Month: July 2012

It’s been months since we’ve seen some decent sun, and it’s been months since Doug & I shared a day out, His work commitments abroad has meant he’s missed out the most of the season. poor as it has been.

I started the day at the pond waking up a few Common Darters and Broad -bodied Chasers from the gorse.

Over the water were a couple of tired Four-spotted Chasers and briefly one female Southern Hawker among the few Azures.

But I had a day planned elsewhere, so I met Doug at Linwood to hopefully flush out a few Brown Hawkers. We weren’t disappointed. Among the ferns were at least half-a-dozen along with a few Golden-ringed.

Common Darters were in reasonable numbers, and at the pond an Emperor was patrolling, but otherwise only a few Common Blue damsels and Keeled Skimmers.

We were after larger prey, and back towards the ferns we had our first real chance when a female Brown Hawker dropped down behind a gorse bush.

Knowing the rough location helped, and it wasn’t long before Doug spotted her hidden deep in a shaded hole. You would never spot her if you were just passing.

Back in the ferns we saw several more fly up & away and while Doug was flushing, I occupied myself with another – or possibly the same – Golden-ringed.

While I was grabbing this shot, one of Doug’s flushes flew right in front of me and landed very low in shaded dead fern underneath a gorse bush. A nightmare of a position for a photograph, but an opportunity all the same.

Result then, and a great start to the day.

We moved on to Christchurch Common and just before the main pond area we had our first Southern Hawkers patrolling the old railway.

Everyone we saw perched at completely the wrong angle to the sun.

We spent some time with the Black Darters and Emeralds, Doug getting frustrated with the former while trying to get some video of the males.

Further around the path we came across another female Southern Hawker who chose another lousy perch!

By now we were tiring – mostly due to our Brown Hawker flushing earlier – but decided to give Troublefield a look in. Just inside the gate was a male Southern Hawker patrolling the treeline, but no more. Only a few Banded Demoiselles.

A quick foray around Ramsdown threw up more Black Darters, Emerald Damsels, Four-spotted Chasers and a couple of flighty Golden-ringed, none offering a golden opportunity.

I had a busy day planned for Wednesday, so on Tuesday I decided to treat myself to a few hours at the pond. Arriving at midday, 3 hours later than yesterday, the morning sun had already raised the temperature to provide a satisfying display across the water.

Battling for territory were Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers – more than I’ve seen for a good while. Joining these were Keeled Skimmers and Common Darters, Azure, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and the first Emerald Damselflies I’ve seen here this season.

Among the gorse were more Common Darters and a single female Southern Hawker circling several times before disappearing out of sight. I did manage a rather continentally-posed Common Darter though

Besides the superb aerial battles between the chasers, a couple of male Emperors were holding court at each end of the pond. On a couple of occasions they would stray into each others territory and rise in a violent clatter of wings.

No other hawkers appeared during my stay, but a real pleasure to see this pond so alive after the disappointments of the past month.

On Wednesday Sue & I had arranged to meet with (Naturalist) Stephen Moss on a glorious summer’s day to hopefully find him some Scarce Blue-tailed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

We met just after 10.00am at The Royal Oak in North Gorley before trundling through the maze of lanes to Ogdens.

The walk along the stream threw up a few Keeled Skimmers and Broad-bodied Chasers, some Common Blue, Large and Small Red Damselflies.

On arrival at the site we caught our first glimpse of a male SBT at the crossing point, and several more in the main pool.

Further searching and higher temperatures brought out more along the sub-pools & channels, and a female ovipositing at the base of a plant stem.

Keeled Skimmers were plentiful with several pairs in cop, and plenty more Small Reds. Surprisingly didn’t see any Southerns, but we weren’t really looking for them.

After we had our fill we walked back along the stream, visiting a few more channels, inlets and ponds. Pleased to see the SBT’s had spread out quite nicely with several more sightings, along with regular Blue-tailed. At the pond we had a Four-spotted Chaser and a reasonable amount of Emerald Damselflies.

Back on the stream we finally saw some Beautiful Demoiselles, but only a few males. Very poor, however it wasn’t long before we spied our first Golden-ringed, shortly followed by another.

We returned to The Royal Oak for a lunch stop, and while sat in the front garden another Golden-ringed flew through the tables twice following the small stream running underneath us.

Cider, Sandwich and 2 fly-bys of probably our most impressive dragonfly in a pub garden? Lunch doesn’t really get any better than this!

