UK dragonflies and damselflies, 2016 (1 Viewer)

Swindon Addick

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• Apr 2, 2016

• #1

Use this thread to report and discuss dragonfly & damselfly sightings in the UK. While we welcome news of unusual sightings (early, late, unusual location), this is also a place for "look what I saw in my garden!" or indeed anything else dragon-related.

The season is officially up and running, with a Large Red damselfly emerging yesterday from a well-photographed pond in east Kent. Check Marc Heath's blog for photos.

In order to whet your appetite, here's a summary from last year's thread of the first dates we heard of species that were seen in April (these aren't the official BDS first dates, which may be earlier in some cases):

5th Large Red Damsel
16th Azure Damsel
20th Banded Demoiselle
20th Hairy Dragonfly
21st Broad-bodied Chaser
21st Blue-tailed Damsel
24th Red-eyed Damsel
25th Variable Damsel
25th Four-spotted Chaser
27th Downy Emerald
27th Common Blue Damsel

Some of those were very early, and several were literally only seen once or twice before May, so no guarantees. But with Large Red being 4 days earlier this year and after a mild winter, fingers crossed for a good (and early?) season!

 

Swindon Addick

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• Apr 5, 2016

• #2

After the 1 April Large Red in Kent, Cornwall has got in on the act - David Cooper on the UK Dragonflies & Damselflies facebook group reports several Large Reds at Bissoe Valley Nature Reserve today. Currently only these 2 counties with any reports.

 

Swindon Addick

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• Apr 16, 2016

• #3

Not much news this week. Large Reds reported from Norfolk and Hampshire, but most of the country is still dragon-free. Perhaps a bit of a surprise given the mild winter, but it surely won't be long...

 

Swindon Addick

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• Apr 23, 2016

• #4

The first Variable Damselfly was seen on the 20th (as reported over on UK Dragonflies). That was at RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset. Interesting that Variable is earlier than last year, but none of the other early-season species have been seen yet.

Meanwhile, Large Red is being found ever further north. The BDS sightings page has Cheshire on the 17th and North Lincolnshire on the 19th, while their Twitter feed has Large Reds at 2 sites near Preston from the 20th. So those sat impatiently in the frozen north don't have long to wait!

An interesting sidenote was two Ischnura senegalensis emerging from a tropical fish tank in Hampshire. I doubt they'd survive in the UK even if they'd got into the wild, but it's a timely reminder of how easily invasive species can be brought in.

 

Larry Sweetland

Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'

• Apr 24, 2016

• #5

Swindon Addick said:

An interesting sidenote was two Ischnura senegalensis emerging from a tropical fish tank in Hampshire. I doubt they'd survive in the UK even if they'd got into the wild, but it's a timely reminder of how easily invasive species can be brought in.

Click to expand...

Wasn't there also an ID thread a couple of years back, where the conclusion was this species, for an adult photographed in a garden in Kent??

 

Swindon Addick

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• Apr 25, 2016

• #6

Larry Sweetland said:

Wasn't there also an ID thread a couple of years back, where the conclusion was this species, for an adult photographed in a garden in Kent??

Click to expand...

Yes, in the latter part of 2010. There have been a few reports since then, but always indoors.

Meanwhile, the UK got its third species of the year yesterday, when a teneral Broad-bodied Chaser was photographed at Portland Bird Observatory. Details are on the BDS twitter and facebook pages, and the Dorset Dragonflies facebook.

 

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• Apr 26, 2016

• #7

Swindon Addick said:

Yes, in the latter part of 2010. There have been a few reports since then, but always indoors.

Meanwhile, the UK got its third species of the year yesterday, when a teneral Broad-bodied Chaser was photographed at Portland Bird Observatory. Details are on the BDS twitter and facebook pages, and the Dorset Dragonflies facebook.

Click to expand...

Fourth I think, Jan-Paul Charteris nailed a teneral Hairy Dragonfly a couple of days ago.

I still haven't seen any and now its snowing....:eek!:

John

 

M

mdb2

Well-known member

• Apr 27, 2016

• #8

Farnboro John said:

Fourth I think, Jan-Paul Charteris nailed a teneral Hairy Dragonfly a couple of days ago.

I still haven't seen any and now its snowing....:eek!:

John

Click to expand...

Hi John and yes I am near you and it snowed here briefly, last week I ventured out 3 times to Decoy Heath not a sausage so they are at the moment later than last year!
Kind regards Mike

 

Swindon Addick

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• May 1, 2016

• #9

Farnboro John said:

Fourth I think, Jan-Paul Charteris nailed a teneral Hairy Dragonfly a couple of days ago.

