Author: Paul Ritchie

Saturday 12th July
Touch and go looking at the weather for this weekend. Maybe a glimmer of sunshine, but the most important factor for Cliffe was wind speed. Last year we took a day and were frustrated by the heavy gusts, which more or less ruined the day for us.

Today however we had sunshine as far as Clacket Lane Services, and then a heavy blanket of low cloud and fog which was beginning to burn off, but hadn’t by the time we arrived at Marshside. I wasn’t that bothered though…just a little trepidacious hoping we wouldn’t be disappointed.

Just after the M2 ran out and turned into a dual carriageway, we turned off onto a narrow country lane which to all intents and purpose would probably be the last place you’d think of to look for dragonflies. Except for the ditch running parallel.

However this short 100 metre section of the lane was where we were directed, and after witnessing a few Blue-tailed braving the gloom I spotted my first ever Willow Emerald damselfly.

The first thing which struck me was the size; significantly larger to the Common Emerald we’re used to. Not difficult to see when present among the tall vegetation lining the channel. When disturbed clumsily they would rise to the adjacent tree-line, very noticeable in their flight and seemingly larger in sight than tenerals you see rising into the stratosphere.

Once we were satisfied that we had grabbed as much as we were likely to in the conditions, we braved the M2 for Cliffe – a site we’d visited a year ago for the first time. There had already been reports of Scarce and Southern Emerald and during our drive we witnessed a rare celestial body breaking through the cloud.

The hardest part of a visit to Cliffe is the final stretch down a mile of pot-holed and precarious gravel track which in all honesty requires a four-wheel drive…or tank. Surprisingly – given my abhorrence to the M25 – was the worse part of our drive today. As a passenger a ride you wouldn’t go on twice at a fairground. Last year I chose to walk the most part.

After what seemed like an age, we arrived at the parking spot to find we weren’t the only dragonfly enthusiasts here today. Crossing the gate we bumped into two chaps from Brighton who had already found their prizes; the Southern in the same bunch of thistle scrub we found the Scarce last season.

The Scarce were seemingly everywhere. Males were scouring a large section of the ditch, and at first were hard to concentrate on among the rustling and splashes of Marsh Frogs jumping to the sanctuary of the ditch at our passing.

The females were harder to track down today. I saw only the one single and lost her within the reeds. So in the interest of continuity I’ll repost the one I managed last season.

Later Sue pointed out a tandem pair jumping from one reed to another allowing the female to oviposit.

A small, thistle-strewn section of scrub in the corner provided our first ever sightings of the (UK) rare Southern Emerald – a ‘lifer’ for me as was the Willow. I’m more than content.

The Southern were found in the same small patch of scrub that we found the Scarce last season; which in all honesty I was expecting to find the bulk of the latter. But it was in fact the chosen place for the Southern, and I filled my boots (once again, not wellies for a change) and concentrated here for the time being.

After my fill I carried on around the square border of the field, rewarded with the most fantastic display of Ruddy Darters – swarming in a way I’ve not witnessed since the annual Common Darter display found on Beaulieu Heath if you catch it at the right time.

But today belonged to the Emeralds. A hat trick of rarities including two ‘lifers’. Thanks again to Marc Heath for providing location details for the Willow.

For many the Golden-ringed Dragonfly is a real favourite. Stunningly beautiful, sleek and efficient without the aggressive tendencies of the Emperor; choosing only to do battle with its own kind.

Every July I look forward to spending a few hours at Crockford where I can just relax and take in the action at the basin, or more often choosing to explore upstream for quieter moments and engaging activity.

At least once a year I’ll explore the other side of the road, or rummage around the flushes leading down to Hatchet Pond. All of these locations contain Golden-ringed, Southern, Small Red and pretty much everything else you’ll find at Crockford Bottom; it just takes a little more effort.

Unusually I find myself in the situation of needing only a couple of species to complete my Hampshire list so now I can choose to indulge a little more without chasing rainbows, although I will be making the effort to add a few of the UK rarities over the next couple of months.