Next stop Pennington – the only reliable site I know for Small Red-eyed, and, even though I found a fresh female a week ago, I still felt a little apprehensive knowing that the pond hadn’t really shown any activity since before the flooding.

I needn’t have worried as at the pontoons there were several males patrolling the water. An Emperor was navigating the far bank, and Blue-tailed, Azure and Large Red were also making the most of the sunshine.

At the other end of the pond the only larger species were another Emperor and a few Common Darters. Luckily there were several more Small Red-eyed including several pairs in tandem.

My only disappointments were missing 2 perched male Emperor opportunities, A lack of stealth no doubt influenced by that lunchtime Cider, and no sign of any Southern or an early Migrant Hawker.

No worries – in a month there will be several opportunities.

Thursday was another cracking day with glorious skies, if a slightly stronger breeze than recently. Sue & I decided to spend a few hours at Crockford.

As soon as we reached the stream we had a couple of patrolling male Golden-ringed, a scattering of Southern Damselflies, Common Darters rising from the foliage and Keeled Skimmers decorating the clearing.

We followed the treeline uphill to the right before dropping down to the main basin where we set up camp for the rest of our visit.

Two more male Golden-ringed were holding territories along the basin, occasionally meeting for a brief battle.

Beautiful Demoiselles were cascading around and above the Bog Myrtle, and a few more Southerns were pairing and ovipositing in the shallows.

At the larger stream pond a small thicket of Bog Myrtle appeared to contain the main population of Small Reds.

A little further along another population of Southerns were busy around another thicket.

Back at the pond a female Emperor appeared from upstream and chose the emerging bank-side vegetation to oviposit, allowing my closest opportunity yet to photograph this beautiful beast in action.

We didn’t stray too far upstream on this visit, partly to do with the wind but mostly to do with the still saturated ground. Regardless in this small stretch we encountered at least another half-a-dozen male Golden-ringed.

Crockford Stream is the Ben Nevis of New Forest dragonfly locations and can suffer from its own celebratory, usually by seasoned and experienced enthusiasts complacent through too many disappointing visits.

My best day here was in the first year of my interest, and such was the diversity that to a hungry newbie was simply heaven. Since then I’ve had many a disappointing day there, but occasionally the treasures encountered on the right day make you realise how fantastic a place this can be.

Last season it was the beginning of August, where a full reccie up & downstream provided more than enough entertainment. Today was another example of a great day to be had at Crockford.

On Friday I paid a brief visit to the pond during the afternoon to witness a fairly decent bout of activity with 15 species observed, although the count was actually 17 all told. Not many photo opportunities other than another Emperor in-flighter.

To end a fantastic week, Sue & I took a chance at Alners Gorse in Dorset for some rare Hairstreaks, but it turned out more of a dragonfly day with my first sighting this season of a Migrant Hawker, some Common Darters, Common Blue, Azure and even White-legged Damselflies and this female Emperor feeding on Gatekeepers

On the way back we stopped off at the River Stour for a brief glimpse of a Brown Hawker , some more White-legged and several Banded Demoiselles

The majority of my time out in the field is usually spent alone, with Sue and/or with friends who share the same enthusiasm for dragonflies. A few times a year I receive e-mails requesting details of sites in the New Forest , and where they can find certain species.

I’m always happy to oblige and preferably meet up to share their experience. These days are always enjoyable and satisfying in a different way than grabbing a decent shot or finding a prize.

Different pairs of eyes can reveal far more than I usually see, and makes me appreciate the delights of a familiar species more than I would usually do.

Different minds can reveal more knowledge than books or websites, and I learn far more first-hand from these expeditions.

There is many a time, especially this year, when you’d be forgiven for thinking the met office are hedging their bets when it comes to their weather forecast. Take Tuesday July 17th for instance. Light cloud cover with just the tiniest of sunny spells over the forest.

The reality was somewhat different. At Christchurch Common from 10.30am to 12.30pm I was basking in bright sunlight for most of the time. Ideal then for a spot of dragonfly watching.

Pretty much the same candidates as last week. Black and Common Darters, Emerald and Azure Damsels.

Didn’t see any Small Reds this time, but my eyes were scanning the horizon for larger species.

Towards the end of my visit I had a female Brown Hawker rise and disappear. Still getting the better of me.

Nothing larger at Ramsdown this time, and after a short recce I thought I’d take a look at Troublefield. The water levels had receded, but the ground was still waterlogged. A hidden hole caught me off balance and I fell sideways into the soggy mire.

