Hampshire Dragonflies

Sunday 11th September

It must be two months since we visited Bentley Wood; possibly a combination of being eaten alive by horseflies on our last visit or just being busy elsewhere, but our absence certainly made us appreciate it’s qualities.

We could have drawn a blank  but I’m pleased we had the late summer bonanza worthy of a truly excellent dragonfly day. I didn’t get the Southern pair I wished for, although we did see two pairings – both flying far and high into the trees, which makes me think my only previous opportunity seven years ago was pure luck.

We had enough Southern and Migrant action to keep me busy and more than content. The Southern weren’t the most aggressive; that prize went to the Migrant, who this season have continually been the bullies on the block. During one battle the Southern was grounded by the Migrant and the latter stayed around as if to say ‘stay down’.

It’s a behaviour I haven’t witnessed to such a degree before. Migrant usually back off and mind their own business, preferring not to start the fight. The inexperience of just-mature adult Southern adversaries might goad them on, but I’ve seen Migrant attack all comers this season.

On the way out I unintentionally disturbed a female Southern along the path. Thankfully she stayed low and local, perching up nearby where Sue saw her land. Such was her perfectly-camouflaged choice that I failed to see her for what seemed like ages.

A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon considering it wasn’t planned.

Tuesday 13th September

I couldn’t risk another day hoping for results at Ramsdown so Bramshill it was. Knowing full well I might just be repeating myself there is always the chance of the unexpected. Reason enough for a journey which isn’t much further than East Dorset.

The ponds were quiet so I continued along the path to Long Lake where I set up camp watching the Migrant, Ruddy and Common Blue. The Migrant were perching frequently on the bulrush, offering the first opportunities of the day.

I have a preference for profile shots, but won’t refuse the classic from the back if the setting allows.

Just as I was about to move on a male Southern flew in and kept me amused by being totally unpredictable, so I watched and waited until he felt comfortable enough to oblige.

My final subject of the day was a male Southern patrolling the darkest corners of the mossy pond, but this wasn’t where I wanted him today. Once again I persevered and coaxed him out above the moss for the perfect finish.

If you click on the image you will see a gif compiled from three consecutive burst as he briefly hovered above the moss.

Ramsdown & Troublefield Wednesday 7th September

Despite the conditions being more than suitable it was surprisingly quiet at Ramsdown. The hidden pond was the first to oblige with a resident Southern Hawker offering some sport.

At the hill pond Common Darters engaged in territorial disputes and ovipositing out on the water while Common Emerald and Black Darter decorated the fringes.

An old male Emperor hung on at the far corner, which was a nice surprise. Perhaps due to his aged condition he spent more time perched deep within the rushes rather than patrolling.

Back at Hawker Alley I had a Southern Hawker perch, albeit deep in the shade of the gorse.

After failing to find any agreeable action at the other ponds I tentatively made my way across to Troublefield where only a couple of Migrant and a selection of Common Darters punctuated an unnecessary stroll through foot-wrenching terrain.

It all seemed hard work for little reward, which shouldn’t be the case for either location as in previous years they’ve more than satisfied in early September.

Bramshill Thursday 8th September

Thursday’s visit to Bramshill was much better. Sue had the day off and we were barely out of the car when our first Southern Hawker was spotted patrolling low and feeding along the lane.

At the ponds we bumped into Mike (Barnett) and busied ourselves with the resident Migrants. Having missed one pairing at the first pond I arrived at just the right moment at the second as a pair alighted perfectly on a dead bulrush stem.

Before Mike could grab a shot they lifted into the trees on the far side and allowed Mike a few shots before he attempted to reposition them, resulting in the perfect opportunity to offer a sense of scale.

On the way to the mossy pond Sue had encountered a female Southern Hawker ovipositing into bramble. She rose at my approach and lifted into the trees where a little fill flash was needed to make the best of an opportunity.

Also present at the pond were a couple of Migrant, being comically bullied by tenacious Common Emeralds rising from the rushes while the Ruddy retained their cool demeanor around the margins.

A young male Southern kept me busy in the shade, typically unpredictable in his youth and frequently too close to capture but tenacity and perseverance resulted in a frame-filling close encounter.