In the meantime I’m going to enjoy some of my favourite New Forest species at some of my favourite New Forest locations.

I paid a couple of visits to Thursley Common last month, almost a fortnight apart, the post lying on the back-burner in favour of the recent highlights.

Thursday 12th June
By the time I arrived the car park was already full with just the one space remaining. I immediately headed to the marshy area to observe the Four-spotted battling with themselves and a patrolling male Downy. Along the shore I counted another eleven Downy, and was briefly rewarded with a visit from a Brilliant Emerald, frustratingly chased away by one of the Downy.

The very same thing happened at Warren Heath last season. Whenever the Brilliant would appear, he was chased off by by a Downy! Hopefully a little later the Downy populations will reduce enough to give the Brilliant a chance to stick around. I certainly hope so!

Once I had my fill of The Moat I did a circuit of the board-walk, entertained by a reasonable showing of Four-spotted Chasers, but nowhere near the levels expected. My objective was the stream, usually a miserable place to wait around at and not the best path to negotiate, but a glimpse of green forced me to stay a while.

Only a Downy, but fabulously rising and scouring the surrounding heath before heading back towards the stream, slowly popping back and forth before disappearing over the heath.

On the walk back to The Moat I searched the heather looking for Emerald Damselflies or indeed Black Darter, but nothing showed. Plenty of Keeled Skimmer and a feeding Emperor along ‘hawker alley’ and among the scrub behind the pond. Back at the water the Downy numbers had reduced by half and several Small Red were decorating the marsh.

Wednesday 25th June
I returned to Thursley on a favourable day; plenty of sunny spells punctuated by light cloud.

I did two circuits of the moat, taking note of every Downy I encountered; even stopping to grab a record in-flighter of each just in case my eyes deceived me. Alas, all Downy, but beggars shouldn’t be choosers and some of those present offered more than enough entertainment and in-flight practice.

Some were taking a good chunk of bank-side territory, while others were choosing just enough to engage with. The individual above shared many characteristics with Emperors and Southern Hawkers, flying close in and circling, very inquisitive and almost prompting a switch to macro.

For a change I took the path south from the moat, reaching a clearing previously discovered by entering via the village. This route was much easier and a bonus circuit to include in the future.

Returning to the board-walk I stopped at the peaty pool to watch an Emperor take charge over the few Four-spotted Chasers; not quite as engaging as the Downy but close enough to capture.

I followed the board-walk around the large basins, which today were swarming with Four-spotted Chasers. A supporting cast of Keeled Skimmers and more Emperors added to the enjoyment.

I had to call in on the stream. Just in case. Nothing significant paid a visit in the half-hour I tolerated, so I busied myself amongst the heather on the path back.

Bingo! Consolation in the form of several teneral Black Darters, including a mature female.

I’ve since heard they’ve also been spotted in Dorset and the New Forest, but it was a pleasure to engage with these charming little darters again; wherever they are.

Thundry Meadows
The Moat had calmed down a great deal by the time I returned, so I drove the short distance to Thundry Meadows; a charming little reserve on the banks of the River Wey.A complete contrast to the dry, flat heath of Thursley Common; lush long grasses and the river bank festooned with glittering Banded Demoiselles.

I almost convinced myself I’d taken enough Banded photos this season, but several offered the perfect perch for seconds before disappearing deep within the grasses. Very lively, but I wouldn’t give up the chase for my first pair, albeit not quite in the wheel.

The only other species visible at this late hour were a few White-legged, the only damsel normally present at Thursley I hadn’t seen earlier.

Thursley has yet to produce a fulfilling day this season; I mean a strong diversity and population to really get stuck in to. I’ll give it another fortnight or so, when the allure of parading Brown Hawkers, possibly Common Hawkers and more chance of those elusive Brilliant Emeralds…

I often ponder on the similarity dragonfly photography has to fishing. First you have to find your location, wait for your target to arrive and hopefully catch something you can take home with you.