Surely a reward? Alas only more Azure, some Large Red and both Banded & Beautiful Demoiselles. Seven species in total, and a tad disappointed I didn’t see a Southern Hawker this day.

Thursday looked promising. A few showers if you were unlucky, but in the main good sunny spells.

Pennington was first up, with Blue-tailed well down on usual populations. Usually a good indicator, they didn’t prove wrong. Just a few Azures, Large Reds, Brilliant and Banded Demoiselles.

The only larger species I saw were teneral Common Darters – again well down on previous years. A detour along the rides usually flushes out a Hawker or two, but the only real bonus were the butterflies. Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White and Large & Small Skippers.

Deciding another trip around the pond wouldn’t reveal anymore, I took the top path back to the gate and found a very nice surprise. An immature female Small Red-eyed Damselfly perched in the foliage several metres from the water’s edge.

I should point out that despite the sun, the only pond activity were from the hardy Azure and a few Blue-tailed.

To drive back from Lymington towards Southampton without visiting Crockford Stream is never an option, and now the car park is open there is no conscientious excuse.

Still saturated and swift, the stream at least threw up a few Southern and Small Red Damselflies and a few Beautiful Demoiselles.

The only larger prey in the first section were a few patrolling Keeled Skimmers and roosting Common Darters.

A quick call into the pond on the way home threw up a couple of Broad-bodied Chasers and yet more Common Darters

Sunday was a day when all enthusiasts would be out, and even at 11.00am the car park at Thursley was more than full. A party of photographers probably made up half, while the rest could well have been Natural England volunteers.

Around The Moat only a few damsels – Large Red, Blue-tailed, Common Blue and Red-eyed. Further around a couple of Downy Emeralds.

Onto the heath we had a female Southern Hawker, Keeled & Black-tailed Skimmers, Black & Common Darters, Four-spotted Chasers and some frustrating Brown Hawkers.

Among the heather were several Small Red and Emerald Damselflies

There was reasonable activity around the boardwalks with a good few Emperors patrolling the water.

Nowhere near the numbers of Black Darters normally seen this time of year, but I think they’re a little late at Thursley.

Back towards Hawker Alley, near the end of the boardwalk, we had a male Brown Hawker hawking the heather and gorse to the right in search of a tasty snack. Perfect. I had a feeling he’d perch when he caught something, and he did.

That was the shot which made my day, and it almost went downhill from there. We did a further circuit and decided to move on to another location. but the glorious weather had brought everyone out!

Never mind – a butterfly feast at Alice Holt would wrap up the day nicely. Except there were hardly any flying – terribly disappointing compared to last week.

Thank you then to this obliging Golden-ringed to wrap the day up nicely.

Surprisingly Monday 9th was dry, albeit overcast. The temperature was comfortable and I even had a glimpse of sun just after 1.00pm.

Anxious to avoid any flooding, I settled for the higher ground of Ramsdown. With a little luck I might be able to flush out a Brown Hawker or two. Maybe even a Golden-ringed or Emperor? I didn’t. But I did manage to find my first Black Darters of the year.

I circumnavigated the small hill a few times, covering as much ground as I could, but the only other dragon I found a Scarce Chaser.

I decided to explore the heath below and, cheered on by more Black Darters, I decided to walk on to Christchurch Common. On the way I took a little detour and spied a pond I’d previously missed.

This great little pond, if restricted by access, provided a few more Black Darters, some Small Red and several Emerald Damselflies.

I crossed the busy dual carriageway and made my way deeper into the heath to a couple of my favourite small ponds and was not disappointed.

More Small Red & Emerald Damsels, and hundreds, if not thousands, of Black Darters.

The heath was alive with them, and even a few Common Darters showed themselves.

A lone Black-tailed Skimmer flew in, almost as if to let me know there was more diversity. However by now the day was darkening and the wind increased, making photography even more difficult. It had also gotten noticeably cooler.

Satisfied with a good day despite no larger prey, I called it a day and headed back to the car park. Almost out of the gate my eyes were drawn to a telling flight pattern within the shadows.

Circling the gateway was a female Southern Hawker, another first this year.

She was almost impossible to track completely given the light, and after watching her for about five minutes I lost her. No matter. To see one more species this day was more than enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Thursday 12th I popped in to ‘the pond’ for a brief visit, knowing that the morning had started out with a wondrous sunrise, but would turn sour soon after noon.

