Month: September 2011

It’s been a lousy week with the weather and subsequently with decent spotting’s & photo opportunities.

Surprisingly, given the rest of the country, the New Forest didn’t fare too bad on Monday 12th. Reasonable periods of sunshine raised the temperature despite the strong winds, and in an effort to find some shelter I took a stroll around the rides of Denny Wood.

Taking a (vaguely) circular route and trusting to my sense of direction, I veered off the main gravel tracks along some muddy rides which I’m sure a month ago would have been teeming with butterflies and dragonflies, but besides a few Speckled Wood’s and a few displaced Common Darters, the only other glimpses were of a couple of  Southerns hawking low to the ground and not stopping.

Woodland tracks soon lose their appeal after meagre sightings so I decided to brave the gusts at Crockford. Again the most dominant species were Common Darters.

I did spy a few Migrant Hawkers flying high and far, but the call proved itself worthwhile with a (rather ragged) Golden-ringed.

Realising the wind was a little too strong for open areas, I crossed the forest to Troublefield which is always well sheltered. As usual just inside the gate were a few male Migrant Hawkers perched along the ditch.

Further along I spied a female Southern patrolling low along the bank and occasionally stopping to oviposit before she disappeared into the gloom.

Towards the far end was a male Southern patrolling mostly out of sight behind the foliage before disappearing altogether.

Not so lucky Tuesday. I spent almost 2 hours at Stagbury Pond and had to wait for a persistent grey cloud to pass over before the sun shone. I spent the gloom surveying the gorse and spotted a couple of Common Darters.

Barely 5 minutes into the sun and they were appearing everywhere, but not one made the journey over the water. In fact the only brave soul willing to brave the breeze was a male Emerald Damselfly on route back to the relative shelter of the reeds.

A good look along the reed margins produced a few more male and female Emeralds and surprisingly a lone Blue-tailed, but that was it. No hawkers to be seen anywhere.

At this very time last year there were good numbers of Small Red-eyed populating the shallow end, but so far this year I haven’t seen one at this location. Given good warmth and calm conditions there may still be hope in the days to come.

Unfortunately neither Wednesday or Thursday showed any signs of any. I started Wednesday with a stroll around Badminston Common and despite the forecast promising a 0% of rain, I got soaked!

Needless to say the only odonata I saw on my wander were a male Southern, Male Migrant, some Common Darters and a few Common Blue Damsels.

Onwards to Cadnam Common and besides the inevitable Common Darters, there was a lone male Migrant Hawker continually patrolling in & out of the reeds, doing several circuits of the pond, possibly in search of a female. I guess he was out of luck, because I didn’t see any during my stay.

As with the previous day there were a few Emerald Damsels and a lone Blue-tailed.

Thursday promised sunshine all day, and that was the case until the haze and whispering white clouds dropped the temperature considerably. At least Pennington provided some enjoyment with a few patrolling Migrant males and a male Southern who flew too close to attempt an in-flighter!

Common Darters were everywhere and there were still a few Blue-tailed Damsels hanging on.

One of the male Migrants I was pursuing latched onto a female I disturbed and perched among the reeds for an opportunity.

A further circuit provided another male Migrant to play with.

At 2.00pm all activity ceased with the drop in temperature and no other opportunities presented themselves at Pennington or the other 2 sites I visited on the way home.

And that was it for the week – the weekend being typically British with thundery showers and temperatures too cool to even consider going out for a look.

Shame really – as last September was rather productive. Can we at least hope for a late bloom? I hope so…….

Couldn’t last! After that brief sunny beginning, September continued this summer’s gloomy outlook with torrential rain and gale force winds – neither good for dragon spotting.

Suffice to say I didn’t really achieve much until Thursday – and then I had to try hard. I decided to travel across the county border into Wiltshire to check out Langford Lakes = a site recommended to me by Stewart as a good possibility of obtaining some Kingfisher shots.

I didn’t, but was nevertheless impressed by the site as a good location for dragonflies. If only I’d visited sooner! Besides being a good birding location, the well vegetated lakes and rides are ideal for many species of odonata. Add to this the close proximity of the Wylie River and a gravel stream, the possibilities are endless.

The novelty of trying a new location is the ability to explore at leisure, following every path, nook & cranny for possibilities. After spending a little time chatting with a fellow photographer in the south hide, I returned along the track and was rewarded by a few Migrant, a couple of Southern and a Brown Hawker.

