Late Summer Dragonflies at Bouldnor.

The ponds at Bouldnor produced several dragonfly sightings yesterday including three male Migrant Hawkers patrolling  the only two ponds with water. Lingering around the ponds were male Ruddy Darters and also this male Emerald Damselfly. Other species encountered were Common Darters and two male Southern Hawkers together with a female that soon disappeared into the reeds to oviposit.

Stock photo

Summer Dragonflies in the Garden.

Dragonfly sightings seem to have been somewhat meagre this season.Therefore I was pleased to see this male Migrant Hawker in my garden yesterday.The other species predominent at the moment is the Common Darter that has spread itself throughout the garden.At my pond all is quiet with a male Common Darter on station,whereas the once common Azure Damselfly is all but gone.

Dragons & Damsels.

Not surprisingly the rides of  Bouldnor Forest are packed with odonata at present. Today in the forest Common Darter were by far the most prolific although my main interest were the large dragonflies. The two species in evidence were the Migrant Hawker and the Southern Hawker, both seen hunting for prey in any wooded sunny spot.

However at the ponds other species were recorded, in particular the Common Emerald Damselfly and the Southern Emerald Damselfly. My encounter with these will be detailed in my next blog entry.

  

Another Migrant Hawker Drops In.

Dragonfly sightings around my garden pond have been meagre  this season, so I was very pleased to spot a Migrant Hawker today flying deliberately about the garden. This was not the first individual of this species to be seen however, as on the 24th July a male made a brief appearance in my front garden. Today's  female spent some time flying around with the occasional stop in the sunshine. It can be seen that the appendage is shorter than one would expect in this species. That is because it has been broken.

   

Our Island Resident Species-Dragonflies(5).

The last entry in our Island resident species list describes the final three species. The large and impressive Golden-ringed Dragonfly is frequently seen on the Isle of Wight, in woodland rides and fields when immature, and  along streams when mature. Territorial males will  patrol up and down  their breeding waterways while the female may be seen  prodding her long needle-like ovipositor into the bed of shallow water while hovering in flight to deposit her eggs.

The Emperor Dragonfly is perhaps our largest dragonfly, and the male Emperor is unmistakable  as he quarters  any large pond. The female is a visitor to ponds large and small in order to lay her eggs.

The Migrant Hawker is a late summer hawker and seen here into October. It is usual to see this species in woodland rides hawking for insects well into the evening.

 

Back at Bouldnor.

A further visit to  the Southern Emerald Damselfly site yersterday was rewarded with four males and a mating pair.All the sightings were at the smaller of the two breeding scrapes as no damselflies could be seen at the larger scrape.Weather conditions were again good with temperatures exceeding 20 celcius.

The only other species recorded were Common Darter,Ruddy Darter,and at the other ponds on the site Southern and Migrant Hawkers.

Landslip Ponds.

On the Islands' south west coast the cliffs are constantly on the move due to coastal erosion.The soft sandstone is weathered by wind,rain and sea to form scattered small ponds on these plateaus of landslip.These pools and ponds are a magnet for migrating dragonflies from the continent and there is always a chance to see a special arrival here.Today in warm sunshine several resident dragonflies were seen on and around these pools.Common Darters seemed to be the main species along with several Migrant Hawkers,although it was good to see that the Common Blue Damselfly is still here.Several males were seen patrolling a small pond together with females.I must say  it was the first time that I have witnessed the sight of a seemingly expired female floating on the water only to be plucked up by a male Common Blue and taken to the bank of the pond.There the male expected to mate but due to her condition it seemed to be a forlorn hope.

Late Season Visit to Bouldnor Ponds.

 At Bouldnor Forest ponds today the Common Darters were prominent with many males and egg laying pairs.Not surprising of course at this time of the season, although I was more than happy to see at least four male Emerald Damselflies vying for the best spot among some pondside reeds.The odd  male Southern and Migrant Hawkers were patrolling the ponds and rustling about in the bulrushes, several ovipositing female Migrant Hawkers.

  

Late Summer Hawkers.

A beautiful morning in Walters Copse at Newtown today as we enjoy a few days of sunny and warm weather.Southern Hawkers seemed to be in all the woodland rides although at least two Migrant Hawkers were spotted.The latter is a non-aggressive dragonfly and these two species tolerate one another when hunting for prey.
The male Southern is a colourful but somewhat gaudy dragonfly whereas the female is a wonderful apple-green and brown.The Migrant Hawker is slightly smaller than the Southern and definitely not as brightly coloured,the male showing mainly blue and brown. 

September Dragons.

Perhaps the species most likely to be encountered at this time of year are the Southern Hawker and the Migrant Hawker.Yesterday in  Walters Copse I came across this immature male Southern Hawker as it took time off hunting to rest up in the shade.

Not too far away at my local pond there was great activity among the male Migrant Hawkers as they busily patrolled over the reeds.The females were also to be seen ovipositing in the reeds around the pond.

Autumn Fliers.

Now that we are into autumn here,there are several dragonflies still to be encountered at our ponds and streams on the Isle of Wight.

Perhaps the most common is the Common Darter which is widespread and can be found in most habitats from sea cliffs to woods and all sizes of ponds.Another species is the Migrant Hawker.The males are often seen patrolling the marginal reeds in search of a female.

Hawking in my Back Yard.

The lack of hawkers in and around my  garden pond this year has been notable although I have witnessed a female Southern Hawker attempting to oviposit on a couple of occasions.Also I have seen a male of the same species investigate the pond.

However today I was fortunate enough to observe an immature male Migrant Hawker spend some time in the garden,the first Migrant I  have known to visit my site.Let us hope that things improve over the next month or two.

High Summer Dragons

At this time the variety of odonata is maybe at its peak,helped at last by the prolonged spell of hot summer weather.

At Walters Copse there are good numbers of adult Southern Hawkers hunting along the woodland rides and also Migrant Hawkers,Beautiful Demoiselles and numerous Darters.The following photos of a male Southern Hawker and a Ruddy Darter were just two of many.

Even back at my garden pond the male Common Darter is on now taking up station awaiting females and to date there have been numerous tenerals seen preparing to take their first flights from the pond.

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An Early Migrant Hawker

On the a visit to Bleak Down yesterday to see the Grayling  (see http://marmari2011.blogspot.co.uk/) I came across at least three Migrant Hawkers hunting along a narrow path leading to the Down.This small hawker will be seen until late autumn.

It is a common dragonfly on the Island and breeds on well vegetated lakes and ponds.

A Late Summer Hawker

The Migrant Hawker is our smallest hawker.Seen mainly from late July to November it likes to breed in sheltered ponds and lakes.Unlike some other hawkers it is generally non-aggressive towards other individuals and can sometimes be seen flying in groups.