Author: Paul Ritchie

The obvious problem with planning dragonfly field trips is the unpredictability of the British weather. Nevertheless the ‘Dragonfly Photo Day’ organised by Dorset Wildlife Trust has long been planned for August Bank Holiday Weekend and unless it poured with rain was going to go ahead.

We met at Ramsdown Forest car park and cursed as the rain started to fall as we made our way around the hill. The ponds at the base have long been dry and unsurprisingly the surrounding heath didn’t show a single species.

Having to dial down the ISO to 800 in the open is never a good sign.

We continued along the path towards the clearing with not a sign of any hawker; not even a Common Darter. It wasn’t until we reached the top pond before we had our first sightings. Emerald Damselflies, both sexes, in very good numbers which allowed our group to fill their boots with the very subjects they were here for.

The constant gloom didn’t help, although the rain had at last stopped. After the Emeralds, the only other subject which gained a following was a surprisingly tame Green Tiger Beetle. We decided to call time and head back for some tea and cake before the hardiest of us continued on to Troublefield. Surely here we would find some dragons holed up?

There were, but we had to persevere before we caught sight of a few tired-looking female Beautiful Demoiselles. Doug spotted a Golden-ringed which didn’t stay around, and Sue spied a female Southern Hawker which also moved on to higher pastures.

A tour of the northern pasture at least threw up a worn Keeled Skimmer – the first time we had seen this species here.

A few more Beautiful Demoiselles were spotted among the plentiful Small White butterflies, and then finally I disturb a female Southern Hawker which I managed to follow in flight, watching carefully as she landed not too far away across the meadow.

Up in the top of the field one of our guests spotted what turned out to be a male Southern Hawker which provided another welcome opportunity.

Back for refreshment at the car we considered our options and after a walk around the fringes decided to go back into the southern pasture to make the most of the sun which had finally decided to break through. At last we saw a couple of hawkers flying, albeit briefly. A female Migrant flew from one section of the oak to the other at a great height, and a male Southern flew back & forth briefly before settling up in the oak as well.

The key corner of this reserve has been compromised by the appearance of a Sallow which seemed to have shot up over the course of a year to obscure the usual perching stems behind. It’s not unusual to see three or four hawkers sharing the same plant stem behind the electric fence, but no such luck today.

Sat in the grass desperately waiting for a feeding frenzy in the now glorious sunshine, a shout came in from Tim that the Golden-ringed he had frantically chased around the stream was flying towards us, and luckily landed a few meters low down in the grass.

A welcome end to a difficult day where most of the group had long given up, but it just goes to show that it is still possible to find dragonflies if you look hard enough.

I’m usually reluctant to revisit sites of summer splendour which have already supplied a peak, and Crockford has produced some stunning peaks this season. Still, looking back I did visit this late in August last season and had a terrific day.

There was always the possibility of some late season hawkers to make another visit worthwhile, and should we find little else we should at least be blessed with the reliable Common Darter. As it was the latter were surprisingly few, at least matched in number by some late Keeled Skimmers.

A few male Beautiful Demoiselles were holding territories, with the occasional worn female flying through.No Chasers today, and no Emperors, which doesn’t mean to say they could be present upstream. On a positive note Golden-ringed were in good attendance.

A walk upstream produced a reasonable amount of Small Red damsels but I worried about the lack of Southern, with only three males spotted during our three hour stay.

Among the heather were a few Common Darters, and occasionally one or two would fly down to take up territories along the stream.

Every so often a male Southern Hawker would fly through and patrol the tree tops for a short while before disappearing uphill. A couple more were seen during a walk around the perimeters, along with a couple of Migrants. Neither came down to the water, so it was left to the ever-present Golden-ringed for photo opportunities.

After we had our fill we called in briefly to Hawkhill. The ‘garden’ area is now so overgrown as to become a deterrent rather than an attractive feeding area for insects. A few butterflies were flying, but nowhere near the levels which were found here a few years ago.

All the seed heads which provided such perfect perching opportunities for feeding dragonflies are now hidden by growing trees. There are still a few non-native plants holding their own, with one bright orange bloom providing an artistic background for a female Common Darter.