Neither paused to perch, preferring to take advantage of the brief sunny spells by hunting prey before flying off over the lakes. Besides the hawkers there were a few Common Blue damsels.

A few weeks ago I discovered the zoom mechanism on my Tamron 70-300mm had somehow failed. I could still pull out the lens manually, but the hassle simply wasn’t worth it.

The comparatively cheap cost of the lens meant that a repair wasn’t worth it, so I decided to step up a rung to the Sigma 70-300mm APO – my original choice, having been so satisfied with the Sigma 105mm macro I exclusively use during the summer.

After exploring the rest of the site and spending time in the various hides taking photos of water fowl to test the lens, I returned to the ride to completely miss a Brown Hawker perched 30cm away from a spider which had grabbed my attention!

Of course, by the time I’d noticed him he was off over the trees. Never mind, there were a few Migrants and Southerns patrolling – unusually low – along the track, but again not one would perch!

After spending 3 hours and having my fill, I headed over to Blashford Lakes in the hope of at least getting a dragonfly photo. Best I could manage was a Common Blue damsel!

I couldn’t go home without a dragon shot, so as a last resort I headed over to Troublefield where I could at least get a Migrant or two.

As usual with September, Migrants are the dominant hawker species, but I can’t help wondering where all the Southerns are?

I didn’t venture out again until Sunday 11th. Despite the threat of gale-force winds, the afternoon looked bright, sunny and reasonably warm, so it was too good an opportunity to miss.

Sue had mentioned she wouldn’t mind a coastal walk in the strong winds, so we headed to Pennington first before taking a bracing walk around the sea wall.

I wasn’t expecting much but there were a few Blue-tailed Damsels, a reasonable number of Common Darters and a few male Migrant Hawkers braving the breeze over the pond.

I decided to test the new lens further by attempting some in-flight shots of the Migrants – something I never did with the old Tamron, fearing it couldn’t hack it. I was quite surprised and more than a pleased with the results.

My quarry disappeared so I decided to take the walk south along the rides where I found far more Common Darters than the pond area.

Brambles were popular, but ground-level leaves were not rejected as suitable perches.

There were a few ‘nervous’ Migrant Hawkers and – at last – a male Southern to break up the monotony.

 

 

A ridge of high pressure promised sunshine and warm temperatures to welcome in September, and on Thursday 1st I made the most of it with my first visit to Pennington for a month.

Arriving at just before 10.00am I knew it was going to be a tad early to witness much in the way of dragonfly activity, but I did have the delights of a baby Grass Snake, a family of young toads and a field mouse to entertain me.

I did disturb a few Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers amongst the undergrowth surrounding the pond, but after a couple of circuits I decided to take the path south, knowing there was a woodland ride which could provide some interest. Indeed, perched on the hedgerow were a few male Migrants and a male Southern Hawker to start the day off properly.

Common Darters were also plentiful, and a golden moment was watching a Roe Deer feed while no less than 5 Buzzards circled overhead!

Back at the pond things were waking up nicely, with a few Beautiful Demoiselles dancing along the stream, Common Darters – including copped pairs – flying over the pond along with Blue-tailed Damselflies and Male Migrant Hawkers.

I chose a spot with plenty of reed and a reasonably narrow span to attempt some in-flight shots of the male Migrant patrolling, and had yet more Common Darters vying for attention and even a Kingfisher!

It was while watching for the appearance of the male Migrant that I noticed a copped pair fly into the reeds a few metres away, tentatively trying out perches until satisfied.

Their first choice was a tad too far away, and my heart sank as they flew up & away – only to return to land in quite possibly the best spot about 2 metres away.

In an effort to get closer I went beyond the length of my wellies and ignored the cold water seeping down my calves while I concentrated on my subjects.

That was it for me – a perfect opportunity and no doubt the best I was going to achieve that day, especially as the cloud started to roll in.

I did another circuit before heading back via Crockford Stream, where pleasingly there were more Beautiful Demoiselles than I’ve seen there this season cascading around the stream.

A few Migrant Hawkers were flying along the treeline, and about 5 or 6 Golden-ringed made brief appearances with one teasingly perching on heather for half a second before flying off upstream.

