Hampshire Dragonflies

Saturday 22nd April

I spent all Friday afternoon cursing the cloud cover, and, despite checking four locations, only managed to see two Large Red – a female at Troublefield and a fresh riser on Town Common.

Today I cursed the weather forecast seeing the teasing sunshine through the window, so decided to take the short drive to Durley in the hope the Beautiful Demoiselles had emerged along the upper Hamble.

After half an hour of searching the river bank I noticed a fresh male rise to my left, leading me a merry, but stealthy, dance up the bank where he refused to land in sight before rising even further where I finally managed a distant shot.

The disappointment of not being able to get any closer dissipated as I continued the search with a new sense of hope. Crossing over the river I spotted my second – a female – rise from the grass into the nettles before escaping to the trees.

Only two, and both refusing to allow me to get any closer, but at least they’re here.

Sunday 23rd April

I had an itch to scratch, and that itch was Bentley Wood. Looking back on last season I noticed Bentley took its time catching up, but it was worth a look regardless.  I’d have settled for an Azure, and after half an hour of fruitless searching I found one.

Just the one, and a real needle-in-a-haystack discovery who impolitely sodded off after my one & only shot while I attempted to change lens. I did look for him, but had to settle for this brief encounter. A little later I spotted a Large Red. Again, just the one.

I decided to take the long walk to the central ponds where I found a party of people searching the undergrowth, some with cameras. I asked if any damsels had been seen and they said ‘not one…it’s too early’. A minute later I spotted a teneral Large Red rise from the pond and pointed it out, but was met with complete disinterest.

Shortly afterwards another rose to land close by.

I hadn’t visited these ponds for a couple of years, and last time was pleased with some cutting back they’d done. During the course of winter another pond has been dug between the two, already showing tadpoles but at least a couple of years away from establishment. I shall look forward to that.

Completing the five mile walk without another sighting I decided to head over to Broomy just in case, but increasing cloud cover meant only a couple of Large Red were seen. A distinct chill was in the air, preceding a return to winter temperatures, frosty mornings and even snow in places.

This isn’t unusual for April; in fact it’s pretty predictable. Another good reason never to jump the gun. Thankfully we’ll be returning to more productive temperatures at the end of the month.

Just in time for May when the real business kicks in.

Tuesday 18th April

The over-seers of Bramshill usually do a fantastic job with sympathetic management for wildlife – especially dragonflies. The setting up of small, shallow ponds throughout the reserve and there is evidence of shallow scrapes to attract specialist such as Black Darter and Small Red, however I’ve yet to find these species here.

A possibility is loss of these scrapes through scrub encroachment; an inevitability if paths aren’t used and utilised. One example of this is the large ‘clearing’ to the left of the main track from the lay-by. When I first visited I was able to navigate with relative ease to access the shores of the first lake parallel to Wellhouse Lane, eventually adopting a passable circuit taking in the reed beds and surrounding gorse bushes.

In my first year I witnessed countless Emperor, Chasers and all many of other species taking time out resting and feeding in the many sunny pockets along with Grizzled Skippers, Green Hairstreak and other welcome members of the butterfly fraternity. Since then this clearing has become virtually impassible with those micro-climates disappearing under the weight of extensive sapling and gorse growth.

On a mid-April day when it’s still a little too cool to see action around the shoreline I took a wander and attempted to recreate my first circuit following the line of the original path. A machete would have come in handy for tackling this virtual jungle, with maybe a bulldozer for backup.

It was hard work finding an opening through the sapling growth, let alone perforating all of my lower body navigating the gorse, yet eventually I managed to locate these little shorelines where a good number of Large Red were holding court along with a teneral Common Blue; my first of the season instantly doubling my yearly count.

This little wonder set me up for the rest of the day and I looked for a few more on my way back to Long Lake. The irony is had I waited a short while I would’ve spotted them rising along these shores. Seeing the rising of the tenerals one of the welcome pleasures at the start of the season giving you a chance to get your eye in again.