We did see a Southern Hawker patrolling the gate area on the way in, probably the same individual who decided to circle the car while we were having a cuppa; at one point perching on the pack of biscuits placed on the roof! Unfortunately my hands were wrapped around a cup and biscuit of my own. There’s still plenty of time for you beauties yet…

I must resist the temptation to visit sites of previous delights when conditions are far from optimum. A Tuesday (13th) jaunt to Ramsdown in the hope of repeating the previous week’s success proved disappointing. A couple of Brown Hawkers were spotted rimming the north of the small hill but no other hawkers were seen lining the paths until we reached our favourite spot.

The rare and infrequent sunny spells curtailed most insect activity, but we did have a couple of Brown Hawkers fly in briefly, preferring to choose the tops of the trees as a hunting ground. One of the females did land briefly to provide an opportunity.

Bored with no action, we continued along the heath to visit the pond beyond the cottage. This pond is mostly inaccessible and involves some fighting through the heather to reach the shoreline. Usually a prime spot for Black Darters, Emerald and Small-Red Damselflies, only the latter showed reasonable numbers. On the water itself was a Keeled Skimmer and a male Emperor.

Another hour at the clearing provided only a couple of glimpses, so we took the wooded trackback to the car where we did at least have a brief glimpse of a Southern Hawker.

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A late afternoon blast of sunshine on Thursday was perfect for the short trip to Swanwick Nature Reserve. I wasn’t expecting too much; perhaps the odd damsel and, if we were lucky, the odd hawker or two. As it was the dragonflies were far outnumbered by butterflies, with a fine meadow playing host to scores of Common Blue, Large and Small White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma.

Also noticeable were the half-a-dozen Clouded Yellow – a fine year for them.

Hawking the margins were four Emperors and a couple of Migrant Hawkers, while in the meadow itself were a couple of Common Darters and female Common Blue Damselflies.

My favourite opportunities came towards the end of our stay when the majority were bedding down to roost for the evening.

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We didn’t venture out again until Monday, and in a fit of enthusiasm gave myself a choice, but I might’ve chosen wrong. The winner was Ashley Hole…mainly because I wanted to find a few more pools and possibly connect with another Common Hawker.

Our first mistake was parking at the Ashley Walk car park. The walk in involve some steeper ascents. My second mistake was finding that elusive pond which shows so clearly on Google Earth. What a disappointment – a ‘dead’ pool, used mainly as a cattle watering hole. Our disappointment was increased by how far we’d had to walk in.

At least that walk provided a glimpse of Common Darter, Migrant and Southern Hawker. Only glimpses mind, and we had a tough stroll in the heat back to Ashley hole. By now Sue wanted to return to the car for a cuppa, but I had to at least give it a whirl. The pond where I saw the female Common Hawker on my previous visit was merely a puddle with barely a sign of life.

The one saving grace were a higher concentration of Common Emeralds than last time, in fact the dominant species today.

Other species seen were Common and Black Darter, Keeled Skimmer, female Southern Hawker and…yes…a male Common Hawker. At least I had a glimpse as he surveyed one of the craters for all of 15 seconds before disappearing off to find something more suitable.

I wish I had wings…

After searching and surveying a few more craters I returned to where Sue had set up camp. She had been busy filming a pair of Grayling in cop. As usual I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least I had a chance to finally capture a male perched in a better position than usual.

So regretfully rather slim on dragonflies for this report.

One of the major advantages with keeping a blog is the ability to look back on previous seasons for timely clues on where to visit when days aren’t providing the optimum conditions. A stiff north-easterly with only occasional sunny spells meant somewhere offering shelter and feeding areas was on the cards.

After a few days stuck inside waiting for better weather, we decided to risk it and take a wander around Blashford Lakes, one of the few reliable places within the New Forest boundary where Brown Hawkers are usually guaranteed.

On arrival we were immediately impressed with the fine array of late summer butterflies feeding on the Buddleia at the Centre pond. Large, Small and Green-veined White, Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Speckled Wood and our first Painted Lady of the season.