When the temperature started to fall activity slowed and Common Darters took position atop tall stems. It was time for us too to head home to roost until next time.

Monday 29th August

Bank Holiday weekends mean the New Forest and East Dorset honeypots are best avoided and we always try to travel in the opposite direction. Our needs were peace, tranquility and a good chance of enjoying some dragonfly photography, so once again Bramshill won the toss.

There was a definite chill in the air and some of the leaves were already turning to bronze as we walked to the ponds. The same Brown Hawker from last week was patrolling along with a couple of male Migrant and the usual cast of Common, Ruddy, Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed.

When a female Migrant appeared she was pursued by both patrolling males but she wasn’t interested in anything else but dropping her cargo of already-fertilised eggs. Then somewhat surprisingly she disappeared deep into the thicket. I watched as she circled the boughs within the shadows before perching out of sight and reach behind one of the trunks.

Sue alerted me to a mating pair of Ruddy Darters perched low along the mossy fringes; typically jumpy but thankfully settling just long enough to capture.

Over in a shaded corner a Migrant gave me some excellent sport and alternative photography methods. I used to only concentrate on well-lit and open-flying in-flight subjects yet dark & shady aspects can present some interesting challenges and pleasing results.

While this chap stayed within the close confines of his shaded corner another male was patrolling a small area around and over a small patch of reeds and occasionally would fly out across the moss before returning. This was the aspect and background I hankered after so I waited patiently for the opportunity.

Along the edges of the moss a male Ruddy Darter perched low upon a grass stem against a colourful background of late summer wild flowers, frequently rising and repositioning while I searched for the most pleasing aspect.

At Long Lake the frequent burst of late summer warmth brought out armies of damselflies skimming the surface with opportunistic fish attacking from underneath. A couple of Migrant and a tatty male Brown patrolled the bulrushes while a female released her burden in the depths of emerging plants.

One of the extraordinary behaviours of the Migrant is their unusual way of perching. Unlike most hawkers they don’t adhere to the hanging method; suspending themselves head up and tail down from a suitable perch. Quite often they will perch horizontally or even face down on the bent sections of bulrush.

Along the mossy fringes a couple of male Ruddy offered contrasts to the Common Blue and Emerald taking refuge and the sight of a late and battle-scarred Four-spotted Chaser brought a smile to my face. Well done sir – what a trooper!

A Southern Hawker briefly appeared to hassle the Migrant before disappearing into the woods so I persevered with the latter, watching and waiting until he came close enough to warrant raising the camera.

Besides, and maybe due to,  the morning chills there a definite signs of the waning season, so when the sun shines enough to raise the temperature I’ll spend September at those places where the hawkers provide both the spectacle and the sport.

Tuesday 23rd August

Another two days of glorious sunshine which certainly produced the goods. With temperatures expecting to reach 30°C+ and reasonably light winds the conditions were perfect for some pond action; at least until mid-afternoon.

Wednesday I had a field trip scheduled so on Tuesday I selfishly indulged while scouting Bramshill for the best action and variety. Arriving shortly after 10.00am it was already sweltering which meant that all warm-ups were completed and the ponds were in full swing.

Each pond in the clearing has its own personality. The middle pond offered the best spectacle with plenty of Common Blue acroos the water and around the margins.

Common Emerald some Azure and a few Blue-tailed shared the space along with several tandem pairs of Common Darter and a few Ruddy adding variety. However this is hawker season and I spent some time just watching the show.

Two or three Migrant Hawkers were weaving in and out the bulrushes, frequently flying through the shaded half which didn’t offer the best in-flight opportunities. A male Brown put on a spectacular show gliding along an almost predictable figure of eight path high above the surface, offering a great chance for some panning practice, but just a pleasure to watch.

Along the gorse hedge a male Southern wove back & forth above the scrub for a while before crossing the causeway to mirror his pattern, avoiding the water and circling yours truly.

Here was my subject. Brilliantly dapper in his youthful vibrancy contrasting nicely with the subdued tones of the dry scrub. What more could you possibly want? Well, an opportunity for a face-to-face shot will do nicely.

