UK Dragonflies and Damselflies 2023 (1 Viewer)

[pdwinter]

AFAIK 2023 kicks off with Large Red Damselfly in Cornwall on 27th March

Record of Large Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

irecord.org.uk

 

[Owene]

Had this teneral damsel and a large red at ham wall today. Not sure on species for this one

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

View attachment 1504446

Had this teneral damsel and a large red at ham wall today. Not sure on species for this one

Can only really be a Large Red I suspect.

 

[pdwinter]

There have been a few Vagrant Emperors in the southwest of England (Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset) from 9th April. Not heard of one reaching Hampshire yet.

 

[pdwinter]

Banded Demoiselle in London on 16.04

Record of Calopteryx splendens

irecord.org.uk

 

[pdwinter]

View attachment 1504446

Had this teneral damsel and a large red at ham wall today. Not sure on species for this one

A female Coenagrion species - you can see (what will be) the blue markings on the abdomen. The shape/pattern of the pronotum looks like it could be Variable rather than Azure but I'm not 100% sure from that image.

 

[pdwinter]

Saw my first Large Red Damselfly of the year near the River Test in Nursling (Hants) yesterday(19.04.23). Joint third earliest date in 19 years of record keeping.

 

[Owene]

A female Coenagrion species - you can see (what will be) the blue markings on the abdomen. The shape/pattern of the pronotum looks like it could be Variable rather than Azure but I'm not 100% sure from that image.

The ObsIdentify human assessor said variable. That’s a phone photo. The camera ones seem to bear it out

 

[pdwinter]

A female Coenagrion species - you can see (what will be) the blue markings on the abdomen. The shape/pattern of the pronotum looks like it could be Variable rather than Azure but I'm not 100% sure from that image.

The ObsIdentify human assessor said variable. That’s a phone photo. The camera ones seem to bear it out

I had a look in Observado (as that's where I put all my records from outside the UK ) and the insect in the image you posted here (but a better camera image) has been assessed as 'plausible' (which equates to what I said -but less wordy!) Variable Bluet - Coenagrion pulchellum

The other photo you submitted to Observation.org, which is of a different individual - Variable Bluet - Coenagrion pulchellum - was accepted. On that individual you can see a bar between the post-ocular spots and a pinched antehumeral stripe, a combination of features which would be extremely rare in Azure.

 

[Owene]

I had a look in Observado (as that's where I put all my records from outside the UK ) and the insect in the image you posted here (but a better camera image) has been assessed as 'plausible' (which equates to what I said -but less wordy!) Variable Bluet - Coenagrion pulchellum

The other photo you submitted to Observation.org, which is of a different individual - Variable Bluet - Coenagrion pulchellum - was accepted. On that individual you can see a bar between the post-ocular spots and a pinched antehumeral stripe, a combination of features which would be extremely rare in Azure.

Sorry yes, forgot I photographed more than one individual as they were within meters of each other and both looked equally fresh and I didn't submit the camera photos until the evening after a lot more birding. Probably at least one variable for the day then. Thanks for looking into it, I love seeing dragons and damsels and i have started poring over Dijkstra over adult photos but teneral ones are beyond me.

 

[pdwinter]

Sorry yes, forgot I photographed more than one individual as they were within meters of each other and both looked equally fresh and I didn't submit the camera photos until the evening after a lot more birding. Probably at least one variable for the day then. Thanks for looking into it, I love seeing dragons and damsels and i have started poring over Dijkstra over adult photos but teneral ones are beyond me.

Everyone struggles with tenerals! As good as books like Dijkstra are there is only so much space for drawings and there is a lot of variability in mature adults let alone the immature ones as they change each day.

Anyway, an excellent early record.

Paul

 

[cafe birder]

Beautiful Demoiselle and Large Red damselfly at a rewilding site called Watercress farm near Wraxall yesterday

 

[pdwinter]

I've probably missed a few but I think these are the first dates - some posted here and others found in iRecord / Birdguides / Facebook.

27.03 Large Red Damselfly - Cornwall
09.04 Vagrant Emperor - North Somerset
15.04 Variable Damselfly - North Somerset
16.04 Banded Demoiselle - London
20.04 Beautiful Demoiselle - North Somerset
23.04 Common Blue Damselfly - Dorset
23.04 Blue-tailed Damselfly - North Somerset
23.04 Four-spotted Chaser - Dorset (no pic)

I have seen only 2 Large Reds!

 

[Swindon Addick]

22.04 Hairy Dragonfly - East Sussex (according to a tweet from Adrian Parr that I've just seen)

 

[pdwinter]

25.04 Broad-bodied Chaser in South Wales

https://twitter.com/x/status/1650940610323292170

 

[pdwinter]

Had my first Azure Damselfly yesterday (28.04) in Nursling Old Gravel Pit (Hants)

 

[pdwinter]

From iRecord

01.05 Downy Emerald in South Wiltshire
01.05 Broad-bodied Chaser in Cornwall

 

[Swindon Addick]

Hairy Dragonfly now out in their recently-established population at the northern edge of Wiltshire.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653777331524173825

 

[honeym]

Blue-tailed damselfly today (4.v.2023) at the London Wetland Centre, Barnes, Surrey.

 

[Swindon Addick]

4 May - Common Clubtail in southern Oxfordshire.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654102764463480834