Month: May 2011

A fine weather forecast for Wednesday saw me once again out early morning, this time at Ramsdown Forest where the only dragons I saw on the heath were a few Scarce Chasers, and on the only remaining pond with water were a couple of Four-spotted Chasers.

Tired of the still windy conditions I decided Troublefield was the better option. On arrival I bumped into a working party from Dorset Wildlife Trust, there to do some spring cleaning. They were busy cutting down the reeds, a practice which didn’t really sit well with the leader – knowing they were a refuge for a lot of insect life.

I decided to concentrate on the back meadow which had overgrown considerably since my last visit, with chest-high nettles making the going tough. Once again there were several Beautiful Demoiselles and even some Banded, Large Red and Common Blue Damsels, yet more Scarce Chasers who were not so willing to stay put, and – my goal for the day – a fresh male Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

More than satisfied with the Golden-ringed I headed over to Linford Bottom where things were really kicking off at last. Large Red, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damsels along with a couple of Male Emperors, a couple of Downys’, several Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers and among the heath even a Scarce Chaser and another Golden-ringed.

This is the first time I’ve seen Scarce Chaser at this location and was a real bonus. The Golden-ringed wasn;t hanging around for a shot though.

Once again time was scarce so I decided to concentrate on the Emperors. Far to easy to take for granted, they truly are magnificent beasts and real masters of the air. I spent a good hour watching their acrobatics, occasional clashes and sheer majesty to exclusion of all others. I also decided to attempt some in-flighters – no easy task when faced with such a fast and unpredictable flyer.

The distance didn’t help either, but it was fun none-the-less

Again I could have stayed there all day, but time was tight and I had to cut short my visit. As the forecast had promised a good day, Sue & I headed over to Crockford Stream in the afternoon in the hope of seeing more Golden-ringed and hopefully some Southern Damselflies.

On arrival we saw several female Broad-bodied Chasers around the margins, several males clashing along the stream, a reasonable population of Beautiful Demoiselles – although far less than I was expecting – and about a dozen Southern Damselflies mixing it with the Large Reds.

After such a fine morning I was a little disappointed with the lack of activity and decent photo opportunities so we headed over to Hatchet small pond where even less was going on, although we did spot a few teneral Black-tailed Skimmers which made the call worthwhile.

From there it was a short trip to Hawkhill where I hoped there would be a few Golden-ringed along the rides. Big disappointment! The Forestry Commision have stripped away vast areas of pine leaving the area wide open and very unfamiliar. This has opened up the rides with trees only bordering one side of the main path with clearance all the way down to the boggy area.

These warm, sheltered rides were a haven for dragonflies and a certainty for spotting Golden-ringed, and Hawkers later in the season. Now the clearance has taken away the natural windbreak, desecrated the refuge of ferns and gorse and despoiled the gullies which were alive with Common Lizards.

Even though we spotted a few female Broad-bodied Chasers and a reasonable population of Beautiful Demoiselles down along the shelter of the stream, the experience left me cold, much like the weather which had by now clouded over.

Not much left to do then but return home and celebrate the positive aspects of the day. I guess sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and need to be brought back down to earth. Much like those pine trees…..

After a week of primarily butterfly activity I ventured out Tuesday in search of dragons. On Tuesday 24th I took a walk along Latchmore Brook from Ogdens as far as Deadbuck Hill, taking in both the banks including the boggy areas and seepage’s to the north.

At 10.00am on a blustery and relatively cool morning there wasn’t a lot to see, but there were several Beautiful Demoiselles cascading around the main stream, Male & Female Broad-bodied Chasers in the bogs and feeder streams, and several teneral Large Red Damsels concentrated in one small area.

Dragons may have been thin on the ground, but other wildlife provided a morning spectacle with a herd of over 40 Fallow Deer sunning themselves on the heath, 3 Adders scurrying to safety along the northern bank, 2 pairs of Curlew nesting among the heather and a lost & disorientated fledgling Great Tit.

Afterwards I went in search of a pond I’d spied on google earth and after a walk in populated with yet more Broad-bodied Chasers, teneral Keeled Skimmers and a racing Grass Snake, I negotiated the boggy heath leading down to the pond.

Although the wind was still irritating, the brief spells of  sunshine had warmed the air sufficiently for dragons and there were several Four-spotted Chasers, a Downy Emerald and 2 Male Emperors patrolling the margins.

A brief moment of cloud cover provided my first opportunity to photograph an Emperor this season as it perched right in front of me.