Besides a scattering of Large Red the great awakening had yet to reach its zenith, so I took a walk to the ponds. Finding just Large Red here to, but it was enough to warrant the walk; especially at lunchtime.

A stroll up to the stream before returning by a different route taking in the shores of the lake along Wellhouse Lane, the one which looks like face on google earth. Along this route I noticed several other paths which probably led somewhere once and would be ideal candidates for further exploration on another cloudy or changeable day.

Back at Long Lake I scoured the shoreline and watched every teneral in case a Red-eye or Blue-tailed decided to enter the fray, but not today. No worries, the now-present Common Blue were enough for now.

I finished at the ponds, having called in first thing, and there was still no sign of activity here just yet, but it won’t be long. Temperatures having been relatively constant throughout this week mean we should see further variety on the next sunny day.

Sunday April 9th

The unexpected and thoroughly-appreciated week of high pressure ended with the perfect weekend, and I hope you all took advantage. We certainly did, although we waited until Sunday – partly because I struck lucky on Friday but mostly because we had a bit of a party Friday night.

Sunday was the perfect opportunity to pay our first visit to Bramshill. The possibility of coming back empty-handed was precisely the correct mindset. Better to be surprised than disappointed. Besides I was still buzzing from Friday and a perfect, cloudless sky couldn’t dampen my spirits.

We checked the ponds where the first Large Reds showed themselves last season but if there were any here they were probably carried by the steady breeze into the canopy. Ignoring an unnecessary niggle of disappointment we left the ponds and bumped into Mike looking for his first of the season. It wasn’t long before his keener eyes spotted a couple of tenerals rising from the shore of Long Lake.

Given the wind direction it made sense to concentrate along the NE shore and it wasn’t long before they started appearing in satisfying numbers, the majority catching the breeze to land out of reach. The small clearings halfway up the path were suffering extensive growth of scrub yet still offered the best chances with candidates choosing lower and (slightly) more accessible.

I needed just one subject to stay still long enough for me to learn how to properly use the camera again. Thankfully an obliging young male did just that, very low down yet perfectly perched on a gorse flower.

Earlier on this year I promised myself I’d use the macro more, and after half-a-dozen initial attempts without my subject getting jittery I swapped lenses; a fraught task being out of practice, but I finally managed it without incident or disturbing my quarry.

After a brief moment of indecision I decided to keep the macro on for the rest of our visit, hoping we wouldn’t encounter a brief, distant & worthy moment. We carried on searching out a few favoured pockets and, while Mike went back to the clearing, Sue & I took a walk to the central pond.

After encountering a couple of families sunbathing & letting their dogs swim we carried on to the grassy section where a good number of Large Reds rose with our passing. An obliging young female offered another worthy moment.

Two life-affirming days in the sunshine surrounded by new life, new growth and a soundtrack of birdsong. All we need now are some technically-savvy engineers to invent a device which can filter out the sound of dogs and their owners barking.

Here’s to a perfect summer.

It can sometimes be an unpleasant feeling at the start of the season when the mind & body wants to get stuck in looking for the season’s first emergers. Social Media is partly to blame for jumping the gun, and the weather forecast at the beginning of the week promised a rest until the weekend.

What a lie that turned out to be! Wall-to-wall sunshine with temperatures to match, light winds and therefore perfect conditions. By Friday I couldn’t wait any longer and had to venture forth and put some colour into my pale cheeks.

I did have a half-hearted excursion to Swanwick last Sunday afternoon, and finding out one had been spotted at Town Common forced me into having a look myself  on Monday,  feeling disheartened and frankly cheated to come home empty-handed.

Well, not entirely. A Smooth Snake encounter took the edge off things.

I had a gander (and a Gander) at Broomy Pond on the way back knowing it can be good for first sightings, but only Bee-flies, Crane-flies & midges. At least the larder was full.