A male Emperor flew through but the only other odonata so far were Common Blue damsels lining the pond and the paths past the bird hides. Once we reached ‘hawker alley’ we had our first sightings of Brown Hawker; at least three disturbed from their perches. A circuit around Ellingham Pound didn’t produce much over the water except yet more Common Blue, a few Blue-tailed and a couple of Red-eyed.

Along the back track we had another couple of Brown Hawker sightings and another couple of missed perched opportunities. Even the Emperor at the far end did a disappearing act, but we did see another Clouded Yellow.

I was initially chuffed with my sighting and capture ten days ago, but have since heard (and noticed) they’re everywhere. Always a delight to see and usually a challenge to photograph, especially when feeding as they rarely stay for more than a second or two at one plant.

Back down hawker alley we watched as a male Brown Hawker flew up, circled and landed deep in the bramble. I had to make the best of this opportunity and proceeded to get ripped and stung attempting to approach closer.

By now the cloud was increasing so we briefly connected with the butterflies again before crossing the road for a stroll around the northern rides, usually a reliable area for feeding hawkers. Initially all signs were blank until we reached the far end where a Brown Hawker rose and almost at once perched again, just long enough to grab a record shot.

We did see a Southern and a couple of Migrants during our visit, but too far or inaccessible for any photo attempts. Still, any chance to engage with Brown Hawkers is always welcome, and it dragged me away from the PC for an afternoon!

I often get disappointed at Thursley. This prime dragonfly site can offer some spectacular days with more than enough to keep you occupied, but can also make you wonder why you even bothered making the journey. Thursday was one of those days and partly the reason why I’ve delayed this report until now.

We arrived fairly early to check out a section near the village where Brilliant Emeralds have previously been seen and photographed roosting along a tree-lined path. Of course the ephemeral nature of dragonflies can mean no two days are ever the same. All we saw were a few Common Darters, Keeled Skimmers and not much else. Of course ‘twitching’ is rarely productive and is a practice I tend to avoid, but sometimes you have to scout an area yourself.

From what I could gather from maps this are of the heath isn’t close to any significant water bodies and any findings are commensurate with any open heath area., which means that luck plays a bigger part in success over judgement.

So on to the Moat Pond where at least there were a few Brown Hawkers offering a challenge.

A circuit of the pond revealed a few more Brown and a male Southern occupying the section usually favoured by the Downy, although the latter were noticeably absent on today’s visit. Even the marshy area failed to produce the numbers of damsels usually present, with only a few Common Blue, Emerald and Small Red present.

A walk towards the stream provided several Brown Hawker sightings and a few glimpses of Black Darter and Emerald Damselfly, but not as many as usual – the majority of the former preferring to perch along the boardwalks while the latter sighting were mainly female.

There were at least a few males and even some tandem pairs sharing one of the smaller ponds with an old but stalwart Four-spotted Chaser. The only other significant sightings were Keeled Skimmers. Of more interest was a Puss Moth Caterpillar close to pupation.

These impressive and alien-looking caterpillars have long been a popular subject for nature photographers and since first becoming aware of them a few years back I’ve kept my eyes open, although their impressive size and appearance means they usually find you!

Back at the moat the Brown Hawkers were still in attendance and a Four-spotted Chaser was clashing with an Emerald at the far end of the marshy section. Intrigued I ambled over only to find the subject of his dispute was a male Brilliant Emerald! Excellent, as this is the first I’ve seen here on the moat for three years. Unfortunately his visit was all too brief.

Another circuit failed to show any other hawkers other than Brown along ‘hawkers alley, and even the boardwalks were slowing down. At least there was a male Emperor holding court at one of the small pools.

From a dragonfly point of view a rather disappointing day, especially the lack of any Common Hawker sightings, but maybe still a little too early for here? I should at least be grateful for a Brilliant Emerald sighting, and the encounter with that quite wonderful Puss Moth only goes to show that sometimes it’s better to wait for that golden opportunity.

A promising day with little wind was ideal to pay my first visit to Christchurch Common this season. Being mostly flat with little shelter it’s best avoided in strong breezes, but still remains a top site for Black Darter, Common Emerald and Small Red, although I saw none of the latter today. The other two mainstays were well down number-wise too; I can only assume they’ve burned themselves out after our glorious July.