At the far pond another male Brown Hawker was holding court along with a Migrant among the procession of Common Darters and more Ruddy, however the Common Emerald was the dominant damsel here.

The rising heat didn’t warrant walking too far so a brief stroll along hawker alley returning along the shore of Long Lake offered some diversity with both Red-eyed species present but the stiff breeze and humid heat kept the hawker action down. However in the sheltered micro-climate of the bulrushes a male offered a pleasing opportunity.

Returning to the ponds the earlier action over the open pools had all but seized so I decided to finish the day back with the Ruddy Darters at the pond offering some shade. The hottest part of the day resulting in the pleasing ‘obelisk’ position as he attempted to cool down.

With most of the dragonflies having gone to cool down I too called it day. Cracking day though, showing Bramshill at it’s best 🙂

Monday 15th August

There is no doubt in my mind that the Moorland (Common to you nationalists) Hawker is right at the top of my hawker list. Why? Well, here in Hampshire ,despite we are a tad blessed with the New Forest, it defies it’s British name.

Thankfully there are a few strongholds where it thrives. The hills of Wales and Scotland, the moors of North Lincolnshire and, my personal favourite due to being in reach, Priddy Mineries in Somerset.

Ironically I’d had my first sightings here in the New Forest with three males and two females over the course of two days which would no doubt satisfy most observers, but there was no way I would forego a trip to Priddy – especially with our second summer.

Arriving just after 11.00am the hawkers were already patrolling the northern shore and I stopped a while to get some practice with a couple of Moorland and a Brown patrolling the north-eastern corner.

The pool at the entrance had just the one over the reeds some distance from shore; it’s a little later in the season when they’re brave enough to parade in front of picnickers and dog walkers.

A lone Emperor was patrolling half way along the causeway while a very mature Four-spotted Chaser occasionally lifted from his chosen perch. There were more Moorlands and even a Brown at the already occupied fishing stands however my favourite spot is the boggy north-western watershed.

Beyond the shore a Brown Hawker tussled for territory with an Emperor while a couple of Moorland explored the edges for secretive ovipositing females of which I noticed two during my stay. Occasionally a male would shoot out to pick a fight with the Emperor, seemingly just for the fun of it.

Unlike other hawkers the Moorland rarely maintains a constant patrol for long, frequently choosing to fly some distance uphill, a journey you can follow easily as he flies towards the sun.

When they do come in they more or less follow the same path low down and close to shore investigating every nook & cranny. These are the moments I wait for; predicting his path and waiting until he’s close enough to enable  maximum detail, although sometimes he can get a little too close.

A such a fine day there were more photographers present than I’ve seen before. Across the pond I could see the familiar blue-shirted figure of Mike Dimery mirroring my rooted stance and intense concentration at his favourite corner.

Mike joined me for a chat and Jerry popped in after a day at the levels with an Osprey, wishing he’d brought the ‘other’ lens.

I should also give a shout out to Nigel Kendall who I completely failed to recognise despite having shown him the Scarce Blue-tailed some years back. My apologies Nigel, your quiet demeanor and my selective memory for faces no doubt to blame.

So a fine day with fabulous weather and more than enough to keep me amused, and some friendly faces for a little sociability.

At least when I took my mind of those hawkers…..

 

 

Friday 12th August

Friday was one of those days that took a long time to get going in more ways than one. An early commitment delayed my start by an hour, and the subsequent journey was hampered by holiday traffic, so it was 11.00am by the time I arrived at Town Common.

Too late for hawker alley on a day like this. They’d all be off feeding. Not one hawker the whole length of the old railway either; nor the returning back track. Where the hell were they all? Not over water as the only patrollers were an Emperor and a bevy of Black Darters, Common Darters, Common Emeralds and a few Azure.

After a check of the clearing, the hidden pond and Hill Pond at Ramsdown I was starting to feel a little disheartened. Only a Black Darter gave me something to engage with.

Back at the clearing there were a couple of Brown Hawkers feeding along the tree line and a Migrant holed up in the gorse.