A few days of constant conditions will kick it off and Friday had to produce the goods. I started at Broomy this time, and was rewarded with my first teneral rising above the heather some distance from the water. That feeling you get when you spot your first has an effect on the rest of the day and finding a few more settled me further.

There were barely a dozen male & female present but they had to be searched for, except for those that rose from the bank. A lower count than previous years and the lack of any mature adults among the clearing meant that today was the first emergence.

Not many photo opportunities either, except the above and a perfectly-focused female on some heather which would have made for a nice shot had she not hidden her head behind a sprig!

Onto Troublefield just in case any Demoiselles were early, but the Banded found in London on Thursday had the advantage of an urban micro-climate. Plenty of Spring Butterflies though.

Surely Town Common would produce the goods today? Nope! Not one.

I even took a stroll around Blashford Lakes just in case any Common Blue were around, although secretly I was hoping for a Vagrant. Back to Broomy then to see if any more had arisen, but just the one seen – all the others flown off or hidden away. Thankfully this one was on heather.

So there we have it. I’m finally up & running. Hopefully it won’t be too long before there’s some variety.

Firstly a big hello to everyone and good luck for the new season. I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a good one.

Now you might be thinking by writing a blog post I’ve just bagged my first Large Red, but you’d be wrong. Other than saying hello the purpose of this entry is to gently ease myself back into the coming season and clear out the many cobwebs from a long hibernation.

The important thing is to take it slowly. Don’t jump the gun and resist temptation just because the first Large Reds have been spotted. In case you haven’t heard there were seven observed with photographic evidence from a FB buddy of mine in Cornwall on the 25th March.

Cornwall are usually first due to their climate being at least a couple of weeks ahead of the rest of the us – even the south. Excepting garden pond emergences, which are usually premature due to their man-made micro-climate, these have been the only sightings as I write.

Yet in true premature fashion the headlines have read ‘We’re Off!’, driving us all outside only to be disappointed by the lack of sightings and lousy weather. Yes, we’ve had some crackingly mild days which under normal circumstances would yield results but it’s important to observe the bigger picture and look at the weather either side of the ‘hottest day of the year so far!’ sensationalism.

I know from past experience that to jump the gun  would result in disappointment and dampness. We need a prolonged period of high pressure and stable temperatures to kick-start the emergence properly.

That being said I’ve already made up my mind to have a few tentative forays soon to acclimatise, reacquaint with the environment, getting some exercise and teaching myself how to use the damn camera again!

Having found your first freshly-emerged Large Reds don’t forget they’ll be maturing away from water so your just as likely to find them holed up in meadows,woodland or even decorating the bushes halfway up a hill somewhere seemingly miles away from the nearest pond or stream.

I’m looking forward to seeing my first Large Red, but I’m looking more forward to the diversity provided by the Azure, the Blue-tailed, Red-eyed, Demoiselles and all the other Spring species.

Happy hunting everyone 🙂

An early May sighting of the Golden-ringed promised a summer bounty of arguably our most stunning dragonfly but I didn’t encounter as many along Ober, Latchmore or Crockford this season.

My favourite day this season has to be my mid-Summer visit to Ashdown Forest for the magnificent Brilliant Emerald. Despite spending several hours glued to the same spot with little going on my patience was rewarded just as I was about to leave.

Such good fortune meant fate owed me a beating which killed my mojo for a short while, but thankfully a couple of trips to Kent kept the fires burning. The Kent Marshes gave us a good showing of the Scarce Emerald however the Southern Emerald failed to make an appearance this year.

Thankfully Marc Heath had found a thriving population of Willow Emerald on his doorstep which offered my best chance so far of witnessing this beautiful damsel in its element.

An added bonus to the day was my best chance of the season to capture the challenging Brown Hawker in-flight.

August means peak Hawker season with the Browns already in full swing, swiftly followed by the Moorland. A good year for the latter, especially locally where my first of the season was spotted at Ramsdown followed by several sightings at Cadnam Common.

These welcome appearances on the home patch didn’t prevent me from making my annual pilgrimage to The Mendips where they truly are a sight to behold.

