Author: Paul Ritchie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Surprisingly we did see a few Blue-tailed Damsels.

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

Not bad considering the wind.

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday 18th saw the New Forest and surrounding area getting a real pelting from the rain, which not only replenished the ponds and streams but produced some ‘highly seasonal’ ponds!

With a sense of purpose and a spring in my step I took advantage of Friday’s sun to scout out a few ponds not previously visited. Unfortunately those ponds were in a fenced-off area, which wouldn’t normally bother me, but several rows of barbed wire and a flooded moat-like perimeter prevented further exploration.

At least the walk in provided a couple of roosting Southern Hawkers, one of which returned to perch close enough for a shot. However over the course of the next few days I achieved better.

Onwards to Stagbury Pond, where Common Darters were already waking, coupling and ovipositing along with Common Blue, Blue-tailed, Azure and Emerald Damselflies. Small Reds were probably on the island, but none showing around the perimeter.

During the 2 hours I had a male Emperor wake for breakfast and a tour of his territory and a brief, scouting visit from a female Southern Hawker.

Having received a call from Doug I headed on a stop-gap journey across the forest taking in Slufter’s Pond (dull, windy and nothing much to report – no change there then!) and Blashford Lakes, where the ride I’d previously visited produced 3 or 4 flighty Brown Hawkers, a few Common Blue Damsels and a basking Adder.

I arrived at Burbush car park at 2.30pm and did a quick tour around the area, seeing plenty of water & not much else! Doug arrived shortly after and we ventured towards Whitten Pond, spotting a few Common Darters and a couple of Hawkers in the distance around the clearing, but not close enough for an ID confirmation- although they were probably Southerns.

At least the feed-in stream is full again, but – except for the odd Common Darter and Common Blue Damsel, were disappointing – as was the lake itself.

The walk back produced nothing dragonfly-wise, but I did have an unusual sighting of a Kingfisher perched on gorse along the stream before our presence drove him away.

Back at the car park we met Paul Brock for a brief chat before deciding that the continuing cloud and windy conditions weren’t going to provide any more opportunities.

So a good start and disappointment from then on.

However Saturday was a different matter. Once the rain had ceased and the clouds had broken up, we were treated to blue shies and warm, uninterrupted sun.

Sue & I decided an afternoon at the pond was in order and as soon as we arrived we had Common Darters, Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed and Emerald Damselflies patrolling the pond.

A male Emperor made a brief appearance, but it was the ‘temporary’ pond (more of a large puddle) at the northern edge which kept me occupied for a good half-hour when a male Southern Hawker decided this was where he wanted to be.

A little caution allowed me to get in close

Then it was time for some in-flight practice

Doug called saying Troublefield was kicking off, so we headed over there to be greeted by the best hawker spectacle we’ve witnessed so far this year, with Southerns and Migrants of both sexes and even some Golden-ringed to keep us occupied.

Opportunities were many and at one point we even had 2 Migrants and a Golden-ringed sharing one Cow Parsley plant! A sight to see certainly, yet a day later we had  almost the same encounter. However in an effort to keep this post short I’ll just post the Golden-ringed

This was the best dragon day I’ve had since my visit to Crockford at the beginning of the month. The rains had certainly cleared the way and the warm sun had brought them out in swarms.

Other species noted were Common Blue Damsels and Beautiful & Banded Demoiselles. If there had to be a downer, then it was the failure of my long zoom lens. Haven’t the faintest idea how it happened, except it appears the zoom mechanism has broken.

On Sunday Doug, Sue & I returned to the Westhay Moor in the hope of witnessing a Hawker spectacular. We arrived at about 12.30pm and met Jerry & Mike along the track. Barely into the walk we were surrounded by Migrants and teased by Brown Hawkers.

