A Golden Summer Day

Saturday 23rd June

Steve & Debbie were visiting so we agreed to meet at Crockford where the target for the day was the fabulous Golden-ringed dragonfly. A few Keeled Skimmers, Southern and Small Red Damselflies along with a scattering of Beautiful Demoiselles populated the brighter sections of the stream.

At the clearing we caught our first sight of our quarry. A male was holding territory and returned often to his favourite perch, a Bog Myrtle sapling rising from the stream.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - male
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – male

Tenerals still rising from the stream confirmed this was still early in the season here. Besides we’ve only had a break in the weather for a couple of days, and experience had taught me we need a few more days to tempt them out of their slumber.

Across on the shallow pond an Emperor was holding court while upstream revealed a few more and some Broad-bodied Chasers. I was somewhat alarmed to notice the feeder stream was exceptionally dry. Even in the height of last season’s heatwave the flow was more substantial than this, and we’ve had a lot of rain recently.

At my favourite spot we found another couple of Golden-ringed. An Emperor flew in and in the ensuing battle the Emperor retreated after getting a good ducking. Never underestimate the Golden-ringed!

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - male
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – male

After his victory he was rewarded by the presence of a female which he grabbed and took off across the heath with. Despite extensive searching of the place we thought they dropped we failed to locate them.

Now the problem with pairings is you lose one of your subjects. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we had found the pair but thankfully we managed to locate another a further upstream who was rather accommodating,

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - male
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – male

When disturbed by our clumsiness, or a bothersome Keeled Skimmer, he flew back & forth along a short section of his territory which allowed a little more skill testing.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - male
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – male

The view in the viewfinder was promising for the next shot, but in my haste I’d failed to notice he’d passed behind some bog myrtle!

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - male
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – male

Just after this fail was captured we had a visit from the local cattle herd, who managed to tear up the stream bed and turn the crystal clear waters into a channel of sludge which no self-respecting dragon or damsel would call home. A temporary, but necessary disturbance, without which we wouldn’t have the Southern Damselfly.

We moved back downstream and had a few more fleeting glimpses before things quietened down. As always an enjoyable day in pleasant company, not least those fabulous Golden-ringed.

Couple of the cows were rather confrontational though…

There’s Something About Heather

Friday 21st June

Finally a turn-around in the weather! On the first sunny day for a while I headed over to Town Common in the hope of finding a few heath specialists.

Taking the back path for a change my first welcome sighting of the day was the stunning Silver-studded Blue butterfly. There were a few chasing around the path margins in the cool morning sun.

My next sighting was as glorious as it was unexpected – a male Brown Hawker ‘hawking’ the corner thicket. No chance of a photo with this fellow, but a delight to watch as he took his morning feed.

Next was another unexpected individual – an immature female White-legged damselfly, the first I had seen here. They’re present on the Stour, Moors and Avon rivers which are close, so not entirely a rare sighting.

White-legged Damselfly ( Platycnemis pennipes) - immature female
White-legged Damselfly ( Platycnemis pennipes) – immature female

Despite the rains the ponds were very shallow; down to the bed in places. A little too cool and early for over-water action so I searched the heath for my next quarry, the always welcome Common Emerald.

Common Emerald (Lestes sponsa) - female
Common Emerald (Lestes sponsa) – female

I took a walk around the back paths to a favourite little pond which usually provides, and sure enough there was the unmistakable flutter of a teneral Black Darter.

Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) - teneral female
Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) – teneral female

At the next pond a teneral Common Darter rose and flew out of reach before I could ready the camera – the fourth new species this season. At another favourite spot I found another Black Darter, a male this time.

Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) - teneral male
Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) – teneral male

After a walk around the lower reaches of the site I stopped a while to watch the play of Silver-studded Blues and a lone female Scarce Chaser at a particularly fabulous bank of heather.

After this moment of mindfulness I decided to have one more look around the first pond, capturing a few more of those Common Emeralds before calling it a day.

Common Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) - male
Common Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) – male

Two Days in a Fortnight

Did you really expect a repeat of last season’s perfect weather? Me neither. This is Britain, so prepare to get wet.

A miserable June for sure. Since Latchmore I’ve only managed to get out a few times; a couple of disappointing days at Bramshill and a trip further afield, of which more later.

Now the problem with Bramshill can be attributed to the weather, but that’s not the whole story. The combination of unsatisfactory meteorological conditions and, frankly, a lack of management have both contributed to low levels of key species.

A perfect species to highlight the downfall is the Black-tailed Skimmer. I’m used to seeing hundreds lining the paths and shores. Tenerals rising across your path and adults skipping ahead of your footfall.

The problem with Bramshill is the encroachment of scrub. Gorse, Willow, Bramble and ‘introduced’ skin-tearing spiky saplings forbidding access to the shores. The north-western ponds are now totally inaccessible.

A few years ago they bulldozed the clearing, flattening it completely, which had it’s own effect. Hammer & tongs is never a good solution. Since then it has been allowed to grow unheeded.

Hairy Dragonfly (male) Hairy Dragonfly (Female)
Emperor (Female) Emperor (Female)
Hairy Dragonfly (male) Hairy Dragonfly (Female)
Emperor (Female) Emperor (Female)

Now they have managed other large sections of the reserve by once again flattening the over-encroaching gorse and stripping away the shoreline of bordering trees. With the latter they’ve used the branches to create hedge-type fences totally restricting previous access points to the shore.

Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) - immature female
Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) – immature female

Recent signs warning of ground-nesting birds give an idea of their priorities, a single genre practice which I’ve always rallied against. We need diversity to benefit all species. Dragonflies are unfortunately low on the totem pole of importance.

Beautiful Demoiselle ( Calopteryx virgo) - male
Beautiful Demoiselle ( Calopteryx virgo) – male

The fencing off of shorelines is no doubt due to the problem they have with bathing dogs. Fair enough, although designated areas like the bench at Long Pond where dogs can swim free hasn’t had a detrimental effect to the overall health of the pond; it still remains the most prolific of ponds on the reserve.

Beautiful Demoiselle ( Calopteryx virgo) - male
Beautiful Demoiselle ( Calopteryx virgo) – male

It’s a shame as Bramshill has up until now been a fabulous site for dragonflies. To be fair it still is, but as the years go by the disappointments outweigh the satisfactions.

Bramshill isn’t the only site suffering lack of , or misguided management. After nearly a fortnight of low pressure bringing winds and rain we decided enough was enough and we took a trip to East Kent in search of some sunshine and their local population of Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker.

Now it’s been four years since we’ve made this trip and were looking forward to seeing these magnificent beasts again.

On arrival our first observation was the neglect of the path beside the railway leading to the the lakes. The walk in is long enough without having to battle through bramble & nettle.

Once through this jungle we were greeted by yet more habitat vandalism. The ditch where you were guaranteed patrolling GEH was barren of emerging reeds, and the shore opposite had been stripped of bank-side vegetation.

Needless to say we didn’t see much. Just the one patrolling male and one to the overgrown ditch to the right.

We decided to head towards the Stour and make our way to the clearing where we hoped we’d find the same activity as before. Thankfully we did so. There were at least a dozen males patrolling out on the water, frequently dropping low to perch of the reeds.

Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male
Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) – male

This was more like it. Green-eyed, Scarce and even Hairy making the most of this wonderful warm bay. Although in-flights were out of the question due to distance it wasn’t long before we had our first male fly in to the bank and perch perfectly.

Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male
Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) – male

This fellow stayed around long enough to grab a macro shot

Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male
Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) – male

We stayed put and watched the show over water, wishing we or our subjects could approach a little nearer. We had one more male fly in and perch low.

Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) - male
Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) – male

Several Kingfishers flew frantically by while day trippers and locals passed by in kayaks or small rowing boats. Now there’s a plan for next year!

Tribute

It is with great sadness to learn of the passing of one of dragonflies and nature’s true heroes, Steve Covey.

CDR for Wiltshire for 20 years, I first met Steve at Bentley Wood while we were both searching for Purple Emperors. Since then we’ve enjoyed many days out in the field indulging in our passion for dragonflies.

It pains me to think we’ll never share another day in the sunshine taking photos, sharing jokes and making memories which will stay with me forever.

Here’s to a fabulous, funny and knowledgeable much-loved gentleman who taught me and countless others so much over the years.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends who’s love were shared in his final days.

May you rest in peace buddy.You will be sorely missed.

Steve Covey and the author in the field at Latchmore
Steve Covey and the author in the field at Latchmore

Little By Little

Tuesday 28th May

Staying on home turf I revisited Troublefield hoping for a better showing a week on from my last visit. I wasn’t disappointed. Both Demoiselles were present in satisfactory numbers.

Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) - male
Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) – male

Despite a thorough search of the upper meadows I didn’t see any sign of Broad-bodied Chaser or White-legged Damselfly. There were however plenty of Scarce Chaser to occupy my time.

Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva) - immature female
Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva) – immature female

While walking alongside the nettles I disturbed a fresh female Emperor from her resting place and watched as she flew towards the tree canopy.

The lower meadows had a DWT work party busy with strimmers and chainsaws, so I decided to pop over to Crockford where I at least had my first Southern Damselflies of the season despite the increasingly overcast conditions.

Saturday 1st June

A new month and some excellent conditions meant a revisit to Latchmore, this time in the company of Sue and our good friends Steve & Debbie Birt.

Arriving just before 10.00am we didn’t have to wait too long before we had our first Keeled Skimmer of the season; one of many tenerals to be seen today.

Orthetrum coerulescens (Orthetrum coerulescens) - teneral male
Orthetrum coerulescens (Orthetrum coerulescens) – teneral male

A search through the heather didn’t produce the usual numbers however we did find a few Small Red damselflies – another first for the season.

Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) - immature male
Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) – immature male

The heather here had yet to bloom so feeder insects were scarce. Also the stiff breeze at this elevation meant they were probably hiding out elsewhere today.

Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) - immature female
Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) – immature female

At the flushes we spotted our first Scarce Blue-tailed of the day, which completed Steve’s hoped-for list, but neither provided a photo opportunity.

Along the stream I did spot a very fresh ‘pre-aurantiaca’ teneral in the sedge but a clumsily misplaced step sent her across the stream and out of sight!

The stream had a decent showing of Southern Damselflies with several pairs either in tandem or in-cop, the latter producing some of the most challenging opportunities with being hidden among scrub or, as these two, swaying in the breeze.

Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) - pair in-cop
Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) – pair in-cop

After a disappointing search uphill we returned to the flushes where we saw our first Scarce Blue-tailed earlier. No more sightings over water but in the scrub Steve spotted a beautiful aurantiaca phase female.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) - immature female aurantiaca phase
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) – immature female aurantiaca phase

Even after all these years I still get excited by these, and Steve & I agreed this rounded the day off nicely.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) - immature female aurantiaca phase
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) – immature female aurantiaca phase