The ongoing heatwave has produced several new dragonfly species and today at Bouldnor Forest,Yarmouth I saw my first Common Darter of the year. The individuals pictured are the two immatures observed fluttering away from the pond margins.Also recorded were at least four Emperor ,all males together with four male Broad-bodied Chasers and a Hairy Dreagonfly.Along a nearby woodland track was a female Beautiful Demoiselle.
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| Stock Photo |
The Four-spotted Chaser has never been a common sight on the Isle of Wight. Perhaps the only well known site for this species is Brading Marsh. However for the last two or threee years I have recorded this chaser at Bouldnor Forest ponds. Yet again a male was observed at the ponds yesterday having hold its own against several male Broad-bodied Chasers and a male Emperor Dragonfly.
A first of the season record was this female Emerald Damselfly,a regular at this site and at this time. Apart from the usual damselflies there was also a female Beautiful Demoiselle and a small number of teneral Common Darters.
A walk along the wooded banks of Shalfleet Stream yesterday eventually produced a first of the year Beautiful Demoiselle. In fact four individuals were recorded,two male and two female.
Following a cloudy start to the day the sun appeared around noon and I enjoyed a pleasant walk along the wooded banks of Shalfleet Stream. At a favoured spot there were at least six immature Beautiful Demoiselles to be seen.The first of the year and in all close to twelve individuals were recorded in this short stretch stream today.
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| Immature male |
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| Immature female |
Yesterday's walk along a short stretch of Shalfleet Stream produced good numbers of Beautiful Demoiselles. However the main species of interest was the impressive Golden-ringed Dragonfly that with luck are seen here. Good fortune was with me as I soon came upon an individual flying ahead of me along the path between the wooded stream and a field boundary. The female took time to land at various points but eventually made off toward the stream.
It was a retracing of steps today with another visit to Bouldnor Forest ponds. The main attraction yet again, were the Broad-bodied Chasers with six adult males, two females, and another two ovipositing females. Large Red and Azure Damselflies completed the count.
At Brighstone Mill stream the first mature adult male Beautuiful Demoiselle was 'dancing' over the stream with just one female seen away from the water. However a female Banded was also noted at the water's edge.
A return visit this afternoon to Brighstone Mill stream discovered my first sight of a Banded Demoiselle this year. This immature female was the only Banded to be seen, together with just three Beautiful Demoiselles.
Earlier in the day the ponds at Bouldnor Forest produced several Broad-bodied Chasers and a blue form Common Blue Damselfly. With the exception of a few Large Red Damselflies no other species were recorded.
The mill stream at Brighstone is well known for its Banded Demoiselles. A first visit of the year today produced several immature demoiselles, all encountered in a sheltered sunny spot slightly away from the stream. However to my surprise they all seemed to be Beautiful Demoiselles although in the past, I have seen the odd individual of this species with the resident Banded at this location.
A midday walk along a short stretch of Shalfleet Stream today was greeted with dark clouds and a shower of rain. However this proved to be fortunate as I soon came upon my first Beautiful Demoiselle of the year. This immature male was taking shelter very low down on a leaf and was not intending to move until the sun came out again. This individual was the only demoiselle to be seen and I count myself lucky to have come across him.
Both demoiselle species are found on the Isle of Wight. The Banded Demoiselle can be abundant along our slow flowing watercourses and the adult male is striking with its iridescent black band across the wings. The adult female can be separated from the Beautiful Demoiselle by displaying pale green wings rather than the brown of the latter species.
Like the Banded, the immature male and female Beautiful Demoiselle have brown eyes and wings. When mature the male develops dark eyes and dark brown-black wings and the female has dark brown wings.
It is always a treat to witness the sight of several mature males sparring in flight over a sunlit section of stream to maintain their territories and impress the females. They particularly like farmland and woodland streams on the Island including well-shaded watercourses. Females can lay many eggs at a time and like to deposit them in emergent or floating plants.
This year coronavirus has dominated all our lives.The result of the pandemic regarding odonata for me has been to restrict my boundaries solely to the Isle of Wight.Any opportunity to seek the more exotic species abroad were dashed and even trips to mainland Britain were abandoned.
The season began on the 12th April with Large Red Damselflies emerging in the garden and an immature male Broad-bodied Chaser flew in on the 23rd of the month.In the middle of May there were good numbers of Beautiful Demoiselle at Shalfleet Stream.May is also the time that I turn my attention to Bouldnor Forest at Yarmouth for hopefully the first signs of the Southern Emerald Damselflies,Lestes barbrus. It was on the 25th when an immature female was seen and that was followed by sightings of several individuals well into June.However I must say that numbers were very small and after the last record on the 20th of the month no more were seen until a lone mature female on the 20th August.
The highlight of the season occurred at the end of July when,also at Bouldnor,a male Southern Migrant Hawker,Aeshna affinis, was spotted patrolling one of the almost dried up ponds.The following day the 31st July,it was again present and stayed in this location until the 11th August.Five days earlier on the 6th I noted two males vying over this now dry pond.
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| Immature male Broad-bodied Chaser |
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| Female Beautiful Demoiselle |
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| Immature female Lestes barbarus |