I gingerly made my way around half of the pond before the depth of bog forced me back. Among the rushes and reeds were several Large Red and Common Blue Damsels

On my return I was amazed to see a male Downy Emerald land right in front of me

These have given me so many problems finding perched individuals previous to this year that I had to pinch myself before pressing the shutter. Once back to my own ‘safe’ perch another male Emperor did the decent thing and again landed almost at my feet

I could have stayed there all afternoon, but once again the clock was ticking and I headed back to the car, but not without my first Keeled Skimmer opportunity of the year

After the cool, cloudy conditions of the morning, the afternoon brightened up considerably so Sue & I headed out to our favourite spot late afternoon for some entertainment. Once again the Broad-bodied Chasers were vying for territory with the Four-spotted, sharing the margins with a couple of Downy Emeralds

and a couple of male Emperors.

Now I had always assumed that Emperors were the dominating species due to their size and speed, but it was interesting to observe a male Downy chase one of the Emperors off with help from one of the male Broad-bodied Chasers!

The Downy’s have become a favourite of mine this year with their playfulness and I can quite happily spend an hour in the water with them attempting an in-flight shot. However this individual decided I was no longer a threat and once again perched right in front of me, albeit at a difficult angle for a decent shot

We left the pond around 6.00pm when all activity had died down. All in all a fine day’s dragon spotting!

In less than ideal conditions Sue & I took a 400 mile round trip to hopefully see one of our rarest dragonflies – the beautiful White-faced Darter.

The weather forecast for Sunday had threatened rain all week, and changed at the last minute to sunny spells. On arrival at Chartley in Staffordshire the clouds were grey & gloomy and pushing out the occasional shower. Worse than this was the strong gusty winds, definitely not a day to see dragonflies of any description.

However we had managed to grab the last places on one of only two organised tours led by English Nature of Chartley Moss – the most southerly outpost of the WFD. This site is protected and closed to the public mainly due to the danger of disappearing without trace in the dark 16 meter depths of a submerged lake topped with up to 3 meters of Sphagnum Moss and peat.

Most of the people on the tour were there to experience the feeling of walking on water, marvelling at the wonders of the bouncing bog with half-submerged trees. Some of us were purely there for the dragonflies.

The tour was expertly guided by the Staffordshire reserves manager and only allowed a short time – about half-an-hour – for dragon hunting. This was never going to be enough time given the conditions and the excellent camouflage of the WFD. But we did spot 4. One briefly perched on a log, 2 flying out of range and finally a male perched among the heather.

This individual therefore became a little bit of a celebrity and was netted and potted for closer observation, a method I don’t agree with and obviously caused some distress. After everyone had a chance to observe the captive he was finally set free among the heather and we were free to obtain some natural shots.

The tour was over far too soon and I for one was not ready to leave, so we negotiated  a place for Sue & I and another enthusiast on the second tour of the day. This time the 3 of us were given permission to go ahead of the group on condition that we didn’t venture out of the designated area and shared any findings with the rest of the group.

So a further hour provided a few more chances and we at least got to see a little sun along with a few more tenerals

including a freshly-emerged specimen

and even an emerging larvae.

Wish we could have stayed to watch the emergence. But alas this time it was really time to leave. A fantastic day which could have turned out a bit of a disappointment if we hadn’t wangled that second tour. Well if you don’t ask….

A great many thanks to Mel from English Nature for her excellent guidance and admirable patience in the presence of a few persistent dragonfly nuts!

It was inevitable that the warm, sunny days couldn’t continue. The past week has seen almost constant cloud cover, stiff breezes and just the odd smattering of rain. This in turn has subdued nearly all activity until the afternoons.

On Thursday 12th I spent an uneventful morning scouring the banks of Ober Water and the surrounding heaths & bogs for signs of life. My main intention was to hopefully find some early White-legged Damsels and maybe – just maybe – an early Scarce Blue-tail. No such luck, not even a single Beautiful Demoiselle graced the banks of the stream, although there were a couple of Four-spotted Chasers flying off into the distance.

Duckhole Bog was also devoid of life. Not a damsel or dragon to be seen. I returned to the banks of the stream and waited an hour hoping that the brief sunny spells would produce a sighting before reluctantly moving on.

I paid a brief visit to Broomy Pond where a few Large Reds and Azures were in attendance. Whilst there I received a call from Doug who excitedly informed me that a mass emergence of Emperors was underway at Dunyeates Pond in Poole. Maybe a visit to Dorset would’ve been a better idea!