Migrants were certainly the most numerous, surprisingly followed by Brown Hawkers. Southerns on the other hand were few & far between, although careful searching along the treeline of the back meadow revealed a few males and a female

Migrants however kept us more than occupied, with a male and 2 females sharing one stem at one point

Also in this area we encountered a male Ruddy Darter, which was a bit of a surprise – even though he was a bit tatty

Common Darters however were everywhere

After tiring ourselves out over difficult terrain and cutting ourselves with brambles, Mike joined us and informed us Sue was feeling a little neglected so we returned to the prime area and patiently watched and waited for a Brown Hawker to perch

We didn’t have to wait too long for our first female to perch, and in an effort to get a shot in Doug managed a spectacular head-over-heels tumble into the ditch. He got the result though!

I was approaching from another angle, crawling low down and moving in slowly, managing a shot but far too distant to be worthwhile.

Not long afterwards I disturbed another female, who lifted briefly then came down a short distance away. She was more approachable and we took turns lowering the grass stem in an effort to get a decent angle.

Unfortunately she was badly damaged, but any opportunity to photograph a perched specimen should be appreciated.

Realising we had probably had as good as we were going to get, especially as the clouds were rolling in, we called it a day and prepared ourselves for the long journey home.

A worthwhile journey with a chance to meet up with Jerry & Mike again, plenty of activity, several photo opportunities and most of all a constant blue sky!

Could we have really asked for more?

I’ve often wondered if dragonflies get as frustrated with the weather as I do? I have certainly witnessed  the absolute joy a dragon appears to experience when the sun breaks through.

In a brief sunny window one day last week a male Emperor soared into the air and proceeded to use every advantage of his amazing flying ability by circling high, low and wide across the pond in perhaps the most spectacular display I’ve witnessed.

I swear he had a grin on his face….

As it gets towards the latter part of the season I start to concentrate on those locations where I know I can almost be guaranteed a sighting and/or photo opportunity.

The ‘Glorious 12th’ was another of those mediocre days where no sun was forecast – probably through fear of reprisals in case in didn’t arrive! However as I sat working away at the PC there was a glimpse of sun which launched me into action to make the most of it.

I decided the pond at Cadnam Common was the best bet, being closest and hopefully under the same weather radar as Southampton.

No sooner had I arrived at midday than I saw a male Southern Hawker patrolling the edges, seemingly in search of something with his incessant and deliberate exploration of every nook & cranny.

His visit was brief and there was a lull for the next half-hour until as if by magic Common Darters started to appear everywhere. Territorial battles across the pond, basking in the gorse and even mating to make the most of the brief sunny spells.

From the island came the odd Azure, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Emerald Damselfly to skim the surface and a male Emperor soared high and wide over the whole area before circling the pond a few times before disappearing as the cloud returned.

At 1.30pm another human visitor appeared, binoculars in hand and obviously there for the same reasons I was. Being of a friendly nature I attempted to strike up a conversation with a like-minded soul but it was fairly obvious that he had no desire to converse in any way.

What I had managed to discover was this was his second visit to the pond after discovering the details on ‘some website or other’ a month or so back, but no further information was forthcoming and frankly I felt more than a little miffed at his unfriendly attitude.

The increasing cloud had curtailed most of the earlier activity except for the odd damsel and those hardy Common Darters and I decided to do another circuit of the pond before moving on and discovered a lone Broad-bodied Chaser taking residence at the far end and a hawking Migrant Hawker.

On such a relatively dull day 9 species over the course of two hours is acceptable and just goes to show that it doesn’t always have to be hot & sunny – although it helps!

Afterwards I trundled across to Troublefield in the hope of a Brown Hawker but compared to the previous visit activity was scarce. No Golden-ringed or indeed any dragons along the back leat, but at least there were a good showing of Beautiful and even Banded Demoiselles and a few Azures.

In the lower field I disturbed a roosting Brown Hawker and watched helplessly as he circled twice then disappeared out of sight. So a total of 12 species for the day and a few photo opportunities meant that venturing out was worthwhile.