Still too cool to warrant a late morning pond display, at least there were a couple of Azures braving the weather and patrolling the waterline.

I concentrated on the gorse & fern area to the south, kicking up a few Common Darters.

There were also a couple of Broad-bodied Chasers, the latter looking past their sell-by date, but still a joy to see.

A quick fix then, but not enough to really get a high. Perhaps it’s time I enrolled on a twelve-step program to cure me of my addiction. Except I don’t want to be cured.

During last week I received an e-mail from John Ward-Smith, a conservation volunteer for Berkshire and an experienced Dragonfly enthusiast, in response to my report on Swinley Forest a couple of weeks ago, .

The group were conducting a walk on Friday 13^th July and I was welcome to join them, to show me how to navigate this vast area without getting lost, and hopefully find a few dragonflies.

The forecast showed overcast with (possible) sunny spells and showers, and, realising I wasn’t going to get better elsewhere, I gladly accepted the offer.

The day started well with patches of blue sky, and after making acquaintances we headed towards Rapley Lake.

At the bridge pool we had Common Blues and a couple of Red-eyed. As my back was turned there was a fleeting glimpse of something larger which John was almost sure was a Brilliant Emerald.

We continued along the banks of the main lake and saw more of the same, then back-tracked to the cleared area to the south of the lake.

Here we had Blue-tailed, Large Red, Small Red and Emerald Damselflies to add to our count, along with a female Downy Emerald ovipositing and disturbed by a feisty Four-spotted Chaser.

John & I delved further along the shoreline to the western edge, a precarious pigeon-step to a significant reed bed which was sheltered and surrounded by trees, populated by feeder insects and bright enough to warrant good activity.

We braved the sodden ground, supported only by submerged vegetation, for a good half-an-hour and observed another possible Brilliant Emerald patrolling for a few moments until disappearing into the trees.

We also had sightings of Four-Spotted Chasers, Black-tailed Skimmers and a female Emperor.

The remainder of the party had already moved on to Cobbler’s Hole, a valley mire which had been stripped of encroaching Birch to allow the Bog Myrtle to break through. While the rest of the party were having lunch, I was advised to check out the small ponds created by my hosts.

A passing walker, or indeed an inquisitive enthusiast like me, would never know this pond existed without insider knowledge. All their work is carried out during winter; damming culverts and draining ditches, and repairing the damage done by recent forestry works.

I felt truly humbled. I spent last winter hibernating.

An insignificant bridge dissecting a gravel path was our next stop. Jumping a ditch, I was guided to a series of ponds created by my guides which, in better weather, would be alive with dragonflies.

After a pause at one of the ponds watching a few damsels, we were greeted by the last sunny spell we were going to experience that afternoon. A male Four-spotted Chaser rose to patrol for a few seconds at a time before settling on his favourite perch.

A rattle on a dead tree stem disturbed a Golden-ringed from the shelter of the bank which found refuge beyond our sight.

Shortly afterwards a male Brown Hawker appeared from nowhere, circled the clearing several times before disappearing beyond our reach.

We had another sighting – perhaps the same one – before the clouds drew in for the afternoon.

This was the highlight of the day – a display of two of my favourite dragonflies in one brief moment of sunshine. A moment you would miss had you decided the day wasn’t worth the weather gamble.

I must thank John for giving me the opportunity to erase that bad experience I had of Swinley Forest a few weeks ago, and the rest of the crew who all made me feel very welcome.

Most of all I thank them for giving me an insight into their home ground and the treasures it can provide, all of which probably wouldn’t exist without their sterling efforts to keep this urban forest a refuge for wildlife.

I might well join then this winter.

Sue & I had a dedicated butterfly day on Sunday, and were nicely surprised by this beautiful Golden-ringed taking refuge along the forest ride.

That’ll make up for the lack of photo opportunities on Friday!

 

 

After a disappointing weekend pursuing other water sports (it rained), I was anxious to get back in the field on Monday 25th. Still focused on the Brilliant Emeralds I visited Puttenham Heath after a heads up from Linda who had observed and photographed several individuals there during the weekend.

At first site it was another of those gloomy wooded ponds with minimal access, festooned with the odd fisherman – usually a sign that odos are infrequent.

However not far from the car park was one of these filthy, shaded inlets preferred by the Brilliant.

There were a few individuals patrolling this small area, both male and female as on two occasions pairs would link and fly up into the trees.

