UK Dragonflies and Damselflies 2023 (1 Viewer)

[wolfbirder]

Very unlikely to be Common Hawkers at Paxton. Despite its name it hasn't occurred in this part of the country for many years. Southern Hawker is a distinct possibility.
Tim

Thanks all, yes possibly Hairy Dragonflies.

 

[Timbirder3]

Hairy Dragonflies are certainly flying at Paxton. I saw a couple there this morning.
Tim

 

[Larry Sweetland]

2 more new ones for the year on patch today: Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Darter, taking patch yearlist to 17

 

[pdwinter]

2 more new ones for the year on patch today: Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Darter, taking patch yearlist to 17

Good early date for the Small Red-eyed

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Good early date for the Small Red-eyed

Yes, they've been getting progressively earlier here, and this is earliest so far

 

[pdwinter]

Yes, they've been getting progressively earlier here, and this is earliest so far

Global warming at work!

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Global warming at work!

Have they been noted elsewhere in the UK yet this year Paul?

 

[pdwinter]

Have they been noted elsewhere in the UK yet this year Paul?

I'm not in the 2 main facebook groups so I've only got iRecord and iNaturalist to look at. The iNaturalist ones (which all have photos) aren't Small Red-eyed and the five sightings in iRecord all come through from Birdtrack (and so don't have photos!) and perhaps only the one from North Somerset on 11th June is plausible.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

I'm not in the 2 main facebook groups so I've only got iRecord and iNaturalist to look at. The iNaturalist ones (which all have photos) aren't Small Red-eyed and the five sightings in iRecord all come through from Birdtrack (and so don't have photos!) and perhaps only the one from North Somerset on 11th June is plausible.

I'm sure of the ID though I didn't get a pic I'm afraid. It was a male, had red eyes and the right pattern of blue on the terminal abdominal segments and was dwarfed appreciably by interacting male Common Blues. We've got heaps of Red-eyed on site this year (more than ever) and I've been religiously checking them, but no Small Red-eyed until today.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

...and at least one male Small Red-eyed seen today at same site. Hugely outnumbered by Red-eyed today, but give it a month or so and, if things are like they were last year, SRED will be the most numerous damselfly at the site.

 

[wolfbirder]

Hairy Dragonflies are certainly flying at Paxton. I saw a couple there this morning.
Tim

Thanks Tim.

I’m a novice when it comes to dragonflies.

I wondered if 2 very red darters out on Hayling Lake might have been Red- veined Darters but I guess Common Darter at this time of year far more likely?

 

[pppppvvvv]

Southern Damselfly beside the river Test at Skidmore Bridge (SU3517, Hants) on 05.06.23.

That's a really good sighting.

Nearby, on Baddesley Common, a Keeled Skimmer, found by my small army of local dog walking scouts!

(Aeroplane field is the non-grazed field at the village end. There is a large pond installed between there and the village which may be getting mature now. I Last checked in ~2018)

 

[Timbirder3]

Hi Nick,
Red-veined Darter would be a major rarity at Paxton. Common Darter is very much more likely, though it is still quite early in the year for them.
Tim

 

[wolfbirder]

Hi Nick,
Red-veined Darter would be a major rarity at Paxton. Common Darter is very much more likely, though it is still quite early in the year for them.
Tim

Thanks Tim, yeah I thought they were a major rarity but they seem to be spreading possibly due to global warming. I saw 10 Red-Veined Darters at least, just two weeks ago in Cornwall along with 3 Vagrant Emperors. There have also been Red-Veined Darters reported in Lancs, Bucks, and Hertfordshire just this morning.

I thought Common Darter ‘much’ more likely but wondering if too early.

 

[Timbirder3]

Hi Nick,
I've only seen one Common Darter so far this year so yes it is early for them. I will have to check any darters I see more carefully than normal as there does seem to be an influx of Red-veined. Hoping one will turn up in Bedfordshire as it a species missing from my county list.
Tim

 

[neil78]

I'm not in the 2 main facebook groups so I've only got iRecord and iNaturalist to look at. The iNaturalist ones (which all have photos) aren't Small Red-eyed and the five sightings in iRecord all come through from Birdtrack (and so don't have photos!) and perhaps only the one from North Somerset on 11th June is plausible.

Small Red-eyeds were out at Hadleigh (south Essex) on Sunday 11th, along with at least 3 Southern Emeralds on Canvey Island - both very early.

 

[Owene]

Saw quite a few common darter today in Oxfordshire so definitely coming out

 

[neil78]

Another very early record, with at least one Willow Emerald photographed on Hadleigh Downs (south Essex) yesterday.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Ruddy Darter today was #18 for the year for my patch in Bristol. Small Red-eyes now out in good numbers and outnumbering Red-eyes.

 

[wolfbirder]

The BDS are running a guided walk targeting Azure Hawker and Northern Emerald at Kinlochewe on 17 June if anyone fancies that. No charge, but sign-up in advance is needed. I would imagine this will be walking to pretty much the spot several of us have recommended, but from the other direction.

Dragonfly guided walk- Kinlochewe, Highland - British Dragonfly Society

We are looking for some of our rarest dragonflies – the Azure Hawker and Northern Emerald close to the village. The walk will start at 12pm, meeting outside the village hall. This walk is free but donations are very welcome. Bring waterproofs, sturdy boots or wellies & midge repellent. Booking...

british-dragonflies.org.uk

This is probably a good moment to plug their events page, which has a mixture of BDS walks & talks, plus other organisations' events that feature dragonfly interest.

Events - British Dragonfly Society

Title image: Migrant Hawker by Gareth William Tonks

british-dragonflies.org.uk

Wish I had seen this......my fault!

I decided on Friday to drive up and overnighted near Glasgow and then yesterday morning drove to Beinn Eighe NR for about noon. I didn't see anyone else but took the much-publicised path back towards Kinlochewie (thanks to Larry and others for excellent directions), but I only saw a single Golden Ringed Dragonfly without wings! (see PHOTO). Has this been attacked to get wings in this condition, or is it just the end of its life cycle?

Also a few Common Hawkers, Highland Darter, possible Azure Hawker high up but restless, and a Emerald species also high up, with a distinctive club-tail shaped abdomen. Do Downy Emerald occur here or just Northern Emerald?

But any pools were dry, an effect of global warming, there was just a couple of ditches with any water in. One woman at my nearby hotel said they had had just 4 hours rain in a month! Ironically I think I had a months rain in 4 hours travelling back to the West Midlands yesterday .

I didn't bump into any birders or 'draggers' so wonder where this publicised walk took people to?

I did catch up with a Azure Hawker in flight a few metres from me at Glengarry NR, near Invergarry, I watched it circle low for around 20 seconds with the naked eye but it landed a few metres away out of view. When I tried to subtly move to a viewing position it flew up high into trees and was lost to view. So I failed to obtain that all-defining view.

But overall pretty poor return.