I headed towards the small heath pond and spotted a couple of male Moorland Hawkers hunting the area, occasionally coming to blows and, more importantly, checking out the pond from high.

Finally one came in and proceeded to put on a low-level show around this almost-dry waterhole. Just the ticket for this fellow, and just what I’d been waiting for all day.

That’ll do 🙂

Sunday 15th August

On Sunday Sue & I took a drive to Cadnam Common to see how things were going and at first glance the pond didn’t look too promising.

Water levels were down and  filthy, with a deep scum of what I can only describe as silage ruining the usually clear surface. Only a few Common Darters were present along with a few Common Emerald and Small Red. Just as I was about to turn heal in came a reason to stay.

Flying high above the pond and occasionally engaging with the resident Emperor was the unmistakeable sight of a Moorland.

This is usually a rare treat for this pond, and most unusual considering there wasn’t a Southern laying claim. I however did find an immature Southern and Migrant in the gorse during one of the frequent cloudier moments.

When the sun returned so did our Moorland, until he spotted a female we had completely failed to notice. His first two attempts failed but third time lucky and that was my subject gone for half-an-hour.

Thankfully he returned after his conquest and I did my best to grab a sharp shot against the cryptic background of the surface, but it did make for an interesting bokeh.

Despite not managing to get the shot I really wanted I was more than happy they were present here again this season. That’s three males and two females seen within as many days in the New Forest.

Now that’s something to celebrate!

 

Tuesday 9th August

Is it really four weeks since I took a trip to Bramshill? Besides the time factor it seemed to be the ideal choice for the best of the sunshine; for the morning at least.

The first hawker I encountered was a Brown; perched among the gorse until I came into view and then he was off across the trees as usual. I saw two more disappear along hawker alley, which was now alive with Common Darters, a role previously held by the Black-tailed Skimmers, rising before you to return to the gravel track or into the treeline.

It had been a cold morning, and the sun took a while to warm things up. Across the water were the usual Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed damselflies; the latter beginning to look a little tired. Nothing larger at this hour.

I decided to burn some calories checking out the rides and other ponds but didn’t raise any more hawkers until I reached the triangle where a male Southern rose and an Emperor was feeding low along the gorse hedge. A couple more rose from the undergrowth as my boots drew near.

Returning to Long Lake I took a paddle along the shore noticing the water levels had receded significantly from the treeline, but the remaining mosses provided the perfect background for a late Four-spotted Chaser.

Likewise a Keeled Skimmer.

The vibrant green moss was also perfect for showing off a pair of Blue-tailed.

The next welcome surprise was a female Southern Hawker, disturbed from her perch and providing a brief overhead display before frustratingly choosing to perch high in the trees. Shortly after I spotted my first male of the day rise from the gorse and tentatively approach before deciding to put some distance between us.

Even the ponds failed to show an Emperor or indeed anything large today,; the largest candidate being a male Broad-bodied Chaser looking a tad lonely.

Plenty of damsel action among the reeds and rushes though, and Common Darters were either holding territory or leading their mates in tandem to oviposit, but my focus here was the Ruddy which I’ve always found rather tricky to show at their best.

On the way out I had another look for that female Southern to no avail, but I did disturb a male who flew down the track and landed perfectly for just a second. Unfortunately I was miles away so here’s a poor, highly-cropped record shot 😉

Near the gate there was another male hunting in among the ferns, deep in shadow and impossible to capture. I watched for twenty minutes and ran out of energy well before he did 🙂

Saturday 6th August

The recent tech experience had killed my motivation to get out and enjoy myself doing exactly what I should be doing. The problem was where to begin? I needed a day to recharge the batteries, with enough interest and opportunity to keep me busy.

After much discussion on Friday evening we decided to take a trip and having failed to find them a couple of weeks ago we decided to have another go at finding some Willow Emeralds.

Sunday 24th July

Almost up to date! Here’s a round up of our morning in the Kent Marshes.

Sunny spells with light winds, what could be the problem? Well, the problem was those light winds. At around 12-15 mph they were well within the boundaries for dragonflies, but I’d forgotten how the flat, unsheltered Kent marshes amplify the slightest of gusts.

