sent to Hansons – the quarry site owners – with our concerns and we felt we did our bit. We didn’t expect an answer back, but we received one today:-

‘Thank you for your email regarding alleged disturbance of the sand lizards at Gallows Hill and thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Fortunately your fears are unfounded. Once notified, we immediately instructed our demolition contractor to stop work and arranged for consultant herpetologist David Bird to visit the site. He confirmed that any disturbance has been minimal and no damage to the habitat or animals has occurred. He also advised that any plant, materials, old tyres etc located on the paved area can be removed without issue, but suggested the few tyres strewn on the bank at the edge of the site should be left as basking areas. We have re-iterated the sensitivity of this site to our contractors, instructed them to proceed with extreme caution and spoken to Andrew Nicholson at Natural England to explain the situation.

Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention and rest assured that conservation management and creation and protection of habitats remains a key part of our sustainability strategy and a top priority within Hanson.

David Weeks

Communications manager’

Naturally there is compromise in these situations, and for my part I’m satisfied with the process and outcome from Hansons. It could’ve been more worrying had the site not hosted a protected species, which is a concern for us all.

Species only become protected when they’ve reached such a low population it prompts us into doing something about it. Maybe we should read the signs a little earlier and prevent losing any more of what we have left..