We had to wait a little longer this season for the Southern Hawker to appear in abundance but when he did he certainly made an entrance and offered some excellent opportunities.

His delayed start meant he stayed around a little longer to keep those hardy Common Darters company with several sightings throughout October, the latter being seen as late as December, however I concentrated on his cousin, the vibrant and not so gregarious Ruddy.

Where Hawkers are concerned the Migrant usually has a calmer demeanour in company than the Southern but this season they appeared far more aggressive than usual, with several occurrences of uncharacteristic bullying.

The profusion of Migrants is a bitter-sweet time of year, offering some peaceful and fulfilling moments before the close of season.

Despite their supposed change of character this year they could still make you smile.

There was a noticeable chill in the air towards season’s end and I chose to end mine traditionally with the Southern Hawker, always a pleasure to spend a moment with. (Click on image for animation)

Seeking out the rare and wonderful species not encountered locally and concentrating on places with greater rewards and peaceful atmospheres has ensured a satisfying season. New areas to explore and revisiting local areas neglected this year will keep me busy in the season to come.

To round out the year here’s a short video from Aaron Cook of our encounter with an obliging Emperor back in July.

Here’s wishing you all a prolific 2017.

For many 2016 took a while to get started with a downturn in temperatures affecting all insect life; the Spring Butterflies taking a rather severe beating. Dragonflies can at least wait until conditions are optimal before leaving the security of their aquatic depths and are usually less affected by temporary seasonal discrepancies

There have however been some notable concerns with Broad-bodied Chasers, Beautiful Demoiselles, Golden-ringed and Keeled Skimmers where counts were down this season.

As if to buck the trend the Scarce Chaser appeared in higher numbers and at more locations, with Swanwick Heath and Troublefield having particularly successful emergences. A change in management practices in the latter by allowing the Spring meadow flora to flourish no doubt helped keep the populations local.

Patience has once again been a theme throughout the season, taking time to stop and smell the flowers, drink in the atmosphere and just watching rather than shooting everything in sight.

The thrill of the chase still excites but the rewards are more fulfilling with a gentler progress. It’s hard to beat the hot, humid environs of a water meadow.

This year’s highlights included the regular Spring visit to the Somerset Levels where sheer numbers usually guarantee a fulfilling day.

It’s always a delight to encounter the Downy Emerald early season; a vibrant jewel decorating the margins of woodland ponds.

Another Spring highlight was Whixall Moss for the White-faced Darter. Blessed with 30° temperatures and blazing sunshine guaranteed a perfect showing of this stunning little beast.

Mid-June saw another explosion of new life with the Small Red, White-legged and Southern Damselflies making an appearance along Ober Water.

The swarms of teneral Keeled Skimmers usually encountered here at this time  might’ve been bad timing, but future visits confirmed the Keeled had indeed taken a downturn this season. At least we timed it right to witness the various stages of the magnificent Scarce Blue-tailed with just enough aurantiaca to keep us satisfied.

Although again numbers being down on recent years we were blessed with the prize of freshly-emerged individuals and our first immature male, beautifully resplendent in his subdued hues.

Mid-June is also the optimum time to witness the emergence of the Common Emerald, a species encountered almost everywhere but for me lowland heath is where it shines.

The lowland heaths are also the natural home for another of our fabulous little darters.

The long wait over Winter means chomping at the bit come April, but it is May when things really awaken, with another welcome boost throughout June to keep the momentum going. July will follow shortly 🙂

 

At least for this season. I always get the blues around now, knowing it will be at least 6 months until Spring returns. I do miss them; perhaps more this year than previously because I can’t help feeling we were robbed of a good month.

A lousy June impacted the rest of the season in a way that didn’t allow it to quite catch up. Not just dragonflies. Butterflies have really suffered this year. Even the common species are way down , which may be cyclical and to be expected, or may well be down to more sinister progressions.