So I went fishing.

I’d done my research; choosing the location based on plenty of sightings and photographs through Flickr, Facebook, Google and anything else I could gather. Their southern territory stretches only from Berkshire through Kent, including north Hampshire but populations are greater it seems further south-east, with The Weald being a hot spot.

Steve Covey suggested I give Damian Keith a call, as he works close by and knows the area. He could make an extended lunch hour, so I arranged to meet him at Old Lodge. I’d been given instructions on how to reach the footbridge, stream and pools, but typically a wrong starting point can throw you completely!

I turned left into a car park, obeying the sat nav for once, changed into my wellies and headed through the stone gates towards Old Lodge itself; a mistake that only became apparent once I’d reached the bottom of the mettled road.

Frustrated that I’d had to retrace my steps – up hill in the heat before I’d even started – I decided to return and start again, stopping for a detour when I noticed the very small gate in the fence to the Old Lodge Nature Reserve.

I turned left, went down the (rough) hill and realised it didn’t look right either, so I slogged back up hill again and returned to the car park. After a well-needed slug of water I skirted around and found a gate onto the heath where I’d seen some photographers. Surely this is the right place?

After walking the wide path for a while, I realised this didn’t look right either, and finally had some sense to remember all streams are usually in the base of valleys. So I turned right and headed down hill where eventually I found a foot bridge over a stream.

Convinced I was at the right spot, I settled in and stayed put when I saw my first dragonfly of the day – a male Golden-ringed patrolling the stream.

However my second dragonfly of the day was my target; a superb showing of a male Brilliant Emerald hunting across the ferns in a clearing above a small open area of the flow.

A spectacular sight as he circled above, below, up high, down low, far off and almost close enough to touch. This was in complete contrast to the individual we encountered at Warren Heath last season; that one was very low, barely a foot off the water as he skirted the bank.

This one was more like an Emperor or Migrant, constantly flying overhead offering not-to-perfect views of the underside, reaching the treetops and dropping to the stream gully. His comfortable circling height appeared to be around nine feet above ground level.

Emperors and Migrants however are a lot easier to predict.

Each hunting session lasted around 15 minutes until he drifted off and returned to delight another three times before I received a call from Damian who said he was on his way.

While I waited I crossed to the other side of the bridge to see the Brilliant was patrolling back and forth along a short section of open stream, albeit at the same three metres or so above the water, following the line of fern while a male Golden-ringed patrolled the same patch at their usual height – about six inches above the flow.

Shortly after a female appeared from nowhere and perched among the heather.

She rose and headed down towards the stream, where the male found her and they both retreated to the safety of the tree canopy.

Having not heard from Damien, I called to find he was at the correct footbridge over the correct stream in the correct part of the reserve; half-a-mile uphill, further up the road and half-a-mile down! And he had one perched…

I probably risked a heart attack as I puffed and panted up that hill to the road. I’m a big chap and hadn’t ran for thirty years. Apparently I’d parked at the wrong place too! Somewhat annoying to find the correct car park was merely a few metres further down the road.

Through the gate, bear left with the path and continue down hill were my written directions. I found myself in a state of deja-vu as I realised I ended up at precisely the same place as earlier; inside the reserve proper but again on the opposite side of the ‘usual’ path.

I didn’t give up this time, and when I’d gone as far as I could without trespassing on Military ground, back-tracked a little to a side path and – once again – headed downhill where a stream would logically be.

And there was Damien!

Unsurprisingly his perfectly-perched prize had left not long before I arrived. I mean, come on…did I really expect it still to be there? Damien was apparently feeling more guilty than smug, but I take the philosophical approach to a missed opportunity. There will always be another chance.

Our meeting was brief as by now he was beyond late back, but enough time to show me a couple of hot-spots and confirm my earlier individual was indeed a Brilliant. So you could say I’d achieved my goal.