On Saturday Sue & I did the honourable thing and joined my brother & his family who were down for a weeks holiday. They decided to end their vacation with an afternoon at Moors Valley Country Park, which was fine by us, as it had been two years since our last visit and to get some insight into the resident odonata was a bonus!

Once again the weather prevented any major activity but there was an excellent showing of Red-eyed Damselflies om the main lake – possibly the most I had seen in one place this season.

They were joined by Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies and both Beautiful & Banded Demoiselles in the adjoining stream. At the ‘education’ pond there were more of the same along with a single male Emerald.

No dragons, but a reasonable turnout for a family day out!

Sunday on the other hand was a day put aside primarily for dragons and spectacularely failed to deliver! Once again there was mostly cloud cover with just the occasional sunny spell.

The damsels at Moors Valley proved the hardiest, especially the Red-eyed who were jostling for space with Azures, Common Blue and Blue-tailed.

At least the small centre pond provided a few Common Darters and a frantic Brown Hawker.

We agreed to meet Doug at Troublefield mid-afternoon and even here there was this stubborn band of cloud hovering over the site with blue sky either side! The only real participants were Beautiful & Banded Demoiselles, reluctantly hopping from roost to roost with several individuals attempting to hunker right down in the foliage.

One Brown Hawker was disturbed and flew into oblivion and we did have a female Southern Hawker parade around one corner before perching high up in a tree.

As we decided to call it a day the sun appeared to mock us, so we delayed our retreat long enough to witness a Migrant Hawker appear, flying high around the perimeter.

Frustrated at the lack of photo opportunities Sue & I called into the pond on the way home, but nothing much was happening there either. A few damsels tentatively venturing out from the shelter of the reeds and one female Southern Hawker nervously circling around the gorse.

Monday’s forecast ‘looked’ promising with unbroken blue sky and sunshine filling the view from my window. Making the most of it I headed straight for the pond and waited for it to wake up.

Surprisingly Small Red Damselflies were first on the wing, shortly followed by Emerald, Azure and Common Blue. A male Emperor followed at 9.15am, circling briefly before the Common Darters woke from their slumber. I even had a male Black Darter make a brief appearance before they all disappeared with the sun.

I moved on Town Common, near Ramsdown, where the ponds looked a little dry since my last visit, with some barely more than mossy puddles, but it wasn’t long before the first Black Darters made an appearance, shortly followed by Emerald, Common Blue and Small Red Damselflies.

The sun however was proving very elusive, with stubborn grey clouds bringing down the temperature in much the same way as they’ve done for most of the summer.

Despite the lack of sun I still maintain this fine collection of heathland ponds have the edge on those below the veiwpoint at Ramsdown, and given sunny weather will provide more action and diversity.

A brief call into Troublefield revealed nothing – not even a Demoiselle.

I did venture out Tuesday to do a tour of some of the accessable sections of the River Stour, with at least Canford Magna providing a glimpse of some brave Banded Demoiselles, but even a call into Ramsdown revealed nothing further except a couple of roosting Black Darters.

As for the rest of the week? Pointless. Heavy cloud on Wednesday and heavy rain all day today – at least it means the water bodies will be refreshed. Looking back last August was much the same, with meagre pickings until the end of the month. Let’s hope that will be the case this season.

This week has been relatively quiet on the dragonfly front with only a few worthwhile sightings and even less photo opportunities.

Having missed an opportunity to seek out a resident Lesser Emperor at Blashford on Tuesday and hearing the reported sighting on Wednesday, Sue & I headed over to Blashford Lakes on Friday in the hope of catching a glimpse.

We arrived just after 11.00am and within half an hour had our first sighting. Just a brief glimpse as he battled with the patrolling male Emperor before disappearing into the trees.

He appeared a further 4 times over the next 2 hours and frustratingly refused to perch for a photo opportunity, At least the Male Emperor did.