I walked back via the top clearing and was rewarded with a male Migrant and several Common Darters parading around the margins.

Lastly I called in to Hawkhill just in case, and didn’t see a single Hawker – just a few lost-looking Common Darters for my troubles.

So finally an excellent day and the best I’ve had for 2 weeks – a great start to September!

The fine weather continued Friday, and the lack of wind made Thursley an ideal choice. I arrived just before 10.30am and saw my first Brown Hawker across the moat pond and a few Common Blue damsels in the reeds before continuing along the back ride where I bumped into Stephen Darlington scouring the heather.

We had a brief chat before continuing in different directions. I had a plan to seek out those distant ponds beyond the treeline. A long & tiring walk across the heath threw up a few Black & Common Darters,. but no more Hawkers.

The ponds were a disappointment, being fenced off and primarily for fishing, but at least I won’t have to do the walk again. Back onto the heath Black Darters were everywhere.

By the time I reached the boardwalks I was surrounded by hundreds, so the population must have run into thousands, with several mating and tandem pairs spotted.

A pair of Common Darters landed at my feet, so I grabbed the opportunity.

Further along the boardwalk I bumped into Stephen again and we continued around the bog where we spotted Keeled Skimmers and the odd Migrant Hawker across the ponds and – surprisingly – a male Emperor patrolling a boggy area.

There were also quite a few Emerald Damselflies and, again a nice surprise, a few Small Reds.

Once back on the home track more Hawkers showed thenselves, both Migrant and Southern, but none landed anywhere near or provided a photo opportunity.

Back at the moat pond we had no less than 3 Brown Hawkers patrolling at one point, including a female which almost – but not quite – conjoined with one of the males.

We attempted to get some in-flighters of one particularly playful individual.

I maintain that the Brown Hawker is ‘the’ real master of flight – even better than the Emperor. A brief flutter of wings followed by a long, curving glide.

Also on the pond was an Emerald Dragonfly – possibly a Brilliant considering how late in the season it was, but although I obtained a very distant ‘record’ shot it wouldn’t come any closer for a confirmed ID.

In need of a drink we retired to the car park for refills when we spotted a Golden-ringed unusually hawking a shaded area among the trees. We stood and watched for a good 15 minutes before it disappeared over the heath.

Refreshed I returned to explore the part of the boardwalk I’d initially missed, spotting a Southern Hawker not far from the platform.

Continuing on a circular route back to the moat we had another male Southern Hawker patrolling a small boggy pond but all other activity had ceased, with just the odd stray Black Darter still wandering across the heather.

Activity over the moat had ceased too, so we called it a day. For myself not many photos to come home with, but a more than worthy count of 12 species for day.

Saturday was a washout, and Sunday had heavy rain in the morning, but we did manage to get out for a few hours in the afternoon in decent sunny spells, albeit with a horrendous wind!

Regardless, we headed to Pennington, knowing that if we didn’t see anything we could at least feed the ponies and forage the sloes for the xmas gin!

We arrived at about 3.00pm and despite the wind had several Common Darters among the brambles. All very flighty.

On the pond were a couple of patrolling Migrant Hawkers before the wind became too strong and they took refuge in the shelter of the brambles.

Surprisingly we did see a few Blue-tailed Damsels.

On the way back we called into Crockford for more foraging, while I did a reccie to find yet more Common Darters, a few Beautiful Demoiselles, one Golden-ringed and a male Keeled Skimmer, looking a little worse for wear.

Not bad considering the wind.

 

 

 

I’m a little late with this latest update – for which I apologise.

After the delights of the weekend before last, I ventured out again on the Wednesday (well, Monday actually, but it was a total disappointment!) to make the most of a break in the weather.

I had decided on Ramsdown (Town Common officially – but the name conjures up scenes of local chavs!) and left it until midday to allow the chance for warming up.

After the 15 minute walk-in I was greeted by my first Southern Hawker of the day – a male who got up and perched a few yards away, allowing me my best opportunity of the day.

Knowing the preference for Hawkers (especially Southern) to choose sheltered forest rides, I walked the length of the old railway track crossing the heath and was rewarded with another 2 males, a female and my first Common Hawker of the year (a male) who completely failed to offer me a photo opportunity.