Starved of my dragon fix, Sue & I took an afternoon trip to our favourite pond at Cadnam Common. The cloud had broken up a little to produce some decent sunny spells and the water was alive with Broad-bodied Chasers.

Over a dozen mature and young males were fighting over 3 females. There were several couplings followed by immediate ovipositing where the successful male would try to defend his mate.

With so many males around this was no easy task and many battles ensued. This was a spectacle to observe, but you had to feel a little sorry for the poor female who undefended was soon engaged in unwelcome couplings

Besides BBC’s there were a few Four-spotted Chasers and Downy Emeralds holding their own amid the chaos. Surprisingly there were few damsels to be seen. Usually the pond margins are alive with Azures and Large Reds, but we only saw a couple of Red-eyeds and a single Blue-tail. It’s possible the stiff breeze kept them hunkered down among the islands reeds or perhaps the populations had been decimated by the many dragons or the pair of Swallows who appeared frequently over the water.

On Saturday we had an invite to Clive Farrell’s home in Dorset for a butterfly bonanza. The grounds contain many sculptured ponds where Azures were swarming in the surrounding foliage. Several spent Emperor exuvia were attached to the reeds but the only dragons on the wing in the breeze were Four-spotted chasers. A visit on a more dragon-friendly day is a must.

On Monday 16th I visited Bentley Wood, mainly for the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, but did visit the ponds where only a few Large Reds were seen. However I did encounter a lone female Broad-bodied Chaser along one of the forest rides.

In such dull weather conditions I’ve decided to concentrate on butterflies in the mornings and wait until the afternoons for dragons. On Tuesday 17th I followed my visit to Martin Down with a visit to Canford Magna on the banks of the River Stour after a tip from one of my Flickr friends.

Last year The Stour proved excellent for Banded Demoiselles, White-legged Damsels and Brown Hawkers so I was anxious to survey this new location.

There were plenty of Bandeds but the main prize during my short visit were hundreds of teneral White-legged Damselflies taking refuge in the lush bank-side grass.

I only had a half-hour and promised myself a return visit to explore further in the near future.

Once again Dorset has produced the goods ahead of Hampshire, but this good fortune  means WLD’s should appear along Ober Water shortly. I’m just waiting for a better day before I venture down that way…

This superb unseasonable weather has meant I’ve barely had time to eat, let alone keep up to date with the internet. All winter I’d been longing for the season to start and now it’s here I’m making the most of it!

After a forgetfully dumb visit to Titchfield Haven on Tuesday 3rd (they’re closed Monday & Tuesday) we returned on Wednesday to check on the Hairy activity. There were plenty around, but none offering the chance of a decent shot.I did however manage a male as it stopped to feed on a Large Red Damsel

A female Broad-bodied Chaser was more obliging

She even allowed me to change position

And just as we were about to leave a Four-spotted Chaser perched for me

On Thursday I paid a short visit to my favourite pond for a little Downy playtime

Titchfield had previously supplied me with decent chances to capture a Hairy but the draw of Somerset was too hard to resist and as both Sue & I had Friday 6th free we made a day of it.

Hairy’s were once again in abundance, this time joined by swarms of Four-spotted Chasers. At one point there were 11 all perched in a small area and would have made a great photo opportunity if I hadn’t been focused on getting a decent single specimen

However Hairy’s were my main focus and this time I managed a female, a couple of males and a couple of breeding pairs

This female could have been better positioned, but to give her her due she had just been bothered by a male and was desperately trying to right herself, so I didn’t push it.

This male gave me the run around, and while I was attempting to reposition myself for a better capture he dropped down into the foliage

This one was slightly better placed though

Another excellent chance for a breeding pair provided almost a carbon copy of the week previous

Damsels were once again in abundance and I allowed myself a couple of shots, first a female Red-eyed

and a most colourful female Blue-tailed

We could have stayed at Westhay all night, but with a two hour journey ahead of us we just had time to witness the marvelous display of hawking Hairy’s as they polished off the rising cloud of midges late afternoon.

Sunday saw us back at Pangbourne on a dull and very windy day with Doug in tow hoping to spot a few Club-tails. We saw two, but at least the journey was worthwhile. This freshly-emerged specimen was showing us more than we needed to see

 

Who knew they were green? Well I guess you learn something every day!