After he left I had a few more sightings of a patrolling male before the cloud appeared. When it left (the cloud and the Brilliant) an unhealthy yellow haze dimmed the light, leaving only a couple of hardy Four-spotted Chasers and a female Emperor searching for places to shed her burden of eggs.

Time to call it a day, and as I crossed the correct bridge over the correct stream to the correct path I noticed my first male Southern Hawker parading the small, dark area to the side of the bridge.

I’d seen my first the previous day – a female hawking around the trees above Ober Water, but she disappeared before offering me a shot. I wasn’t going to leave without a record, and upping the ISO to a ridiculous 2500 I had a go.

Today was a perfect lesson in misunderstood directions; a metaphor if you will for the job that is hardest is the one which is never started; or in this case, not started correctly. It’s all very well having directions, but paths can be very deceiving and look correct in unfamiliar terrain despite instructions gained through local knowledge.

I’d been here before, in Berkshire and many other places, and I’m sure I’ll be here again. But despite my navigational mistakes I found my prize at another stream. Near another footbridge.

And a perfect stream it turned out to be. Not to the activity standard of Ober or Crockford, but a place I’d gladly spend a few hours any time.

I’m already planning another visit…

On Sunday Sue and I took the long drive to Canterbury to meet up with Marc Heath as a returned favour for showing him the delights of Latchmore Brook a week previously.

Surprisingly calm as passenger during the monotonous M25 stretch, and on approaching Canterbury eager to get started. And then it began; the stress levels rising as our route was closed for Sunday roadworks, followed by a diversion and a navvy crew flapping about with a level crossing!

Finally we found ourselves down a narrow country lane and locating the pub we put into the sat nav (They’re another story). While we were looking for a place to park, Marc drove up and lead us further down hill to drop the vehicles.

As soon as we reached the key area it wasn’t long before the first Norfolk Hawker was spotted. Kent Hawker? Well, the European name is Green-eyed Hawker which simply and perfectly describes this stunning and affable dragonfly

Shortly after we were entertained by a male hovering through his territory, occasionally joined by a male Hairy. Having found and shot my target I could relax, couldn’t I? I did feel like the proverbial kid in the sweetshop and needed to calm down and regain my focus.

We took a walk along the River Stour, along a perfect path lined with ample foliage and supporting Damselfly cast. Banded Demoiselles, Azure, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and my first Variables of the season.

This is the perfect place for hawking hawkers. Late in the day I should imagine it’s filled with feeding frenzy. In some ways it reminded be of the Somerset Levels, with a little Titchfield Haven and Blashford Lakes thrown in.

As if to prove a point we heard the unmistakeable sound of a disturbed Brown Hawker, rattling his wings in a frenzy to get airborne and away. Isn’t that always the way? But a Brown Hawker. New species number three today.

We walked as far as a perfect clearing – open to the river, bank half-lined with reeds and sheltered by the increasing breeze by a bank of trees. We already had one Green-eyed Hawker patrolling a small territory on the river, playfully circling around and above our heads and perching just wonderfully on the opposite side of the path.

We spent a good while just here enjoying the show as Green-eyed Hawkers were joined by more nervous Brown and – new species number four – a male Migrant. Unfortunately no photograph, but there’ll be plenty of opportunities later on in the season. The jackpot would’ve been a Southern, but by now I am far from complaining as the male Green-eyed Hawkers were rather accommodating.

Further upstream was another small, sunny bay where male Scarce Chasers were parading along the bank, occasionally clashing with another resident male Green-eyed Hawker. More Brown Hawkers were patrolling the far bank, occasionally flying in to perch briefly. They didn’t stay put though, nowhere near as trusting as their cousins.

Back in the first glade my attention was engaged by the damsels. a beautiful immature violacea female Blue-tailed shimmered perfectly against a background too hard to resist.

There were also several Common Blue in the wheel position.

