Emerald damsels

27 Wednesday Aug 2025

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British damselflies, British dragonflies, damselfly, dragonfly, Emerald damsefly, Lestes sponsa, Odonata

This is the final blog in my short series about the dragonflies I saw during last week’s rail journey up the south Welsh valleys to Maesteg. Today’s subject is the Emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa), a species I’ve seen only twice before, in August 2017 and in September 2021. I’ve looked for them a couple of times at the 2021 location, Parc Penallta, but the small ponds there quickly dry out in hot summers and dog walkers allow their charges to splash about in them, displacing more water and polluting the water with the dogs’ chemical flea treatments. These are probably some of the reasons why the population of this damselfly species has been in steady decline since the 1990s.

Emeralds are relatively large for damselflies and rest with their wings outspread, hence their European common name, Common spreadwing. Their bodies are metallic green, though the colours of some parts of their abdomens vary depending on whether they are male or female, immature or aging. Emeralds favour shallow standing waters, like bog pools and ponds, especially when these are surrounded by tall grasses, rushes and sedges.

Keeled skimmers

26 Tuesday Aug 2025

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British dragonflies, dragonflies of heathlands, dragonflies of peat bogs, dragonfly, Keeled skimmer, male Keeled skimmers, Orthetrum coerulescens

Here’s another of the stunning dragons I saw at the ponds in Maesteg last week. And this is another species I’d only seen once before, back in 2017 on a birding day out to the Lliw Reservoirs north of Swansea.

These gorgeous dragonflies are Keeled skimmers (Orthetrum coerulescens), also known in Europe as Heathland skimmers, which gives a very clear indication of their preference for the acidic conditions of heathland waterways and the drains and ponds of peat bogs. The Maesteg ponds provide the perfect habitat for them, except perhaps for the locals who allow their dogs to swim there.

These beauties were quite easy to find when I wandered around the ponds as, according to my guide book, the males hold quite small territories, with a favourite perch from which they flit out to see off any intruders. So, once I found their perches, I was able to stand a little way off to watch their flights and grab photos once they settled again.

I only saw male Keeled skimmers during this visit to the ponds, so I’ve yet to see one of golden yellow females. These dragonflies are usually active from mid June to mid August so I may have missed seeing the females this year but I will certainly be visiting this location again next year.

Black darter

23 Saturday Aug 2025

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Black darter, Black darter female, Black darter male, British dragonflies, dragonfly, Odonata, Sympetrum danae

Before Thursday’s trip to Maesteg, I’d only ever seen a Black darter (Sympetrum danae) once before, and that was a fluke sighting at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park back in 2017. I say fluke because, like yesterday’s Common hawker, the Black darter is a dragonfly that prefers the acidic conditions of peat bogs, moorland ponds and ditches. How one got to Cosmeston I have no idea.

I was lucky to find several male Black darters at Maesteg ponds and, as you can see, they really are almost entirely black, with just a few yellow markings on the sides of their thorax and abdomen, and on top of their lower abdomen.

I was also extremely lucky to find a single female, basking on a patch of grass. As the photo below shows, she looks very different from the male, with much more yellow than black. At around 30mm long, both of these darters are quite small, about 10mm smaller than the Common darters that most of us are very familiar with. Now that I know about this location, I’ll be back to visit them again next year.

Lifer: Common hawker

22 Friday Aug 2025

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Aeshna juncea, British dragonflies, Common hawker, Common hawker ovipositing, dragonfly, female Common hawker, female dragonfly laying eggs

Yesterday I took myself off on a little adventure, on an hour’s train journey from Cardiff to Maesteg, high up in the south Welsh valleys, a place I’d not been before. I decided to go after seeing a post on social media about some ponds in a Maesteg park that held dragonflies that thrive in acidic heathlands and bogs so these are not species I see in my coastal location.

Despite a favourable weather forecast, when I first arrived it was mostly overcast and there was a cool wind blowing – not ideal conditions for seeing dragonflies. Remaining hopeful, I thought I’d use the time until the clouds cleared to explore and try to find dragonflies that might be perched around the area.

Almost immediately I heard the tell-tale rustle of dragonfly wings and saw movement amongst the reeds in the nearest pond. Dragon! And not just any dragon – this was a female Common hawker (Aeshna juncea), and she was moving slowly around the ponds, stopping here and there to lay her eggs amongst the vegetation. She was my first ever Common hawker, so I was over the moon to have found her so quickly and easily.

Later, when the sun did come out and the dragonfly action got a bit frantic, I saw another large dragonfly cruising back and forth over the ponds. I think it was a male Common hawker but he wasn’t stopping for photos, and soon disappeared. Having enjoyed such excellent views of the female, I wasn’t too disappointed about missing him, and I saw several other dragon and damsel species, which I will feature in forthcoming blogs.

Red-veined darter

14 Thursday Aug 2025

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British dragonflies, dragonfly, immature Red-veined darter, migrant dragonflies, Red-veined darter, Sympetrum fonscolombii

Last week I celebrated my tenth anniversary of life in Wales with a lovely long walk around the local areas I’ve come to know so well. And, almost as if Nature was gifting me an anniversary present, this gorgeous creature flitted up from the grass next to the path in front of me, before settling again very near to me. I knew immediately, from the half blue eyes, that this was something special.

This is a Red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii). As you can see, it’s neither red, nor does it have red veins in its wings. The dragonfly is named for the colouring of a mature male but this golden beauty is an immature dragonfly, which you can tell from the black collar across the front of its thorax. I think it’s a male but my photos don’t show enough detail to be sure.