At one point a fresh teneral rose from the sparse reeds towards the trees. I have no idea what species, but it was large with a bright yellowy-green abdomen.

I stayed for a short while, but only managed a few in-flight Downy shots.

Lack of sun and any better opportunities spurred me on in the direction of Thursley Common. Again the Moat Pond was quiet, with just the one Downy visible along its shores.

This time I did a little flushing through the heather and disturbed a fresh Emerald Damsel, my first for this season.

The walk towards the boardwalk was quiet with only the odd damsel or Four-spotted Chaser brightening things up, but a sad reflection on only a couple of weeks ago when there were thousands.

Looking at the options meant another sit down watching the Hobbys was in order, although they kept their distance today.

On Tuesday I scouted another possible Brilliant location – Swinley Forest in East Berkshire, but close enough to the M3 for investigation.

On arrival at the car park/activity centre, my first thoughts were to turn back as this looked to be another urban playground with the added bonus of Go Ape tree climbing. The presence of off-road cyclists were also a put off, however I persevered and headed off in search of Mill Pond.

Classic Brilliant country with limited access and dark, dank tree-lined banks. I had reasonable views of two Emeralds which I’m positive were Downy, the latter being in a better spot with at least some bright areas, but once again the weather wouldn’t allow a decent photo opportunity or indeed more activity.

And then I decided to visit Rapley Lake. Because of a series of wrong turns which drove me deeper into the forest, including several switchbacks, it took me 2 hours to find, and only then because I had found it by accident trying to find my way back to the car park!

Exhausted and fed up, I spent an hour at the side of the lake watching FSC’s BTS’s and one Emerald, by it’s flight pattern almost certainly another Downy.

Unfortunately the majority of this hour was taken up conversing on all aspects of life by another lost individual who was either looking for reassurance or company. All I managed was a Four-spotted Chaser for my troubles, but at least it was in-flight for a change.

So through sheer exhaustion, and frankly inability to walk, I missed Wednesday and gave another attempt at the Brilliants on Thursday.

Arriving at Puttenhead Moor at just after 10.00am I made my way to ‘the spot’. Already there were 4 or 5 ‘Emeralds’ patrolling this…quagmire.

I set the camera and attempted to photograph anything that was flying, which meant ISO 800 which was still too low in this humid gloom.

Knowing I’d return to the spot, I did a quick reccie of the pond just to be sure, but all the action was at this foul, shady inlet with detritus of woodland decay and who knows what else creating a mire which was too treacherous even for me.

I was soon joined by another enthusiast who confirmed with the use of bins that there were indeed both species present, but I still failed to get a shot.

After 3 hours of not getting any other opportunities I went to Thursley Common and spent some time with a Downy on the Moat pond.

The lighting and surroundings here are better, and I’m hoping the Brilliants will appear here this year to offer some opportunities.

Still cloudy, very breezy but very hot & humid, the boardwalks were mostly empty. Where were the thousands of FSC’s seen here just a fortnight ago? The only larger species flying were Black-tailed Skimmers.

Still suffering exhaustion from Tuesday, I did one quick foray into the heath to flush out a few more Emerald Damselflies and a few teneral Keeled Skimmers.

Having to spend time in less-than-favourable spots all week in search of the elussive Brilliant Emerald, I’m anxious to spend time at a couple of favourite spots just drinking in the spectacle and grabbing some in-flighters.

Saturday had sunny spells – quite a few of them. But it also had a strong breeze and several gloomy spells. So we decided on a scout of Eelmoor  on the Basingstoke Canal.

Heading east and just before we reached the flash we spotted our first Emerald, and having had a crash course on them recently I’m certain it was indeed a Brilliant. Unfortunately it was along the opposite bank and didn’t venture over our side.

Shortly after we had a male Emperor patrolling his territory, and then nothing big until we walked further on to a small sunny area where we encountered another Emerald, but this time it was definitely a Downy!

And that was almost it for large dragons, until we had a female Broad-bodied Chaser fly by and a male Scarce Chaser settling down for the evening in some brambles.

Plenty of Large Red, Azure, Common Blue, Red-eyed and Blue-tailed damselflies to finish the day.

Having ventured a little too far along the path, I at least now know the promising spots, and there aren’t a lot of them. Mostly too shadowed by the trees, but those sunny clearings certainly fit the bill.

I will definitely return to this spot as it’s more ‘photo-friendly’ and doesn’t irritate my claustrophobia!

Just need that elusive sunny day…