We also had a male Brown Hawker hawking the clearing and a female providing a close opportunity for a photograph when she decided to oviposit around by my feet.

The SW corner of the pond also was a riot of damsel activity with Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed all vying for territory.

After spending 4 hours at the spot we briefly called into the centre pond hoping for some activity, but as nothing presented itself we returned to Ellingham Pound with a couple of other photographers hoping maybe to catch a late afternoon glimpse of the elusine Lesser Emperor, but alas it wasn’t to be.

Personally I reckoned it was too late and too cool for a sighting, but I had been informed that he had been spotted and photographed at 5.00pm the previous Wednesday.

Still, we had a few more Brown Hawkers and a few Emperors to provide some late afternoon entertainment before we called it a day

On Saturday we tried again, but no luck and not much other activity either. Sue managed to find a freshly-emerged damsel which crawled onto her hand to pump up it’s wings.

I’m inclined to go for a freshly-emerged Common Blue as these seem to be the predominant species on site, but Phil suggested that the majority of the tenerals flying were Blue-taileds.

Sunday we called in to the pond late afternoon and are pleased to report the recent downpours have refreshed the water levels and although activity was muted we did have a perched Migrant Hawker, a patrolling Emperor and a Southern Hawker.

On Monday I kayaked along a stretch of the Basingstoke Canal which offered the perfect opportunity to scout the area. There was a particular stretch with reeds on both sides with a decent damsel presence, and we had close views of a Southern Hawker and 2 Brown Hawkers – the latter surprisingly tolerant of our presence.

Tuesday looked good, so I promised myself a return visit to Studland Heath. Working on a tip off I parked close to the ferry and explored the area around the NE west of the peninsula.

It wasn’t long before I came across the first Ruddy Darters and further exploration revealed a population in the hundreds. Previously I’ve hailed Higher Hyde Heath as the best spot to observe and photograph Ruddies, but after today Studland Heath certainly takes the prize.

Other species seen in the area were a lone Southern Hawker, Emerald and Common Blue Damselflies and a few wandering Black-tailed Skimmers.

From there I revisited the spot further along the NW shore of Little Sea. Along with more of the above were Blue-tailed and Small Red Damsels, Emperors and Common Darters, but surprisingly no more Hawkers.

Afterwards I travelled the short distance to Kilwood Copse and have to say the whole experience was very disappointing. Nothing significant, only a few Azure and Common Blue damsels patrolling the small ponds.

In line with DWT’s current management practice the area has now become so overgrown as to be mostly inaccessible. This is a shame as with just a little sympathetic management this could be a wonderful reserve.

Wednesday was full of promise, but failed to deliver. Fine weather with just a smattering of cloud in the morning was IMO perfect for a transect around the paths of Blashford Lakes, but besides the swarms of Common Blue Damsels there was almost no activity.

At the centre pond there were a couple of Red-eyed Damsels among the Common Blues. Before leaving I decided it was about time I explored the northern section. I followed the path as far as the road and doubled back with a detour around the hides. It was here in a sunny clearing I had my first sightings of a Brown Hawker.

There may have been more than one, but I’m inclined to believe it was just the one male patrolling the length of the path. As usual with Brown Hawkers, there was no chance of a photograph.

I decided to move on to Troublefield which provided the best activity of the day. No sooner had I walked through the gate that I disturbed a male Brown Hawker which had been perched perfectly in the foliage behind the electric fence. Unfortunately no sooner had I spotted him off he went – first circling then off over the trees beyond the river!

Shortly afterwards I had a couple of Migrant Hawkers, a Southern and a couple of Golden-ringed. The latter proved more accommodating and in total there were 7 along the back leat.

Besides the hawkers there were a good number of Beautiful Demoiselles scattered throughout the reserve. The northern pasture has started to recover from the devastation caused by the cattle two months ago, with some lush grass growth and late blooming wild flowers.