I don’t like to delve too deeply into the politics of conservation; I prefer to leave that to the experts. I do however believe that we should take responsibility on a local level rather than blame a worldwide trend. In other words don’t start blaming forces out of your immediate control as the cause of species decline you sip your G & T’s on your concrete patio looking over your pristine lawn.

I did have a fabulous season this year. A chance to step back even further, slow down even more and appreciate the wonders at an intimate level. The chase became a prowl, patience replaced the rush, even the quietest moments were cherished.

It’s a pleasant feeling to be able to walk rather than run. Take it all in. Breathe the air, feel the wind. Relish the moment the clouds recede and the warmth explodes in a confusion of life. Better than any firework display I’ve ever seen, although wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a spectacular closing ceremony before winter sets in?

In Spring we have a dress rehearsal with Large Red, Azure, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed before the true opening ceremony around May and a festival of treats throughout summer. By the time we get to Autumn the last to leave the party are the stragglers.

There are still a few Migrant and Southern Hawkers around, a bevy of Common Darters and reports still coming in of Willow Emerald.

The latter are certainly one of the success stories this year, having colonised yet more places with Buckinghamshire having their first sightings this year. Hampshire next season? It’ll be nice to have them appear on my own patch, offering a reason to extend the season further. In the meantime let us celebrate their continued success.

We can also celebrate the influx of a few Vagrant Emperor too – from the Scilly Isles to Orkney! As with all migrants a sighting relies on more luck than planning, which is how I prefer it. The excitement of a rare is always enhanced when you’re not expecting it.

So here’s to next season. I have a gut feeling it will be a good one. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a short film from Aaron Cook who I was pleased to finally meet up with again in July.

In Search of the Brilliant Emerald Dragonfly with Paul Ritchie from Aaron Cook on Vimeo.

It’s been over two weeks since my last entry, for which I can only apologise. The reason being the noticeable feeling that the season was definitely on the wane.

A day after my last trip to Bramshill Mike Barnet and I decided to pay a visit to Priddy. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side, and by the time the sun appeared it was just a little too late to raise the temperature enough.

There were a few Moorland Hawker around, but far too busy seeking females around the margins. Surprisingly the Emperor from my previous visit was still holding on; battle-scarred and submissive in any conflict today.

Across the other side I found two Southern; one giving my only worthwhile opportunity of the day.

My experience at Priddy put a damper on my enthusiasm so it was a fortnight before I ventured out again for a walk around Ramsdown and Town Common. A ‘walk’ being the aim of the day. Any Odos would be a bonus.

There were a few Black and Common Darters scattered among the heath and at Hawker Alley a couple of Migrant hawked the treeline while a few Common Darter made use of the puddles along the track.

The hidden pond produced a Southern which disappeared when a Bat flew in for a drink.

Approaching the hill pond I noticed a male Southern patrolling which would’ve kept me busy had it not been from a Moorland seeing him off before disappearing himself.

Despite a three mile walk around Town Common that rather magical moment with the Bat turned out to be the shot from the day.

These diminishing returns are usually the catalyst for calling time on the season except I couldn’t let it fizzle out without a final visit to Bramshill. With the ‘just a walk’ mentality in place Sue & I walked the increasingly saturated paths to the ponds.

The usual bobbing Common and Ruddy Darters and a female Southern disappearing out of view across the clearing looked promising at first but the three small ponds had only a couple of tandem Common Darter pairs across the water.

A break in the clouds provided a magical moment when the mossy pond filled with golden light, creating a hive of activity. Mainly Common Darters, but the amount was impressive for this late in the season.

Just the one Hawker, a Migrant patrolling the far shore, bullying any tandem pair which got in his way. A walk through the woods showed a few more Migrant, a male Southern and a few Common Darters while Long Lake belonged to the water fowl.

A final look in at the mossy pond finally produced an opportunity with a willing Southern.

Once again I waited all day to get a shot worthy of going home with and the moment shared with my quarry filled me with the joy I hadn’t experienced weeks.