More Dragonflies at Bouldnor.

Last Saturday was bright with sunny spells and the dragonflies at the ponds in Bouldnor Forest  were active.The most prominent species of the day was the Emerald Damselfly,with several males to be seen.Among the others on show were a pair of  mating  Black-tailed Skimmers and Broad-bodied Chasers, with numerous emerging Common Darters, a couple of Blue-tailed Damselflies,a mature male Ruddy Darter, and Emperor Dragonflies.A first of the season sighting was this immature Southern Hawker.

 

Dragonflies & Darters.

No damselflies were seen today at Yarmouth,however the dragonflies were out and about with the Southern Hawker prominent. Several males were recorded around the forest ponds at Bouldnor together with many Common Darters and a few Ruddy Darters. The female Southern Hawker pictured below, was in some form of difficulty amongst the tall grass and reeds at the edge of the pond. I managed to extricate her from her dilemma and she happily rested on my hand for a few seconds before flying off.

Ruddy Darter male

Summer Dragonflies on the Wing.

 Three new species for 2022 were recorded today in Bouldnor Forest near to Yarmouth. A male Golden-ringed Dragonfly hunting along  the main track seen at the end of my visit and earlier two immature Southern Hawkers,one male and one female, doing the same in a forest ride. At the ponds, along with the common damselflies and darters was a mature male Ruddy Darter. Other species  included several Black-tailed Skimmers, Emperor Dragonflies, Common Darters, and Broad-bodied Chasers.

Our Island Resident Species-Dragonflies(2).

Of the five species of  Darter that breed in the UK, we have three of them here. Firstly the Red-veined Darter, a regular migrant every year to our Island shores and since 2014 or perhaps before, numerous individuals have been recorded at a site just inland from our south-western coastal cliffs. The location itself is a reservoir on farmland and it is  reasonable to think that they are breeding at the site.

The other two darter species are the Ruddy and the Common. Both  appear in June although, as in 2020 the first Ruddy Darter can be seen in May. They share the same habitat but the Ruddy is generally less numerous than the Common. The male Ruddy Darter has a waisted abdomen, blood-red in colour when mature, but male immatures are a yellow-ochre which is similar to that of the female.

The Common Darter is widespread and seen here in a wide variety of habitats. Not only close to water but in woodland rides, gardens, and field edges. Perhaps the best way to separate the Common from the Ruddy, especially in females and immatures, is to look at the legs. All black in the Ruddy and brown to black with a yellowish stripe in the Common.

       

One Southern Emerald and a Flood of Common Darters.

A search of both scrapes at Yarmouth today discovered one male Southern Emerald Damselfly.He was located at the larger scrape among the pond grasses.Other species seen were several Emperor Dragonflies and a bevy of Common Darters emeging from one of the other ponds on the site, together with some immature Ruddy Darters.

Southern Emerald Damselfly On the Wing at Yarmouth.

Today's visit to Bouldnor ponds at Yarmouth was spent wholly at the two scrapes where our colony of Southern Emerald Damselflies have bred for the last several seasons.Since my last visit  on the 20th May both scrapes have dried up with no visible signs of water.The larger seems to have dried completely although the reeds are still green and I am sure that there is moisture underneath. The second smaller scrape looks to be slightly deeper with plenty of dead and decaying matter so there must also be water below.

Immediately on arrival I disturbed a male Emperor Dragonfly and a male Four-spotted Chaser.The former only flew a short distance before finally flying away.Seeing no other species at the first small scrape I moved on the a second larger one,just a short distance away.Very pleased to see a single teneral Ruddy Darter among the reeds here.A first of the season.The only other species seen was a Blue-tailed Damselfly rufescens.

After an hour or more viewing the two scrapes I was finally rewarded with the sight of an immature female Southern Emerald fluttering away from the larger scrape into the surrounding gorse.

Summer Sunshine Brings a New Visitor to the Garden Pond.

After a period of overnight rain  and morning showers this afternoon gave way to blue sky and warm sunshine.As a way of celebration perhaps a male Ruddy Darter visited my garden pond and took up position on the ponds' lilly pads.This is the first time that this species has been recorded at the pond since its creation eight years ago.

No Southern Emeralds Today.

A strong easterly wind was evident today during a visit to Bouldnor Forest at Yarmouth.At the Southern Emerald ponds water is still to be seen although drying out is imminent barring any heavy rainfall.The only dragonfly to be recorded in numbers here was the Ruddy Darter, with several males now taking up position around the ponds.At the other ponds on the site Black-tailed Skimmers dominanted.

No Southern Emeralds on View at Yarmouth.

I must admit that I was disappointed at Yarmouth not to see any Southern Emerald Damselflies at their breeding ponds.Hopefully no cause for concern as yet.At the ponds today were many teneral Ruddy Darters and a lone Black-tailed Skimmer.

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.

Southern Hawkers & Southern Emeralds.

Following a cloudy start to the day the sun soon came out and by midday the temperature was a warm 25 degrees celsius.At Bouldnor Forest ponds several dragonfly species were on show.In particular the Southern Hawker along with Common and Ruddy Darters.Of course the main attraction was yet again the Southern Emerald Damselflies with seven males seen at the two breeding ponds together with a copulating pair.

On The Rise.

We are enjoying a prolonged spell of hot and dry weather now and dragonfly activity has increased.This morning a trip to a garden pond in the nearby village of Shalfleet resulted in no sign of the first Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

However there were other odonata to be seen including this male darter in what for me is a rare sight in the UK.The obelisk postion taken by dragonflies can be a way of keeping cool in hot conditions.The abdomen is raised so as to modify the surface area that is directly exposed to the heat of the sun and both males and females can regulate their body temperartures in this way.

Summer Dragonflies on the Wing.

In Bouldnor Forest today a first Southern Hawker hunting along the forest ride.At the ponds one mature Ruddy Darter and another maturing Ruddy Darter.While observing the Southern Emerald Damselflies a first Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa was spotted.