My main reason for visiting, besides being long overdue, was for the possibility of connecting with some Hawkers, and we weren’t disappointed! No less than 12 Brown, 2 Common, 6 Southern and surprisingly only 1 Migrant. The Brown were their usual selves, rising up from their perches before you had a chance to notice them and flying beyond the tree line.

The Southern were typically more accommodating, with the majority seen along the old railway track or the back ride.

After a two hour ramble we crossed the bypass and walked the track at Ramsdown until we found the larder. I’ve learned the trick with Brown Hawkers is to find their feeding areas, then watch as they circle looking for a spot to devour their prey. That’s the easy part! The fun arrives when you have to crawl stealthily and approach them from below, and scream in frustration when they spot you and disappear.

We watched three males for at least an hour, and even managed to pinpoint their position when they’d drop down low in the heather. Several attempts were made to approach them, and several times I was spotted. While I staked out a section hoping would land close by, one did – just to the right of where I was looking. Of course as soon as I turned my head, it was off!

It helps to have an extra pair of eyes when stalking the most skittish of hawkers, and between Sue directing me of their position overhead she practiced her new found skills with the video camera. It was only when we came home we noticed she had inadvertently shot a Common Hawker – our third of the day.

While I was laid down staking out a small clearing in the heather in case one of my subjects decided to choose it again, Sue called me over to a section of the path where she had one perched a few meters ahead of her. She even had time to shoot some video. Of course when I arrived he shot up and away, but not before I managed a shot of my own.

Back at my thicket we watched as another dropped down and I crawled towards the position, only to lose it again, and while Sue watched in case he landed again another of my quarry dropped a few meters to my left. I drew upon every ounce of stealth and ignored the wet knees and brushed off falling down one of the many holes until I spotted him through the heather perched behind a stem.

This wouldn’t do, so again I dropped down and gently shuffled myself to the right until I could see him in profile without an annoying grass stem crossing his abdomen.

Sometimes you get lucky, but in order to exploit that luck you need a little hard work to make the most of it. By now I felt like I’d done a day’s shift as a stevedore!

Having got my shot we moved on to Troublefield in the hope of grabbing a few Migrants to finish the day, but they were conspicuous by their absence. Usually you can hope to see a few perched up across the leat, but perhaps it was still a little too early for mature roosters.

While I disturbed another three perched Brown Hawkers we bumped into Gary from the DWT who was here to attend the cattle. I forgot my task to engage in a passionate plea to desist from introducing the cattle to the northern meadow until the spring wild flowers have had a chance to thrive, bringing with it countless butterflies and feeding dragonflies, a fantastic sight sorely lacking in the previous years when the cattle had destroyed the splendor.

Let’s hope next year we can enjoy that splendor once again.

At least the late summer butterflies were enjoying themselves, with countless Peacock, Comma, Large and Small White decorating the southern meadows. Besides the eight Brown Hawkers (both sexes) we saw the only other large quarry were a couple of Golden-ringed.

We finally caught up with a couple of immature Migrant Hawkers feeding along the connecting path, in a surprisingly small area – but then I guess when immature they choose the safe option. Neither would pause for an opportunity and to be honest the conditions were too dark to give them justice, so we called it a day.

A fantastic day all told, with a grand total of 23 Brown, 6 Southern, 5 Migrant and 3 Common Hawkers and a supporting cast of Black and Common Darters, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chaser, Emerald. Common Blue. Large Red and Azure Damselflies and Beautiful Demoiselles.

A weekend of contrasts with some welcome surprise at a familiar location and a new species from the east.

On Saturday Sue & I visited Pennington, primarily to photograph some Small Red-eyed but hopeful for a Hawker or two. We had barely stepped out of the car when we were greeted with the rare sighting of a Clouded Yellow butterfly flying low among the ragwort-strewn grassy verge. This is the first time in four years we had seen this magnificent butterfly and still remembering how challenging they can be I prayed for a moments perching to grab a decent shot.

This proved portentous as Pennington turned out to be more of a butterfly day with dragons few & far between. At least there were a reasonable number of damsels around, but mostly down low in the overgrown foliage.