Troublefield turned out to be the highlight of the day and I really should have stayed put, but my trait for endless wander took me to Pennington where the wind was horrendous! Not surprisingly there was little to see, just a few Damsels across the pond and a male Emperor disturbed from his perch.

A brief visit to Cadnam Common late afternoon revealed a couple of Migrant Hawkers hiding within the gorse, but nothing across the pond.

 

August began well with the media predicting a heatwave! Hot & dry all day Monday 1st meant we were getting a glimpse of summer at last.

Continuing my location scouting for site photographs, I called into Dibden Bottom first thing and was surprised to see a few Silver-studded Blue butterflies still around, albeit past their best.

The pond which showed such promise last time and gave me my first real Black Darter & Emerald Damselfly moments was now barely a puddle. However the above suspects were holding ground within the surrounding heather, along with a female Keeled Skimmer

Such a fine morning deserved a trip to Crockford and I had decided to follow upstream as far as Two Bridges Bottom. Within 15 minutes of my stroll I encountered 3 male Golden-ringed and a further 4 further upstream.

Also gracing the stream were Southern Damsels, Beautiful Demoiselles, Keeled Skimmers and the odd Common Darter. At Two Bridges Bottom pond were more Keeled, Commons and a patrolling Emperor.

Back downstream at the ford were another male Emperor, an ovipositing female, more Golden-ringed, Keeled, Beautiful Demoiselles and Southern Damselflies.

By the time I had made it back to the main area the Golden-ringed count had reached 19 – at least 11 being separate individuals.

Still this prime area is lousy on the damsel front, but at least there was a male Emperor patrolling the main pool. After a quick shufty around the gorse thickets I sat on the bank and watched the antics of the Golden-ringed, Keeled Skimmers and the few Small Red Damsels among the Bog Myrtle.

It was at this point a male Golden-ringed decided to perch on my right knee. Sat there a while, got up and landed on my left knee, flew around a bit and returned to my right knee where he sat quite happily while I rattled off a few shots.

His best perch though was on a twig within the stream.

Shortly afterwards I heard the unmistakable sound of Keeled Skimmers in cop.

Having spent 3 hours enjoying the full delights of Crockford, I decided to head over to Badminston Common in the hope of seeing a few Hawkers. As soon as I entered ‘Hawker Alley’ I observed a female Migrant and a male Southern patrolling the ride – neither stopping for a photo opportunity.

The Gravel Pits were decidedly barren, with only the eastern end containing any water. The only species present – and in small numbers – were Common Darters and Common Blue Damsels. In fact the common itself contained the most action.

On the way home I popped into my favourite pond to see the water levels have dropped still further with one side now completely dry.

Just 2 male Emperors, a few Emerald and Common Blue Damsels and surprisingly a male Broad-bodied Chaser battling with a couple of Keeled Skimmers. On the way out a female Broad-bodied Chaser was flying off over the gorse.

Making the most of the fine weather on Tuesday I headed over to Blashford Lakes in the hope of seeing a Brown Hawker or 2. I saw 6 while walking the rides and clearings, but wish I’d saved my energy because there was a male patrolling the centre pond.

Once he disappeared he was replaced by a male Southern Hawker.

I decided to call in at a pond I discovered earlier in the year near Linford and on the walk in was surrounded by Keeled Skimmers in the channels either side of the path.

Thinking the dry conditions would make the going easier, I made my way down to the pond and was still hampered by boggy channels – again filled with Keeled Skimmers. Over the pond was the obligatory male Emperor and a former opponent taking refuge in the grass.

Other species present were Common Blue, Emerald and Small Red Damselflies – always a pleasure to find new locations for the latter.

Wednesday was another fine day, but for some reason not good for dragonflies. I spent the first part of the morning walking around the coast at at Keyhaven and spotted not one! Even at the pond activity was muted with only a couple of Emperors patrolling along with a few Common Darters and Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

There were the obligatory Blue-tailed’s and a couple of Beautiful Demoiselles around but it was a rather disappointing morning considering the weather, but perhaps the high humidity had something to do with it?

