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Scarlet Darter(s) - Dorset (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bismarck Honeyeater
- Start date
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
Bismarck Honeyeater
Barely known member
1 Higher Barn, Crossways, Dorchester DT2 8BT
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
But if I don't know the grid reference then something is better than nothing?A grid reference rather than an image might be more useful
James Lowther
Well-known member
Took me about 5 seconds to find the location in google maps based on the information in the first two posts….
Bismarck Honeyeater
Barely known member
I was torn between going for them today, or waiting for them to colonise and see them closer to home. (Having twitched the first Small Red-eyed Damselflies, Willow Emeralds and Southern Migrant Hawkers - the first two are in my garden now and the third I have seen not many miles away)
All moot, as when I checked my calendar I have things on at each end of the day from now till Sunday. Decision made for me.
All moot, as when I checked my calendar I have things on at each end of the day from now till Sunday. Decision made for me.
pdwinter
Paul Winter
AFAIK there have previously been single male insects only, only 13 from 1995 to 2023, and between 2005 and 2015 none appeared / were found. They have established themselves in northern europe in the last 40 years by range expansion so it makes me wonder if they are less keen on flights across water than some of the other species.
This reluctance to cross water...not only have we in Ireland not even had records of vagrants of the species listed by Bismark Honeyeater, or of Scarlet Darter, but there's maybe 1-2 records of Southern Hawker, 1 record of Broad-bodied Chaser (and not a modern one, either), Golden-ringed Dragonfly only very recently seems to be establishing a tiny foothold in the southeast, and I've not heard of any Red-veined Darters or Lesser Emperors this year. That said, in this poor summer, that's not that surprising. I've seen maybe 3 Emperors (now a common species in Ireland) all year.
pdwinter
Paul Winter
I think there have been very few red-veined Darters reported this year.
The three species mention by BH all established themselves in the south-east of england and the two damselflies have been spreading west and north but probably haven't reached anywhere near the population densities on the west side of Wales and England where they'll cross to Ireland. Willow Emeralds only got to Hampshire 3 years ago.
Attachments
Back around 2000 or so, there was a big national dragonfly survey, and, in a wise move, the people involved did a good job in mobilising birders and other interested parties. Due in a large part to this, and places where birders are likely to frequent, three species were added to the national list around that time, with Emperor, Migrant Hawker and Lesser Emperor. The former two colonised, and are common enough now, but Lesser Emperor isn't reported annually. Since that time, I can only think of one new species of dragonfly or damselfly recorded in Ireland, namely Golden-ringed Dragonfly, which seems to have colonised a small area of the south-east. Whether it's due to many birders, me included, putting in less effort now, or a genuine lack of species with sufficient vagrancy potential, I still find this lack of new finds surprising compared to the far more dynamic situation in Britain, and I'd have expected something like Southern Hawker to have occurred several times by now. Plus there's an Icelandic record of Southern Migrant Hawker, yet we haven't had one yet!
Phil Andrews
It's only Rock and Roller but I like it
2 males reported present today.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Is it general public access?
James Lowther
Well-known member
Yes, car park is on opposite side of the access track
pdwinter
Paul Winter
I would expect Ireland to get fewer vagrant dragonflies because there's plenty of habitat to fly over and stop at before they reach you. Then if the % of people looking is the same as the population density (England 433 people per monad, Wales 150 and Ireland 73) you'll have fewer people looking (jamming into) fewer scarcities.
I did some orthoptera surveys in the New Forest to get up to date records for monads and came across some Long-winged Coneheads in a boggy area where there were Keeled Skimmers flying. Put the records into the system and no-one had every recorded dragonflies from that square. So even in an area like the NF that you think would be done to death for coverage there are unwatched spots.
Anyway, to keep this marginally on topic, pleased to hear there are two male seen today - hope someone finds a female with them.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Zonking Scarlet Darters at Silverlake today: even had two clashing with each other over the water at one point. Showed well on the ground and vegetation.
John
John
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Much adrenaline-fuelled argy-bargy at the twitch John? 😄
Farnboro John
Well-known member
No, only about ten people there, all very relaxed and co-operative with each other. It's definitely easier when the animal shows brilliantly straight away and everyone gets their photos in seconds, but going mid-week probably helps.
John
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