Near the pontoons there were a few male Small Red-eyed holding territories in the breeze with the higher population choosing the shelter of the far end, including a few pairs.

Still no ponies to keep the growth back this season and some sections of the path are verging on the impassable. Regardless I searched through the towering flora and disturbed a couple of Golden-ringed.

The only other large species seen at the pond was a briefly patrolling male Emperor. Pitiful really, so I decided to explore the rides where I saw another two Golden-ringed. This is the first time that I remember the GR outnumbering other large species at this location.

On my way back I couldn’t help noticing the delightful butterfly activity surrounding a stand of ragwort; certainly the best activity I’d seen all day. And then finally a young Migrant Hawker rose to survey me from a height for a while before graciously settling long enough for a shot.

Mindful that was probably going to be it for the visit, we returned via Crockford, which was alarmingly disappointing compared to a couple of weeks ago. A few Golden-ringed and Beautiful Demoiselles were in attendance, and if you looked hard you could find a few Southern and Small Red hunkered down. Keeled Skimmers were surprisingly noticeable by their absence, with only a few spotted.

We did have a few more Migrant Hawkers though.

This female Golden-ringed had a very noticeable kink in her abdomen.

On the way out we found a worn and over-mature female Broad-bodied Chaser

Across the stream in the hunting area another Golden-ringed to complete our day.

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During an evening of reflection Sue decided an act of spontaneity would spice up Sunday, and we decided to brave the perils of the M25 to head east and give Kent a try. Our first location was Cliffe Marshes along the Thames Estuary where there were reports of Scarce and Southern Emerald and a Southern Migrant Hawker. Mindful of ‘twitching’ needles in a haystack I didn’t hold out much hope for the latter two, but did hope at least to come away with a photo of two of the former.

Despite a warning to avoid the site in heavy winds we braved the constant stiff breeze. Note to self:- If the weather forecast suggest an average wind speed with no gusts, assume it’s a constant barrage of odonata-unfriendly conditions!

Our slow and careful journey down the dodgy track threw up hundreds of Ruddy Darters from the bramble verges – a spectacular sight to see them parade in front of our windscreen.

The experience completed my ‘local’ species count for the year and we continued on to the key area. Luckily there were a few seasoned visitors around to show us the key area of the field, and it wasn’t long until we found our first Scarce Emerald.

At least I was going home with something to justify the fuel costs. We managed two hours before the wind became so unbearable I suggested we move south and pay a visit to Bedgebury after a recent report (including some fantastic photos) of Brilliant Emerald on one of the lakes.

Having parked away from the outlandishly-priced main car park, we made our way down the track to the lake, immediately bothered by the human population and accompanying peace-shattering noise. We spotted our first Emeralds patrolling the eastern shore and crossed the bridge to do a quick reccie where we found an abundance of White-legged Damselflies perched among the well-kept flora.

As reported, the best vantage point for patrolling Emeralds was from the bridge where we proceeded to camp for the remainder of our short visit. The constant passing of human traffic and decibels of associated ‘ambience’ kept me on edge for a good hour – our fault no doubt for choosing a weekend!

We had several viewings of Brilliant and Downy Emerald but only the Downy gave a decent opportunity on this occasion.

As things were winding down and aware we’d peaked for the day we took a long, sedate drive back directly west ignoring the motorways until we reached Portsmouth. A long day then, and more of a scouting trip than an odo-fest, but fully justified for the addition of a new species to add to our sightings.

After ten days of typical British summer weather I was anxious to get out again, and Thursday promised a fine day to venture further afield. Our initial choice was Thursley Common, but at the last minute we changed our destination to Warren Heath in the hope of connecting with the Brilliant Emerald again.

After negotiating the horrendous double-dip trench we were greeted by our first flyers with Keeled Skimmers, Common Darters, Southern and plenty of Brown Hawkers along the rides.

On reaching the ponds I couldn’t help noticing that activity was way down on my previous visit; perhaps due to our long, cool spell. The eastern pond hardly had any activity at all, with only a Common Darter patrolling the western bank.