Click to expand...

Or even sixth - a couple of species were reported on the BDS sightings page a bit after they were seen. I looked up Jan-Paul's flikr page and the Hairy Dragonfly photo is superb.

Nothing reported during the last week of April, other than snow and hail.

These are the species I've seen on either the BDS sightings page or twitter feed during April:

1/4 Large Red Damsel
20/4 Variable Damsel
20/4 Four-spotted Chaser
21/4 Blue-tailed Damsel
23/4 Hairy Dragonfly
24/4 Broad-bodied Chaser

I'm a bit surprised we haven't seen Azure damsel or Banded demoiselle yet, given that several of the above species were no later than they were last year, but we have to remember that most of these species have literally only been reported once or twice from the whole country - only Large Red is out in any significant number of places and even that's still rare.

When does summer start?

 

A

Adrian_P

Well-known member

• May 1, 2016

• #10

I can add the following reports I've come across:

27/4 Beautiful Demoiselle
30/4 Azure Damselfly

Mind you, I've still not seen anything myself!

 

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• May 4, 2016

• #11

Two-fifths of naff all at Thursley this afternoon - a few more days of spring weather required it seems. Some very disgruntled Hobbies sulking somewhere, but I haven't managed to see one of them this year either yet.

John

 

Swindon Addick

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• May 7, 2016

• #12

Judging from the BDS sightings page, things kicked off properly on 3 May with loads of sightings. Locations in Wiltshire and Lincolnshire reporting clouds of Large Reds, which may be something to do with delayed emergence leading to synchronisation? I've only ever seen a cloud of damsels with Common Blue at peak season - it's quite a sight.

On Thursday 5th a couple more species were added to the UK year list, taking us to 10 species on the wing:

5/5 Red-eyed Damselfly
5/5 Common Blue Damselfly

The BDS twitter and facebook pages both have a photo of a downy emerald from the Cologne area in Germany a couple of days ago. Time to start patrolling the local site.

Despite all this activity, I still haven't seen a thing. Will be doing some hunting tomorrow.

 

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• May 7, 2016

• #13

Even Large Reds remain scarce and I've seen two Four-spots: one drowned in a ditch and one just emerging.

However, the Hobbies at Thursley are catching something out over the heathland, and its not birds. Give it another day or two and things will be more normal.

John

 

A

aeshna5

Well-known member

• May 7, 2016

• #14

A couple of Hairy Dragonflies at Dungeness RSPB Reserve today + a couple of unidentified damsels flying away.

 

Swindon Addick

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• May 8, 2016

• #15

Finally I'm off the mark. A visit to Wilts Wildlife Trust's great reserve at Lower Moor Farm resulted in a teneral male Azure and a few immature Common Blues, one of which was just starting to develop some colour.

Nothing at all at my favourite site at Ravensroost Wood yet, but lots of tadpoles in the main pond, so the hawkers will be feeding well.

Meanwhile, the weekend has brought us up to 13 species reported, unless I'm missing any. Adrian_P has noted on the BDS facebook page that the first Downy Emerald for Suffolk was on 4 May. The Hertfordshire Dragonflies twitter account received a report of Banded Demoiselle totday, and over at the UK Dragonflies forum they have some lovely shots of an immature White-faced Darter.

So 13 on the wing of which I've seen precisely 2. I think I need to spend more time sat in the sunshine.

 

lewis20126

Well-known member

• May 8, 2016

• #16

A Broad-bodied Chaser in woodland east of Brockenhurst, New Forest today was my first of the year.

cheers, a

 

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• May 8, 2016

• #17

Hairy Dragonfly at Lakenheath Fen RSPB today - one seen and four + Hobbies - a disproportion that was problematical for dragons!

John

 

Swindon Addick

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• May 13, 2016

• #18

11 May - Excitement at Bardsey Obs as the first Red-veined Darter of the year is found (female).
12 May Paul Ritchie's twitter feed says Common Darter and Scarce Blue-tailed Damsel were seen in Cornwall during the day (no further details).

Meanwhile, the weather around here is turning cooler just in time for the weekend...

 

Swindon Addick

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• May 13, 2016

• #19

Common Club-tail was reported from the banks of the Severn today. The BDS re-tweeted a rather nice photo, just to make us all jealous...

 

H

Heathy

Well-known member

• May 15, 2016

• #20

The last few days in Kent has seen me photographing the whole emergence of Broad bodied Chaser and Hairy Dragonfly, photos @ www.marcheath.blogspot.com. Meanwhile a friend of mine had White legged Damselfly today at Pittswood, near Tonbridge.

Marc