Afterwards we took a trip cross-country to Thursley Common and were a tad disappointed. The wind was still horrendous and nothing at all was showing along the boardwalks. The main pond at least provided some opportunities with a playful Azure

A male Blue-tailed

and finally a difficultly-perched Downy Emerald

Besides the wind the major disappointment of the day was somehow the quality setting on my camera had accidentally switched to JPEG Basic before we reached Thursley and all shots I took at that location, including the ones above, were saved in this format.

Without getting into the old argument RAW vs JPEG I’ll just say I always prefer to shoot RAW, so from now on I’m making sure that’s added to my list of pre-shoot checks.

On Monday 9th I crossed the county border yet again to visit Ramsdown Forest on the edge of the New Forest for the Scarce Chasers. A little flush & stalk provided the goods

Again the windy conditions meant that they weren’t going far, even if it meant taking resident on my finger

 

And of course I had to get my angled shot

 

and one just prior to take-off

Afterwards I nipped into Troublefield where along with yet more Scarce Chasers was the most spectacular display of Beautiful Demoiselles

Everywhere you looked there were swarms of them

The only place I’d previously seen such numbers is Durley Mill on the upper reaches of the River Hamble

On Wednesday the 10th I visited Keyhaven mainly for the Wall Brown butterflies but was surprised to see two Hairy Dragonflies hawking the ride along the old highway, along with an Emperor. Meither stopped. I did manage a pair of Blue-tails during my walk along the sea wall though

By yesterday the weather had taken a turn for the worst and after a brief soaking at Higher Hyde Heath in Dorset I braved the clouds to witness a couple of patrolling Downy’s and a few damsels, including this fresh Azure

So a cooling of the weather and some much-needed rain has dampened a lot of the activity this week, but when the sun does shine all hell breaks loose as you will see next time……

Last year Sue & I promised ourselves a trip to find the Common Club-tail Dragonfly, but due to other commitments we never did get to go. So on a very windy Sunday we drove the 60 miles to Goring-On-Thames armed with a highlighted OS map.

About half-an-hour into the walk I spied, my first ever, fly high into a tree. Nevertheless I still frantically snapped away just in case it was the only one I saw.

I needn’t have worried. Just as we started our walk back down the track we saw this teneral fly up from the foliage and back down again a few feet away. He wasn;t exactly in a prime position and once again I got seriously stung getting my shots.

There was no way Sue was following me in, so after I had my fill I thought if she can’t come to the dragon then I will take the dragon to her. Surprisingly the closer I got with my finger the more he stayed put, until he obligingly crawled onto it.

I gingerly tiptoed over to Sue to enable her to get a photo and he made a girl very happy when he obligingly crawled from my finger to hers. Of course I had to capture the moment!

After our little encounter we drove the short distance down-stream to another reliable location and saw a half-a-dozen more perched quite happily in the bank-side foliage

I had no idea what to expect and thought that they would be difficult to locate or approach for a photograph, but having all been fresh individuals and probably because of the windy conditions they proved most obliging.

If you have never seen this beautiful species I urge you to take a trip to Goring-On-Thames or Pangbourne – two of the only stretches of this river accessible among the prime real estate – and witness them for yourselves.

The following day we took a trip to Pulborough in West Sussex to another suggested location.

The small area just north of Stopham Bridge was a relative jungle compared to the well-manicured banks of the Thames with waist-high nettles, brambles and several other obstacles which makes the going tough. However the clearing is ideal for dragon spotting being surrounded by gorse and trees. Just make sure you’re well protected!

Although we saw a few Four-spotted Chasers, several Banded Demoiselles and swarms of Mayflies, we didn’t see any Club-tails. It is possible that they haven’t emerged there yet or we didn’t look hard enough.

On the south side of the bridge, at the end of the lane leading from the pub, there is a footpath leading to a wide riverside area which is easier going and again may well provide a feast of dragonfly activity later in the season.

A little disappointed with this location after the fruits of the previous day, we decided to drive the 20 miles to Thursley Common to get our fix – and it is well that we did so! As soon as we reached the pond we were greeted by several Downy Emeralds patrolling the banks.

The wet reeded area to the north of the pond is backed by gorse and trees and I had my chance to get a couple of perched shots

From experience I know that the Downy can be hard to approach and does tend to like perching in – or in the case of this one – on trees

I could have stayed here all evening stalking my quarry but as time was getting on and the wind yet again was proving uncomfortable I relented knowing I had a few good shots in the bag. Just enough time to grab a Four-spotted Chaser

So a perfect start to May and the perfect end to a Bank Holiday weekend.

