UK Dragonflies and Damselflies 2024 (1 Viewer)

[Southern Viking]

Are Black Darters declining generally in the south? Just got the new book on Sussex dragons and from looks of that it's near extinct in the counties?

 

[aeshna5]

Are Black Darters declining generally in the south? Just got the new book on Sussex dragons and from looks of that it's near extinct in the counties?

We lost a good colony of Black Darters on Wimbledon Common about 15 years ago. The only remaining ones in the London recording area are at Esher Common where I believe numbers are low.

I've never seen one on Chobham Common, Surrey where I see Keeled Skimmers & Small Red Damsels. They're still plentiful at Thursley though.

We seem to have lost Emerald Damselflies in Middx, but still present in Surrey.

 

[pdwinter]

Are Black Darters declining generally in the south? Just got the new book on Sussex dragons and from looks of that it's near extinct in the counties?

We lost a good colony of Black Darters on Wimbledon Common about 15 years ago. The only remaining ones in the London recording area are at Esher Common where I believe numbers are low.

I've never seen one on Chobham Common, Surrey where I see Keeled Skimmers & Small Red Damsels. They're still plentiful at Thursley though.

We seem to have lost Emerald Damselflies in Middx, but still present in Surrey.

Black Darter has been reported from only a small number of sites in VC11 (mainly Town Common/ Ramsdown in the Christchurch area, Dibden Bottom and the Ashley Hole craters in the New Forest) in recent years - going the way of Common Hawker in South Hampshire which had just one report in 2023.
Whether these are genuine losses or are a result of a lot of us observers getting old and making fewer visits to the New Forest (in particular to the sites which are a long way from car parking areas) I'm not certain!

 

[Muppit17]

Black Darter has been reported from only a small number of sites in VC11 (mainly Town Common/ Ramsdown in the Christchurch area, Dibden Bottom and the Ashley Hole craters in the New Forest) in recent years - going the way of Common Hawker in South Hampshire which had just one report in 2023.
Whether these are genuine losses or are a result of a lot of us observers getting old and making fewer visits to the New Forest (in particular to the sites which are a long way from car parking areas) I'm not certain!

I haven't seen them in the Forest for years. Just hanging on in VC12, two sites to my knowledge.

 

[Mildheart]

It was my understanding that Black Darter was generally in decline in the south, yes. Still plenty at Thursley which is where I generally go to see it. I have seen it at Boldermere in the past but not for a long time, though Boldermere has become overgrown and is not what it was as a dragonfly site generally.

 

[Xenospiza]

Black Darter is also disappearing from the heaths in the Netherlands, likewise following the example of Common Hawker.

 

[Allen]

Slightly off topic but can anyone advise on the best current UK ID guide? I'm due an upgrade as pretty sure the old one I have don't have the latest vagrants/colonists

 

[Owene]

Slightly off topic but can anyone advise on the best current UK ID guide? I'm due an upgrade as pretty sure the old one I have don't have the latest vagrants/colonists

There may be better ones with more detail on the British species but I find this really helpful for Id

 

[aeshna5]

Slightly off topic but can anyone advise on the best current UK ID guide? I'm due an upgrade as pretty sure the old one I have don't have the latest vagrants/colonists

I would say 2 options (both are excellent & IMO worth having both):

Field Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of GB & Ireland by Brooks & Cham (Lewington plates) & The Wild Guides Britain's Dragonflies by Smallshire & Swash. 4th Edition. More photo based but lots of great tables for ID. Also includes a few potential colonists which is a wise move.

 

[Allen]

Thanks both

 

[Larry Sweetland]

First Willow Emerald Damselfly for patch today (at last!) Duchess Pond, Bristol. Takes Duchess Pond Odonata list to 25spp

 

[Farnboro John]

I would say 2 options (both are excellent & IMO worth having both):

Field Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of GB & Ireland by Brooks & Cham (Lewington plates) & The Wild Guides Britain's Dragonflies by Smallshire & Swash. 4th Edition. More photo based but lots of great tables for ID. Also includes a few potential colonists which is a wise move.

Or the Dijkstra and Lewington European guide - all potential colonists covered that way!

John

 

[aeshna5]

Or the Dijkstra and Lewington European guide - all potential colonists covered that way!

John

Certainly worth having, but I didn't suggest it as he asked for a UK guide.

 

[pdwinter]

Are Black Darters declining generally in the south? Just got the new book on Sussex dragons and from looks of that it's near extinct in the counties?

There's an article in the recently arrived BDS Dragonfly news 86. I've attached a couple of the maps from it.

The circles are 10km squares (hectads) and are the proportion of the number of records (not individuals) submitted for the target species relative to the number of records submitted for the UK's top 30 occuring odonata species.

Unfortunately there is no key to the colour shading of the circles except that the darkest red is 20% and the palest 1.5%.

 

[pdwinter]

There's been a lot of chatter on the BDS social media channels about Rannoch Moor and lots of conservation work going on there for Azure Hawker. I've not been there and don't know the actual sites but there haven't been any reports of drought issues there that I've heard.

There are articles about the work at the Corrour Estate (Rannoch Moor) in both BDS Dragonfly News for 2024. Interestingly a large Azure Hawker larva was found in a pool created this year which would indicate that the larva travelled from an existing pool which would fit in with my thoughts previously.

Eggs of Azure Hawker are laid one year and hatch into larvae the following year and then take 3 or 4 years to develop.
Larvae can live in damp rather than wet conditions so a 'dry' appearance might not be too dry for the larvae.
Adults not being seen last year won't necessarily mean they won't be seen this year although they are likely to seek out wetter areas so perhaps a little local dispersion.