Or maybe you can have too much of a good thing, after all it had been a fantastic week all things considered. Thursday promised rain and delivered in buckets, which is good for the water levels so hopefully a few favourite ponds will now return to their former glory.

Those of you who follow may have noticed a new appearance to this blog lately. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Incidentally the locations page on the main website is taking shape nicely and if you haven’t already had a glimpse click on the link on the right-hand side of this page.

Still the summer skies are dull, if warm and lacking in the annoying wind we’ve had to suffer these past months. Still burned by Sunday’s disappointments I decided to wait until there was at least a chance of prolonged sunshine and warm temperatures.

Thursday 28th looked promising, so I took my first walk of the year along the upper reaches of Ober Water, starting at Mill Lawn. I had barely stepped out of the car at 9.30am and had my first (female) Golden-ringed ovipositing in the main flow.

I took the south side of the stream to take in the numerous side channels and seepage’s, although it was perhaps a little too early to see much activity. Nevertheless Keeled Skimmers were in good numbers around the boggy pools.

Back along the main stream Beautiful Demoiselles were plentiful and a few Azure Damselflies were present. About halfway I encountered my second Golden-ringed in a gorse thicket close to the bridge.

I continued towards Markway in the hope of seeing some White-legged, but the spot where they were plentiful last year failed to produce any this time. However back along the stream the Beautifuls were cascading in impressive numbers and every now & again a Golden-ringed would pass on patrol.

I encountered 9 Golden-ringed during my 2 hour walk – improving on Monday’s total.

By midday the clouds had rolled in and I paid my first visit of the year to Whitten Pond in the hope of maybe seeing a Brown Hawker. No such luck! The feeder channel has dried out so the first signs of activity were on the pond itself with a patrolling male Emperor and a few Black-tailed Skimmers.

On the walk back to the car park I encountered a couple of Common Darters but nothing else. I decided to take in a nearby pond and even here activity was muted with just a few Common Blue, Emerald and Small Red Damselflies, Common Darters, Keeled & Black-tailed Skimmers, the inevitable patrolling male Emperor and an ovipositing female.

One more pond visit on the way home produced exactly the same as above except for a female Emperor.

Good old British Summertime hampered progress until Saturday when the promise of a good afternoon beckoned. Besides, if nothing else, I desperately needed some location photos for the website.

With 3 locations in the south of the forest pencilled in, we headed to Pennington just in time to see the cloud lift. Activity was muted at first until the odonata realised the sun would be sticking around. First on the wing were the Emperors – at least 4 males and an ovipositing female.

Once the warmth set in the pond was alive with damsels – Azure, Blue-tailed, Small Red-eyed and even an Emerald – the first I’ve seen here this year. Common Darters joined the patrols and not long after I had my first sighting this year of a Migrant Hawker.

Just the one male, but a pleasure after so long. A few weeks from now no doubt I’d have had my fill of them! I doubt it though – hawker season is always one of my favourite times.

Two Golden-ringed were also spotted patrolling the back stream, but I settled for a little in-flight Emperor play before it was time to move on.

Next stop Crockford Stream, which unbelievably I hadn’t any location shots of. Our visit produced the usual disappointment so often witnessed this season, but at least there were a few Beautiful Demoiselles, a few Southern and even fewer Small Red Damsels.

Besides the damsels there were a few Keeled Skimmers and after careful searching 3 Golden-ringed, settled in for a late supper – wasp being on the menu.

The sad part is the pools which are usually so full of life were empty. No Emperors, swarms of Keeled Skimmers or Southern Damsels so often a feature in previous years.

On to Hawkhill, a site which recently suffered my wrath after the devastation caused in the name of commerce by the forestry commission. However I needed a location shot so decided to give it time just to see what could still be found.