We could’ve stayed in this glade all day; and will admit to wondering what I was missing down at the channels. Having grabbed some perched shots I was happy with, it was time to get some in-flighters.

By now the sunny spells were becoming more infrequent, and the breeze had lifted considerably, yet there were still three different males at varying levels of visibility, so I chose the more gregarious.

I was getting a little frustrated with the wind and increasing cloud cover as I was waiting for my subject to come through again, but in all honesty the wind probably helped as I finally grabbed what was to become my shot of the day.

A walk back along the river revealed the insects had already detected the incoming heavy showers well before we did, and with no more blue sky on the horizon it was time to call it a day. But what a day!

A great many thanks to Marc Heath for showing us around this fabulous place, and not least for providing my second – and far superior – connection with the fantastic Green-eyed Hawker.

My new best friend…

Since My first posting this season of the Scarce Blue-tailed at Latchmore I’ve been another three times. Here are the highlights.

Sunday 15th June
A chance to meet up for a full day with Doug is always welcome, and we got stuck in for a good seven hours or so, rooting through the heather and bending in positions no middle-aged men should ever consider.

We were well blessed with a good selection of Scarce Blue-tailed, Small Red and Southern damselflies, the best opportunities found ‘off water’.

As you will probably notice from the above photo, a good few of the damsels in this location suffer from a mite infestation. Now the picky could opt to ‘photoshop’ the offending blighters out, but this is nature and they’re staying put. Interestingly the females appear to suffer much more than the males.

Thankfully the aurantiaca were mite-free.

Doug was particularly hoping to find a female Southern Damselfly for some video footage, and this beautiful green-form female offered a good opportunity.

Sunday 22nd June
The following Sunday I led a trip for Marc Heath, who had made the long journey from west Kent to connect with SBT and Southern. and after stopping for some Golden-ringed moments we were soon joined by a few more Odo enthusiasts – including Colin Plumpfret who had driven from North Lincolnshire.

The male SBT were in good attendance in the upper flushes, and while we were searching through the heather the Small Red offered some excellent opportunities.

Despite the occasional cloud cover, we had more than enough Scarce Blue-tailed sightings including the sought-after aurantiaca form and even a mating pair.

Another highlight of the day was this beautiful blue-form female Southern Damselfly.

Tuesday 24th
A welcome return for Jerry Hawker and another two visitors from Somerset, Steve Balcombe and Max Thompson, provided some excellent company for this very hot and humid day – certainly the warmest and sunniest this season for Latchmore.

The affable conditions meant the stream provided some decent activity with a couple of Golden-ringed providing the first highlight.

If anything there were far more Scarce Blue-tailed to be seen in the flushes, even bordering the path. The heather once again provided the best opportunities.

The only disappointment today were the lack of Southern Damselflies. Maybe a little too hot for them? No worries regards Small Red though.

I had to look a lot harder to find an aurantiaca today, but after what seemed like an age (to my knees anyway) I finally caught sight of the unmistakeable citrus tones of a fresh female.

I had initially feared that too many visits might dull the excitement a tad, but the presence of good company with the ability for each to find their own treasures made every trip worthwhile.

Friday 20th June
After the disappointment of wasted time Thursday I needed to redress the balance. No walking uneven ground to dead-ends, no traipsing boring gravel tracks for no reward…just a Friday afternoon’s pleasure contained within the basin of Crockford Bottom.

I had barely reached the stream before encountering the first Golden-ringed, followed shortly after by another. The Bog Myrtle was festooned with Southern Damselflies and the occasional Beautiful Demoiselle, Large and Small Red and Blue-tailed. The southern clearing produced Keeled Skimmers, Common Darters and Broad-bodied Chasers.

Conspicuous by their absence were Four-spotted Chasers and Emperors. Not one stopped by to join the fun. I took a short walk upstream to the sheltered bush favoured by the Southern Damselflies.