At least the western pond provided a fine array of Brown Hawkers, with females outnumbering the males three to one. At one point two females were sharing the same piece of flotsam to oviposit in, and were happy to stay around for some photos provided you didn’t make any sudden movements. A lack of stealth or clumsy manoeuvres and they were up, either drifting across the water to choose a quieter spot or circling the culprit before tentatively returning to her task.

While Sue & I were enjoying this spectacle we were greeted by Stephen Darlington, here for his first visit and captivated by the amount of Golden-ringed populating the stream. There were to be no forays over uneven ground to check the stream or heath ponds today – far to hot & humid for that; besides I was single-minded in staking out the section hoping for a glimpse of the elusive Brilliant Emerald. The problem today were not just the Downys, still around and looking surprisingly healthy, but a male Southern Hawker who had chosen this section for his patrol.

The damsels were holding their own with Azure, Red-eyed, Large Red, Emerald and Blue-tailed sharing the shoreline.

On the first few occasions where the Brilliant would appear, he was frustratingly driven off again. We had to wait until our protagonist disappeared for a feeding session before we had any prolonged visits, although these were still sporadic and brief, and nowhere near as accommodating as two weeks ago. The best I could manage were a record shot which at least allowed a comparison with the closely-related Downy.

From these ‘jizz’ snaps you can at least get an idea of the subtle differences, with the Brilliant being noticeably more green rather than bronze – very noticeable when the sun catches – and the abdomen more uniform in shape and longer. Seasoned observer can also pick out the horizontal flight pattern rather than the upturned tail of the Downy.

All too soon it was time to leave, but by 3.30pm virtually all activity over the pond had seized in the oppressive heat. The sit and wait technique has never been my strong point and I made a mental note to consider bringing a portable perch for myself!

On the subject of perches, can I please ask those who throw branches in the water to remove them when you leave? Personally I can see no reason to litter the water with unwelcome litter when natural perches will do. Besides being unsightly these acts of ecological vandalism are no different than discarding empty bottles etc and can cause harm to other wildlife.

So please, leave only footprints and take only photographs. Unfortunately I managed more success with the former than the latter on this occasion.

Ashley Hole contains a smattering of bomb craters left over by intensive target practice during the second world war. At first glance it resembles an ugly scar on the face of the New Forest, especially the huge circular dead scar on the plateau. Add to these the target crosses and the smashed and uneven ground you could be forgiven for thinking you had entered somewhere where you really shouldn’t be.

I hadn’t visited for three years, partly due to the long walk in, but mostly due to the resident dragonfly species being present elsewhere, somewhere more desirable and picturesque. Still, it needed a revisit, especially as these small, shallow ponds are ideal for the locally rare Common Hawker.

On my visit most of the (visited) craters are now dry, or merely puddles after the welcome heatwave we’ve been experiencing. A good many are seemingly ‘dead’ pools with no emergent vegetation, although the Keeled and Broad-bodied Chaser appeared to be well at home. Careful exploration can reveal some hidden gems, healthy with oxygenating growth upping the count to include Common Blue, Azure, Large and Small Red and Emerald Damselflies. Black Darters are also present here, although I didn’t see any today.

What I did find at one of these hidden gems was a female Common Hawker ovipositing into the emergent vegetation.

I should perhaps have called it a day then, or at least stayed out in case a male appeared, but my wanderlust had me seeking out a pond near Pitts Wood which I completely failed to find, losing myself in the wrong woods in the process.

When am I going to learn?

After escaping from my hot & humid hell, I returned to ‘the hole’ to seek out a few more craters, some quite busy with the occasional Emperor holding territory, before running out of vital liquid refreshment.

I should also mention that the (mostly dry) stream at Black Gutter Bottom had a fair few Keeled, Broad-bodied and Large Red making use of the remaining pools. Still, a fine result with the Common Hawker and good reason to revisit over the next couple of months.

After refreshing myself at the car I called in to the small pool at Turf Hill where there were several Common Blue damsels and male and female Emperors.

A lot of my enjoyment in the field is solitary, a pioneering foray through the foliage or a gentle stroll down a stream, occasionally staying put to watch the air show or play with a willing Emperor or Hawker. Sometimes it involves a tenacious search for a certain species.