At least the ‘garden’ still exists, but for how long? Hopefully the forestry commission will leave well alone so it can continue to be a haven for insects with it’s wealth of wild and introduced flora.

The ‘garden’ has been a prime spot for feeding and roosting dragonflies in previous years and at least today there were a few Common Darters, Keeled Skimmers and Golden-ringed partaking of it’s glories. There was even a (late) female Broad-bodied Chaser taking refuge.

We (reluctantly) took a walk down the old ride just to see if my suspicions were justified. Unfortunately so. No swarms of Common Darters – just the odd one or two – and no roosting hawkers. Maybe the late hour and fading sunlight was to blame, but somehow I doubt it. I’ll give it another shot in a week or so – you never know.

Still, a productive day – especially with the Migrant Hawker. That leaves just the Common Hawker on my list for this season, but I’ll be out making the most of Hawker season for what’s left of the summer.

Sunday was more of the same – visiting locations primarily for shots of the sites, but noting species while we were there.

First up, Eyeworth Pond. Ive already mentioned this place should be avoided on weekends and today Fritham was in a state of overspill. Somehow I managed to park, get the shot and observe the patrolling male Emperor, Keeled Skimmers, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies making the most of the sunshine.

Next port of call was Slufter’s Pond – not a favourite of mine as it’s always blowing a gale whenever I’m there. No change today then! Bright sunshine ruined by that persistent wind. Still, there were a few Emperors, Common & Black Darters, Keeled Skimmers. Common Blue and Emerald Damselflies.

On to Broomy Pond, in my opinion much better than Slufters and containing all the above species except Black Darters, but with Azure and Small Red Damsels to make up for it.

While we were over on the north side of the forest we decided to call into Blashford Lakes for a glimpse of some Brown Hawkers. We weren’t disappointed – 7 in total flying high around the sunny clearings and occasionally landing high up in trees.

No other dragons to be seen, but there were swarms of Common Blue damsels, including hundreds of tenerals.

By now the cloud had drifted over and our sunny day was at an end, but we decided to call into Troublefield anyway. No hawkers, just a few Beautiful & Banded Demoiselles.

The good news is the weather forecast is looking better for the coming week, and, after witnessing the sheer numbers of tenerals this weekend, it looks like the damsels are once again back in force.

 

With a disheartening forecast bringing cloud & rain for the best part of the week I made the most of last Tuesday morning by exploring the further reaches of Ramsdown Forest. Parking in my usual spot I walked through the woods and out the other side, crossing the busy A338 Dual Carriageway to reach the heath beyond.

I’ve looked at the scattering of ponds west of the old railway on the OS map wondering if they were worth a visit, and have to report they most certainly are! These are traditional heath ponds surrounded by heather with a mix of sand and peat substrate – pretty much like the New Forest probably was before conifer plantations destroyed the habitat.

First to grab my attention were the sheer numbers of Black Darters, along with a healthy population of Emerald Damselflies – all providing much better photo opportunities with grass & heather perches.

So numerous were the Black Darters that I saw at least a dozen mating pairs.

Time was tight and I was anxious to check out every pond for future visits and each had plenty of life. Other species on the wing during the brief sunny spells were Black-tailed Skimmers, Broad-bodied Chasers, Common and even Small Red Damselflies.

No doubt on a hot, sunny day these ponds will be brimming with activity and diversity and are well worth a visit. The surrounding heath is also notable for a fine population of all 6 native Reptile species, including the rare Sand Lizard and Smooth Snake.

On the way back to the car I trod my usual path and disturbed a lone male Golden-ringed, but there were no Brown Hawkers to be seen on this visit.

On Thursday 21st I headed over to Dorset primarily for the Brown Hairstreak butterfly – and achieved my objective at Alners Gorse. The only dragon I saw while there was a Common Darter.