Back at the main basin I took up camp at my usual grandstand seat and watched the main feature; popcorn substituted by an apple and fizzy drink replaced with water. Soon I was alerted to the sound of a female Golden-ringed ovipositing in the darkest corners of the bank.

I had found several more males on my walk upstream, and took a few half-hearted shots of them perched on the usual ‘busy’ stick or worse. The resident male at my feet provided a splendid show, circling me and bouncing back and forth along a short stretch of territory and just the once opted for the perfect perch.

Crockford has still to reach it’s peak for numbers, especially Keeled Skimmers which are usually so populous as to become annoying – not because they’re so familiar, more because they have a habit of pushing any Golden-ringed off his perch before you click the shutter!

They were mostly behaving themselves today though, and deserved a snapshot too.

Monday 23rd June
I called in again on my way back from an unsuccessful foray around Keyhaven, but numbers were significantly down compared to the previous Friday. Only a few GR males patrolling small territories upstream.

The clearing on the way out provided a male Broad-bodied Chaser this time, already showing signs of wear.

It’s always unforgivable not to call in when passing, but to get the best out of Crockford you need to spend a good few hours.

You never know what might turn up…
………………………………………………………..
Coming up next- Highlights of Latchmore Brook from three recent revisits.

Firstly , apologies for the delayed update. For once I can blame the weather with a little more positivity. I’ve a lot to catch up on, so I’m passing over the quieter days and concentrating on the highlights.

Ober Water

Too many unnecessary ramblings over uneven ground in pursuit of the elusive means it’s time when familiar favourites are necessary to kick back a little. Those who have followed my ramblings should know Ober Water is my favourite of the New Forest streams, and a dragonfly delight in summer.

There are two options to start a ramble – either from Puttles Bridge; a little more challenging for those who don’t wear sensible footwear and best kept for weekdays when the car park can become overflowed with day-picnickers – or Markway Bridge; level, peaceful, and infinitely preferable on weekends.

Both can be circular or linear, and as easy or difficult as you want, however to get the best out of your excursion you must be prepared to cross the stream several times.

Tuesday wasn’t ideal (those gusts were still bothersome) but was blessed with almost continuous sunshine, and this time I chose Puttles Bridge as a starter point; noticing the sunshine had drawn away the usual numbers of car park dragonfly residents.

I neglected the area across the road in favour of the (still very boggy) path following the tree-line until it meets another path at a bridge. The pool by the bridge had a couple of Keeled Skimmers, Four-spotted Chasers and the usual supporting cast of Common Blue and Azure.

The main path continues along the tree-line, but I chose to skirt around the ferns to join the path down to the stream, throwing up a few more Keeled and a couple of Common Darters in my wake.

Crossing the stream into the first meadow produced my first Beautiful Demoiselles and a couple more Keeled dancing around the bog myrtle in this sheltered little bay. Continuing through the heather I spotted a few immature White-legged and (unsurprisingly) more Keeled and across the main track at the second crossing were more of the same.

I usually encounter a Golden-ringed at this crossing, but they had been absent up until this point. Continuing through the boggy area to the next clearing produced my first Small and Large Red, although the meadow had yet to provide it’s peak bounty. Likewise the heather across the stream.

After this third crossing activity was more agreeable with battling male Beautiful, Southern, Large Red and White-legged either in tandem or seeking out a willing mate. For such a delicate looking damselfly those White-legged can certainly get a shift on and the males cover a large area up and down stream in their quest.

At Rhinefield Bridge, the pool was devoid of any action due no doubt to lack of shelter, but across the other side were more of the same, increasing in frequency and numbers further upstream.

At the flush I searched for any signs of Scare Blue-tailed, but if there were any they weren’t visible, only some Common Blue-tailed adding to today’s count. Crossing the stream for the fifth time I followed the bank until I reached another of my favourite spots and stopped for a spot of lunch.

If you sit long enough at this point you can pretty much see all resident species pass through, but for now just more battling Beautiful, Southern, Large Red and White-legged and a few Keeled, but not nearly as many as peak time. Still, there’s plenty of time yet.