We have been blessed with exceptionally good weather this April, which in turn had resulted in earlier than usual emergence of many dragonfly species.

I’m pleased to say the New Forest is catching up with Dorset with Azure, Blue-tailed, Common Blue, Beautiful and Banded Demoiselle and Red-eyed damselflies joining the Large Reds.Dragons on the wing include Broad-bodied Chasers, Four-spotted Chasers, Hairy’s, Downy’s and Emperors.

After a well-deserved rest on Tuesday I ventured out for an early morning butterfly hunt at Hod Hill in Dorset before meeting Doug Overton at Dunyeats Pond. Cloudy & cool weather meant activity was muted with a few damsels and a Four-spotted Chaser patrolling.

At the end of our short lunchtime visit Doug spied a freshly-emerged Hairy dragonfly in a bad way resting on a small log on the pond. Unfortunately this poor individual had not emerged properly and it’s wings were undeveloped. We relocated him to some sheltered undergrowth where no doubt he would end up in the food chain.

After this sad encounter I left Doug and decided to visit my favourite pond where things were really kicking off. I only had time for a short stay, but returned an hour later with my partner Sue for some serious dragonfly watching.

Among the large Red, Azure and Blue-tailed damsels were several male Broad-bodied Chasers engaging in battle around the pond. These were joined later by a few females enabling brief coupling before the females oviposited immediately afterwards.

Thursday early morning, perhaps a little too early and cool for any real activity, I briefly visited Hatchet Pond and Crockford Stream, but it was only when I reached Keyhaven that any signs of life were seen, with Blue-tailed, Azure, Large Red and a single Red-eyed damselfly. The only dragonfly on the wing was a sole male Hairy.

By the time I reached Ramsdown Forest the temperature had increased enough to enable a spectacular display of Four-spotted Chasers vying for territory on the small pond, later joined by a male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Time ran out all too soon and I had to cut my visit short, but Sue and I decided to visit Durley Mill later that afternoon in the hope that the Beautiful Demoiselles were on the wing. Sure enough there were several males and a few females along the banks of the infant Hamble River, mostly flying high above the tree line but there were a few males willing to perch long enough for a photo or two

The upper Hamble has to be one of the best places to observe the Beautifuls – even better than Crockford Stream in my opinion – with 100’s on the wing in peak season. From a photographers point of view the variety of bank-side foliage allows you a wide choice of compositional opportunities.

While most of the country were celebrating the royal wedding Doug, Sue & I took advantage of the quiet roads to visit Shapwick Heath and Westhay Moor on the Somerset Levels.

The weather was a little threatening but brief sunny intervals at Shapwick saw Hairy’s patrolling the reeds. However the advantage of cloud cover means damsels are less flighty and these provided our main photographic subjects to begin with.

Common Blues, Azures, Blue-tails were interspersed with Variables – a species we’re not lucky to have access to in the New Forest.

However the most impressive display of all were the Red-eyed Damsels. As soon as the sun broke through they would take off as one from the bank-side foliage and fly in formation to their chosen lily pads.

So far the only opportunities for photographing a Hairy or two had been the possibility of an in-flight male or ovipositing female but I eventually persuaded Doug to move on to Westhay where Jerry had kindly given me a tip that opportunities were plentiful.

However before we could leave we spotted a male and female Broad-bodied along with our first Scarce Chaser of the year.

When we finally dragged ourselves away from Shapwick we took the short ride to Westhay and had a spot of lunch before delving in.

Opposite the disabled Car Park near the hide was undoubtedly the best display of damsel activity we had ever witnessed. Hundreds taking to the air in response to our movement. Plants and reeds festooned with several individuals giving endless possibilities to choose your composition.

But it was the Hairy’s we were really their to see and sure enough barely 100 yards down the path we spotted our first perched female, albeit hidden by the vegetation. We needn’t had worried as she was soon followed by several males and a selection of breeding pairs perched in more suitable locations.

We were like kids in a sweet shop!

The next hour was spent capturing more shots than we needed and all too soon it was time to hit the road. We never did venture any further down that path, but you can guarantee we’ll be back to complete the transect and take in Ham Wall next time.

For two enthusiasts so blessed with variety that can be found in the New Forest, the Somerset Levels are a real eye-opener and a must visit for any dragonfly fan.

Once again thanks to Jerry for the locations and also Mike for the inspiration to visit such a wonderful place.