Given a couple of extra hours, I headed over to Higher Hyde Heath where there were a few Ruddy Darters, Common Blue and Emerald Damselflies but not much else due to the sun disappearing and the clouds rolling in.

Friday promised fine weather and would have been ideal for dragonflies, but I decided to have a day off  to partake in a kayaking trip around Studland and Swanage bay to clear the cobwebs! Still managed a sighting though – possibly a Southern Hawker flying across Studland Bay towards the heath.

On Saturday afternoon, with a promising forecast, Sue & I headed over to Pennington, but the weather was not as expected and the dull skies with minimal sunny spells meant activity was rather muted. Nothing over the pond except the odd Small Red-eyed Damsel and the surrounding foliage produced a few Blue-tailed including a pair in cop.

The only other dragons to be seen during our visit were a lone male Emperor and a few teneral Common Darters.

Disappointed with our choice of destination we headed north to Ramsdown Forest and followed a new and safer route to those ponds I found on Thursday. As soon as we reached the first pond we were greeted with Black Darters and Emerald Damselflies.

Moving on to the surrounding ponds we found Black-tailed Skimmers, Four-spotted Chasers, Common Darters and a perfectly-perched male Emperor with superbly vibrant colours who I completely failed to capture on camera!

At least the male Black Darters were more accommodating.

Further along is a larger pond with a good surrounding heather cover which revealed yet more Black Darters, Emerald, Common Blue and Small Red Damselflies.

On our walk back we spotted a flighty Brown Hawker who, true to form, flew out of sight. No matter – we decided as we were in the area to pay a visit to Troublefield where we at least found a female who was willing to perch, albeit miles away and up a tree!

Nothing much else except a lone Beautiful Demoiselle and a Golden-ringed disappearing out of sight into the trees, but at least the butterflies were present in reasonable numbers

Sunday’s good weather forecast promised much for the second proper outing with UK Dragonflies, but barely had we arrived at the first pond that the clouds started to appear – and remained for the rest of the day!

The hour at the pond produced the best activity of the day with Emperors, Black-tailed Skimmers, Four-spotted Chasers, Common Darters, Common Blue, Emerald and Small Red Damselflies – but all in small numbers. At least the Emperor perched for a photo opportunity which involved a paddle in the deep mud for a closer shot.

We had long decided on Latchmore Brook as the main site for the day and the car park was already flowing with day trippers. The walk downstream produced little with just a few Beautiful Demoiselles and a fleeting glimpse of a Golden-ringed.

The weather remained dull as we explored the feeder streams and pools north of the far end of the stream, and nothing – not a damsel – was to be seen. Only when we returned after a fruitless search did a few Keeled Skimmers show themselves.

At least back at the stream we had a better chance to photograph a Golden-ringed which appeared 2 feet in front of my chosen resting perch! All in all a very disappointing day.

On Monday I took a morning stroll down Ober Water. Much better weather meant at 9.30am I had my first Beautiful sightings at 9.40am followed by my first Golden-ringed at 9.45am, followed shortly after by a Black-tailed Skimmer. By 10.00am I’d added Keeled Skimmers, Southern and White-legged Damsels and several more Beautifuls.

Walking the path south & east to the top of Silver Stream I was surrounded by Keeleds, and at the stream itself I had my second Golden-ringed at 10.30am shortly followed by two more, Keeled’s and Beautifuls a-plenty and several Small Reds, including a few in-cop.

Back at Ober Water things had really started to kick off with the whole length providing endless activity with another 3 Golden-ringed, several Southern, Small Red, Azure, Blue-tailed, Scarce Blue-tailed and White-legged damsels,and well over 100 Beautifuls. These were joined by countless Keeled’s and several Black-tailed Skimmers.

A 4 hour round trip in quiet splendour both soothed the soul and provided the best dragonfly spectacle I’ve witnessed in weeks, offering plenty of photo opportunities and above all was easy going. My only regret was having to leave so soon.

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