Back across Rhinefield Bridge I had my first sighting of a Golden-ringed, a female passing through, stabbing the water looking for a suitably shallow gravel base. Not too long after a male passed through in the other direction looking for his own territory, disturbing a male Broad-bodied Chaser.

A slight deviation on the way back to join the very soggy path bordering Clumbers Inclosure before returning once again the the pool by the bridge where the same cast minus the Four-spotted carried on their endless parade.

Silver Stream

A little time left allowed a walk up Silver Stream, but the exposed conditions meant activity was subdued, with only a few hardy souls choosing the deeper channels for lethargic wanderings. There were another three Golden-ringed here though, disturbed at my passing but quick to alight again, albeit in compromising situations

A peaceful and fulfilling day

Christchurch Common
Friday 13th June

Had no-one bothered to mention it was Friday 13th and a full moon, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. Not that I’m superstitious, although there were a few examples of random chaos throughout the day.

I chose to go out a little later and take it easy, missing the first accident on the A31 but getting held up by the second. Luckily a brief hold up and in no time the road was surprisingly free-flowing to Ringwood.

I knew the long walk in would be rewarded with a good selection of Common Emerald Damselflies. Sure enough the key pond had a good population.

Besides the Emeralds there were a couple of Four-spotted Chasers and an Emperor, but something didn’t seem quite right? Certainly not as much water activity as I expected, with most of the other ponds sorely lacking.

There were varying amounts of cloud which exaggerated the very humid conditions. After a trek around the common I was certainly feeling damp. Having found nothing else to make me stay put I decided to take a leisurely drive back via Burley Heath.

Burbush Pond

Feeling uncomfortably fatigued I thought a perch by the side of Burbush Pond might refresh the senses – it was far to early to call it a day. Even here activity was subdued, with all except last Sunday’s Downy present.

I’m sure the high humidity didn’t help much, so I busied myself with more Common Emeralds among the heather.

Also happy to see the heath had a few fresh Silver-studded Blue butterflies to add variety. There was a superb population across the old railway line until they cleared the heather.

Besides the Emeralds, there were good populations of Common Blue and Azure within the heather and even a few Small Red – the old railway being a real hotspot for them. Also hiding in the heather was an immature Keeled Skimmer.

Satisfied I wouldn’t find too much more I walked the path back to the car park, stopping at a favoured clearing where Broad-bodied Chasers like to hang out.

Superstitions aside, a short afternoon excursion in the forest turned out worthwhile in the end. And I was considering a day of rest!

Latchmore Brook
Wednesday 11th June

The drop in wind on Wednesday was ideal for a revisit to Latchmore Brook. The downside was a belt of cloud which appeared to follow the length of the stream, reluctant to open up at first. Thankfully the Scarce Blue-tailed were here and in good numbers at the first flush after crossing to the north bank.

A good dozen or more males were decorating the length of the flush, and deep down in the emergent vegetation was a recently-emerged Common Darter – another new species for the season.

Making my way to the main area, I searched the surrounding heather and grass for glittering prizes, and struck gold with a pristine aurantiaca.

Further rummaging through the grass produced another female, this one in the transitional phase between orange and green

The set was completed by a mature female

Walking up the mire towards Gypsy Hollows a few teneral Keeled would rise and fall from the ferns, while closer to the stream were a decent number of Southern.

Also scattered among the foliage were a few Small Red.

Back downhill I carefully stalked a mating pair of Scarce Blue-tailed, the completion of my set – and more than I could have wished for today.

The perch they had chosen was both low down and swaying in the light breeze; something not even a tripod could overcome. Also potentially disastrous were a small herd of browsing Mares who were gradually drawing closer, at one point threatening to devour my quarry.

Thankfully they rose beyond their reach before disaster struck, and I let them be. Having had far more than I could have wished for I finished early, not wishing to push it.