And they were relentless! After a precarious and long journey around the M25 I was eager to get started, but there was still the most uncomfortable part of the journey to complete. That long, rutted track. I’m pretty sure all the aches & pains I’m suffering two days later is a result of being thrown around so violently at 3 miles per hour.

It’s two years since we’ve made the pilgrimage for the rare Emerald species, the Southern and Scarce, which are usually found locally in this environment. Alas despite careful fingertip searching we didn’t locate the Southern today, but were at least rewarded with a few Scarce.

Perhaps our best encounter arrived first thing with a tandem pair who thankfully alighted along the ditch margin and after a few hops decided upon a comfortable perch.

All I needed to do was remain calm and retain stealth while negotiating the steep bank and tricky angle to show them as best I could. Thinking about it, twisting the body in such ways probably contributed to the aches as much as that track did.

I caught up with Sue at the previously key area, but that little clump of scrub, so productive in 2014, was long gone. Obviously dug up or plowed over and a great loss in my opinion as this is where the Southern Emerald was previously found.. Our only options then were the ditches.

Unsurprisingly the most noticeable species here today were Ruddy Darter, several tenerals and a good showing of adults which proved hard to pin down. Maybe if it hadn’t have been for the wind they’d have chosen a few more open areas but on this occasion every time you thought they’d perched delightfully your view was obscured by waving grasses.

However prolific Ruddy are at this location they weren’t the main focus of our visit, so I carried on scouring the ditch desperately trying to stay out of the breeze.

I did another circuit and chanced upon a pleasingly perched female, albeit bouncing around in the breeze. The challenge was finding a gap in the grasses which would continuously blow across my subject.

That’ll do nicely! Two hours of ditch-digging was enough for this visit. We took a short stroll along the main path enjoying the flight show so generously put on by the Ruddy before heading further east in search of the Willow, but that’s another story.

 

Sunday 17th July

Still catching up after the downtime.

At last a change for the better weather-wise, although the warm blanket of cloud doesn’t make for decent slumber. By 4.00am I’d probably had all the sleep I was going to get, so getting the morning routine out of the way I was on the road by 6.30am.

I started at Ramsdown, hoping to find an early hawker but the gorse was empty. The Silver-studded Blues were already awake and foraging around the heather. So to were a few Black Darter and Common Emerald.

These proved to be the main feature of the morning, so I trundled across to Town Common where I could enjoy them at my leisure in more agreeable surroundings. Here to the gorse along hawker alley (most sites have one) was also lacking any form of hawker decoration. I did wonder whether it was a tad early.

I walked the length of the old railway, turning onto the heath just before the end of the reserve and following the track around checking every gorse stand and clearance.

The paths had receded from the deep puddles of a fortnight ago and some of the shallow ponds were already showing signs of drying out. Still plenty of Black Darters, Emeralds and Small Reds to amuse myself with.

There’s something magical about the heath in mid July. The fresh pink & purple blooms providing nectar for those Silver-studded who flutter fairy-like around your feet while glistening tenerals bounce along the heather tops. I sensibly put my bag down and switched to macro to make the best of this paradise.

The tenerals had a preference for one heather type, which interestingly meant they all headed towards a certain bush. Thankfully a few of them perched high enough to allow some isolation.

I spent a good long while here, enjoying the freedom of just taking photos.

The ability to take a lot more time indulging has been a feature of this season. The thrill of the chase is immensely satisfying, but just hanging around and drinking it all in is what summer should be about.

I’ve also deliberately neglected to join the race this season. It’s not about being first. Best wait until the moments arrive. Those Southern, Moorland and Migrant Hawkers can all wait a while longer. Plenty of time yet.

Speaking of hawkers, I couldn’t resist a look down hawker alley on the way out. You know, just in case. I wasn’t expecting a male Brown Hawker. He wasn’t expecting me either, having most of his beady eye hidden behind a gorse seed casing.

I grabbed that shot through a small hole in the gorse, and as soon as I moved to obtain a better shot, the game was up, and so was he. A moment to round off a day of splendid moments among the heather.