UK Dragonflies and Damselflies 2024 (1 Viewer)

[Swindon Addick]

Thread for any UK odonata news and discussion, whether your own sightings or other news you've picked up. Questions, comments, etc all welcome.

A Beautiful Demoiselle was reported from Dorset on 20 March which is the first report I've seen.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770467437772726535

 

[aeshna5]

A dragonfly was seen on Feb 15th coming off the sea at St. Leonard's-on-Sea. Not positively identified, but thought to be Vagrant Emperor. A few were seen off the Mediterranean coast of France a couple of days later. From the Migrant Dragonflies FB group.

 

[pdwinter]

Common Blue Damselfly, 21.03.24, Hackney Marshes on irecord Record of Enallagma cyathigerum.
I'm not in any of the UK facebook groups but expect there have been a few Large Red Damselflies by now.

 

[pdwinter]

Large Red Damselfly, 24.03.24, Paignton (Devon) in iRecord Record of Pyrrhosoma nymphula

 

[pdwinter]

Hairy Dragonfly, Sussex, 10/04 from iNaturalist Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense)

and from iRecord

Banded Demoiselle, Leybourne Lakes(Kent), 11/04

Blue-tailed Damselfly, Marazion Marsh(Cornwall), 12/04

 

[pdwinter]

Azure Damselfly, 13/04/24, Hertfordshire Record of Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

I did look for dragonflies yesterday but could find only Large Red Damselflies.

 

[cafe birder]

Variable damselfly, Westhay reserve Somerset today

 

[aeshna5]

Not UK, but a mature male Red-veined Darter was photographed near Haarlem, Netherlands a couple of days ago. One of the earliest records from north-west Europe.

 

[pdwinter]

Two more first dates that I could find by looking in iRecord and iNaturalist are

Variable Damselfly, 12/04, Westbere Lakes (Kent)
Broad-bodied Chaser, 14/04, Dartford (Kent)

 

[Owene]

A lot of damsels today at ham wall mixture of bluetail and variable and possibly other blue ones, didn't notice any reds but a lot of teneral ones. Saw maybea half dozen dragons which didn't settle but seemed Hairy at a glance

.

 

[earthdragon64]

Saw my first Large Red Damselflies of the year today, near Boat of Garten.

 

[WalterRayle]

Blue-tailed and Azure Damselflies on the wing with Beautiful Demoiselle on the Hants coast yesterday 10/05.

 

[aeshna5]

Had 9 Hairy Dragonfly at the London Wetland Centre yesterday with small numbers of Azure & a couple of Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Have seen a few Large Reds in recent days at various places as well as several Common Blue Damsels today too.

 

[Farnboro John]

Downy Emerald over the back garden yesterday and Banded Demoiselle on the River Blackwater at Moor Green Lakes NR last weekend.

John

 

[pdwinter]

There have been quite a few species on the wing now (all these from iRecord if not otherwise mentioned)

15.02 probable Vagrant Emperor -- St Leonards-on-Sea (East Sussex) (fb Migrant Dragonflies)
20.03 Beautiful Demoiselle -- Christchurch (Dorset)
21.03 Common Blue Damselfly -- Hackney Marshes
24.03 Large Red Damselfly -- Paignton (Devon)
10.04 Hairy Dragonfly -- Sussex (iNaturalist)
11.04 Banded Demoiselle -- Leybourne Lakes(Kent)
12.04 Blue-tailed Damselfly -- Marazion Marsh (Cornwall)
12.04 Variable Damselfly -- Westbere Lakes (Kent)
12.04 Downy Emerald -- Sandpool Reserve (Wilshire)
13.04 Azure Damselfly -- Hertfordshire
14.04 Broad-bodied Chaser -- Dartford (Kent)
24.04 Four-spotted Chaser -- Shropshire
29.04 Red-eyed Damselfly -- Somerset / Hampshire
01.05 White-faced Darter -- West Ross / Denbighshire
04.05 Emperor Dragonfly -- Steart Marshes (Somerset)
05.05 Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly -- Falmouth (Cornwall)
05.05 Common Club-tail -- Sonning (Berkshire)
08.05 Scarce Chaser -- Woodwalton Fen (Huntingdonshire)
09.05 Common Darter -- Red River Valley LNR (Cornwall)
09.05 Keeled Skimmer -- Red River Valley LNR (Cornwall)

I've only managed 11 species but until yesterday hasn't been to look at ponds.

 

[Swindon Addick]

A couple of freshly-emerged Four-spotted Chasers at Ravensroost yesterday morning. Several pairs of Large Red mating and a few male Common Blue patrolling the edges of the pond without success. Dozens of emerging damsels, most of the ones I got a decent look at were Common Blue but at least one Blue-tailed.

This morning I took my mother to Weston Turville reservoir and there were absolute clouds of Common Blue emerging. Hundreds of them. Walking past a reed bed and having large numbers of newly-hatched insects flying up and away as you pass never loses its magic.

 

[Swindon Addick]

My first evidence of breeding of the year, at Ravensroost yesterday.

 

[pdwinter]

Managed to add two more species today at Fishlake Meadows HIWWT (just north of Romsey, Hants) with Four-spotted Chaser and Southern Damselfly.

 

[Swindon Addick]

Lots about yesterday early evening. Azure, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed damsels among the Common Blues at Oxford motorway services, then Otmoor had vast numbers of Azure, a decent number of Hairy Dragonfly and an immature Broad-bodied Chaser. Also got a brief view of something darter sized that could have been a female Red-veined but no way to be sure.