When all familiar places have been explored and things are starting to look very similar on a day to day basis, my enjoyment comes from sharing an outing with a companion or two. Fresh eyes to point out the stuff you’ve missed, or perhaps were to complacent too notice, but more importantly the ability to share the high points with a fellow enthusiast.

Saturday was one of those days, and a very enjoyable and productive day.

Jerry and Mike from UK Dragonflies decided it was about time they came down for some Golden-ringed and other key New Forest species. The initial plan was Crockford, which was changed at the last minute by a start at Ober Water – evidentially based on my earlier report regarding the sheer numbers and activity along this glorious stretch of quiet New Forest stream.

Arriving just after 10.00am we made our way down to the dog-leg where Paul Winters was waiting, deeply searching for Scarce Blue-tailed. We didn’t see any today.

A little trepidation with a five degree drop in temperature, a scattering of white cloud and strong breezes to lower the temperature meant things were going to take a little longer to warm up, but warm up they did with excellent showings of most of the key species and the welcome addition of a Scarce Chaser – a species witnessed here two years ago but not last season.

The key stretch for the Southern Damselfly didn’t disappoint, but the darkening sky and cooler temperatures confined most of the damsels to the margins until the sun broke through again. Then all hell broke loose as the stream exploded with dragons and damsels all vying for space. This was what we were here to see.

Ironically, having only witnessed my first copped pair of White-legged earlier in the week, we saw three pairs today. Plenty of copped Keeled too, but on this occasion no copped Beautiful Demoiselles which I was aware of.

After a quickly passing three hours we decided to move on to Crockford. There were a few cars in the car park, but at the stream we didn’t find anyone until we crossed through the thicket into the prime area. Four gentlemen, of who only one offered conversation, but not a name. A young enthusiastic fellow, Gary, arrived later, and at least seemed interested to join in our delights and be polite.

It’s always nice for introductions in such a relatively niche area, so if you visit, have a conversation. We’re all nice guys! Although after spending a few hours in stinking bog we’re probably not your mother’s choice!

Up until our arrival and for the first part I hadn’t used the camera much, and was satisfied enough to sit back and find subjects for our guests. My only reasonable catch of the day so far was a Keeled, while Jerry and Mike were filling up on Golden-ringed, Southern, Small Red and some remaining Silver-studded Blue butterflies which were looking decidedly worn after two weeks of prime sunshine.

And then I called for everyone to be still and silent as a pair of Golden-ringed spent a few moments in tandem flying around the gorse thicket looking for a safe place to complete the wheel. Luckily for us they landed low down at waist height enabling all of us to get our fill before rising up to the tree line to complete their union.

A real highlight of the day, but the day was not over yet!

Jerry had returned to the car to grab his macro lens to capture some damsels and while I was searching out a few Southern and Small Red I watched as a young male Emperor dropped within the heather, presumably in need of a rest after being taken out by one of our resident male Golden-ringed.

So they can bring out the aggression when needed, which makes it more surprising that they get so bothered by the bullying Keeled. Every attempt to perch was prevented by the bullying action of a dragonfly half its size.

Back across the water Mike had found a female Keeled feeding on an unfortunate Small Red. Now I know where all the Small Reds have gone.Luckily there were still enough around to provide some photo opportunities.

Mike spotted a Golden-ringed feeding on a Bee.

Back in the thicket my conversation was cut short by another tandem pairing, and this pair chose a much better perch.

By checking the camera info we estimated that the full union took 25 to 30 minutes. After a pointer from Jerry I decided to attempt some video with the D90, borrowing Sue’s cheap tripod to counteract my old-age built-in camera shake.

Here is some footage of the last minutes before they part, clearly showing the moment when the female detaches herself before the male shakes her off.

This sealed the day for us. Not one, but two pairings witnessed and both allowing photographs and even a spot of video.

We really couldn’t top that and called it a day afterwards, although we had spent 4 splendid hours which passed all too quickly. We wrapped up at 5.00pm due to commitments and the days cast was still enjoying the sunshine, which by now had warmed up considerably.

Still plenty of action to be had, but for someone else to enjoy.