I hung around in the vain hope of catching another glimpse , but it wasn’t to be. I continued down the track and veered off right following the path and diverting back until I found those other ponds I’ve seen on the OS map.

Successfully finding them, and spending probably less than enough time exploring them, I continued back, retracing my steps along the main track to see a male Southern – probably the same I’d seen earlier, before veering off left to tackle the track which had now become a small pond.

Making the most of this temporary water body were a few Common and Black Darters and a few Emerald Damselflies.

Further along this sodden track I saw a few Migrant Hawkers fly up and disappear before venturing left to check the gorse & heather where there were yet more Black Darters, Migrant Hawkers and Emerald Damsels disturbed by my presence.

The ponds had been replenished to the extent that navigation became difficult, but perseverance revealed more of the same and a lone female Brown Hawker which, would you believe, disappeared out of reach.

After a good 2 hours exploring the whole area I called it a day after the winds became too annoying to continue, which was a shame because in uninterrupted sun and calm breezes this area is frankly superb.

On to Troublefield for a quick look and the results were unfortunately unsatisfying after the previous weekend. A few Beautiful Demoiselles hanging on, a few Common Darters and a few flighty Migrant Hawkers making the call in worthwhile.

I ventured out again on the Thursday taking the opportunity to find those ‘elusive’ ponds around Furzley I tried to locate a couple of weeks back, I did achieved my objective after a long walk-in and approaching from the other direction.

The main pond is surprisingly close to a forest track, fenced off but accessible through a gate, and surrounded by trees. Despite there being a little sun there was no activity over the pond, possibly because of the wind or due to the light being unable to penetrate through the tree cover.

There were a few Black & Common Darters in the surrounding foliage, so maybe a visit on a hot, calm day may produce more results.

I went in search of a smaller pond but found my progress hampered by extensive and untidy forest works. This whole area had been purchased by the National Trust with the intention of returning it to wetland heath – a process which will inevitably take time but eventually may prove very promising.

I did eventually find the small pond, hidden amongst the rubble and currently inaccessible unless you’re as stubborn as I am. Again, lacking in light nothing was flying, but hopefully with regeneration this pond could prove to be promising in years to come.

Satisfied with this discovery I paid a brief visit to Stagbury Pond on Cadnam Common where there were a few Common Darters, Emerald and Common Blue Damselflies and a fleeting visit by a male Emperor., but unfortunately no photos of the latter.

It was Sunday before I dare venture out again. Bank Holidays are a time I usually like to stay away from the New Forest, but, more importantly, the weather really wasn’t playing fair.

Sunny spells said the forecast, and I suppose they could get away with it. A few glimpses of sun, but not really enough to raise the temperature to any degree where any self-respecting dragonflies would venture out – a bit like me really!

I sort-of knew it was going to be a waste of time and petrol, but headed over to Troublefield anyhow just to get out of the house.

We scoured the ditch at the back of the reserve in the hope we;’d find a few roosting hawkers, and did indeed disturb a few Migrants, one Brown Hawker and a few Beautiful Demoiselles.

Back at the gate I decided to get out the bins and scour the foliage around the ditch and found a single male Migrant perched, albeit not in the best condition, and, in the lack of any other opportunities, took a few shots.

That was it. Saw no point in searching further and instead made our way across to Ramsdown in the hope of flushing out a few more.

We did, but the only opportunity was a Common Darter.

There were a few Hawkers flying off in the distance, but too far away for ID.

Such is my displeasure with this summer that I’m seriously thinking of emigrating! Temperate climate we may have, and we have to accept what we’re given, but come on! No real summer and no real good weather since spring! Things have to change – not for me, but for the dragonflies.

Such was my disappointment with the weather I didn’t venture out again until Tuesday. I decided to concentrate on a small section of the River Stour and despite the cool & cloudy conditions managed to disturb 8 Brown Hawkers.

Interesting to observe was their tendency to roost low down, almost ground level, in the grass and nettles. which made them difficult to see and even more difficult to photograph should I have spotted them.

In fact my only realisation they were there was a rustling of wings as they took flight at my presence. Further proof that this is indeed the most frustrating species to photograph.

I popped in to Troublefield on the way back and saw nothing – not even a Banded Demoiselle. So a disappointing end to August – a month where good days proved few & far between.

Let’s hope September proves better. Traditionally my favourite time to take a holiday, and usually good for hawker activity.