Red-veined darters are migrants from southern Europe. They are reasonably common in southern Britain but the numbers vary from year to year, presumably depending on conditions in Europe and on the weather conditions – warm southerlies or sou’easterlies would help them fly our way. I saw three in 2019, and, when I was comparing notes with one of my birding friends who also likes dragonflies, he agreed that, for some reason, that had been a bumper year for them. Neither of us has seen one locally in the six years since them, until now. I am, of course, hoping for more, especially as I’ve yet to see a strikingly vibrant male Red-veined darter.

Lifer: Scarce chaser

19 Thursday Jun 2025

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Blue chaser, British chasers, British dragonflies, dragonflies at Radipole, dragonfly, Libellula fulva, RSPB Radipole, Scarce chaser

Here they are, the extremely confiding dragonflies mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the Scarce chasers (Libellula fulva) (also known as the Blue chaser). They were everything you could want in a photographer’s model, perching this way and that to show their best sides; not flying off at the slightest hint of movement behind the camera; the consummate professionals!

So, I managed to get photos of a male, female and the two together in cop. The female (above) is described in my guide book as having an olive-brown thorax and ochre-brown abdomen but, as you can see, she was much more vibrant than those descriptions suggest.

The males have a black thorax and blue abdomen with a dark tip. At a glance, with those colours, they could be mistaken for other dragonflies with similar colouration, until you see their eyes, which are the most amazing shade of blue. (In fact, I’ve just decided to add in a second photo of the male so you can get a better look at those eyes.)

I saw several of these dragons at RSPB Radipole Lakes in Weymouth, which left me wondering why they are called ‘Scarce’ chasers. It seems that, where they are found (in isolated spots in the east and south of England) their populations are relatively small, so they are officially designated as rare. Indeed, in the 2008 British Odonata Red List they were officially listed as ‘near threatened’, so I feel very privileged to have enjoyed such excellent views of these stunning creatures.

Lifer: Norfolk hawker

18 Wednesday Jun 2025

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Aeshna isoceles, British dragonflies, British hawkers, Dorset dragonflies, dragonflies at Radipole, dragonfly, hawker, Norfolk hawker, RSPB Radipole

My wildlife-watching hopes for my short break in Weymouth centred on butterflies and, perhaps, a few birds that I might not see locally, so it was a wonderful surprise to see two new dragonfly species, one extremely confiding (it’ll feature in tomorrow’s blog), one elusive to the point of frustration.

The Norfolk hawker (Aeshna isoceles) was the latter and, on my first visit to the RSPB Radipole reserve, the few times I spotted these dragonflies (easily recognisable by their brown colouring and green eyes), they stayed mostly hidden, perching – when they did actually stop flying – in obscure locations, as you can see from the photos above and below.

Finally, on my last afternoon, when there were fewer people out walking after a morning’s heavy rain and I was battling my way through the extremely overgrown vegetation along the path to the northern bird hide, one of these stunning dragons posed perfectly for me.

Although called Norfolk hawkers, these medium-sized dragonflies have been expanding their range beyond the English county of Norfolk. Their preference for reed beds in swamps and ponds, along streams and ditches, means Radipole provides the perfect location for them to thrive.

Two dragons

28 Wednesday May 2025

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British dragonflies, Broad-bodied Chaser, dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Libellula depressa, Libellula quadrimaculata, Odonata

For me, the larger dragonflies have been few and far between this Spring. I’ve seen the odd one but fleetingly and its flown off before I could get a good view. Or I’ve heard one, that distinctive sound of the small wings rustling together as it takes flight. So, finally to have found two dragons that stayed still long enough for me to admire their colours and get some photographs has been very welcome indeed. Below are a Four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) and a Broad-bodied chaser (Libellula depressa). Fingers crossed for more sightings to come.

Demoiselles

24 Saturday May 2025

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Banded Demoiselle, Beautiful Demoiselle, British dragonflies, Calopteryx splendens, Calopteryx Virgo, demoiselles, Odonata

Thursday was a good day for demoiselles. As I strolled along the old Glamorgan canal at Forest Farm Nature Reserve, I was almost constantly entertained by both the Beautiful (Calopteryx virgo) and the Banded demoiselles (Calopteryx splendens), though there were definitely many more of the former than the latter.

~ male Beautiful demoiselle

While the females mostly perched quietly on leaves somewhat removed from the males – the only way to escape their attention, the males seldom kept still. They flashed their wings, displaying their metallic blue hues to impress any female that did venture past, and competed with other males for the best territories, those with sun, and shelter, and perches, and suitable places for egg-laying. What was serious breeding business for these stunning creatures was enchanting and magical for me.

~ male Banded demoiselle

Hunting the Migrant hawker

23 Friday Aug 2024

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Aeshna mixta, British dragonflies, British odonata, Migrant hawker, Odonata

The first Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) I spotted this year, on 3 August, flew up into the tree tops almost immediately after I noticed it, and stayed there – I took some photos for recording purposes but they barely showed this dragonfly’s distinguishing features. So, when I spotted my next Migrant hawker, on 9 August, I spent 30 minutes watching and hoping for it to settle. This was all I got before it flew off, disappearing over a hedge, and I moved on.

240823 migrant hawker (1)

Then, finally, a week later, on the 16th, after another 30-minute session watching this beauty hawking back and forth along a tree line, expertly weaving in amongst the branches when it spotted potential prey, occasionally fighting with another of its kind hawking a little further along the ride, it perched very obligingly right in front of me and I managed slowly to approach for some reasonable photos. Dragonflies are amazing to watch, but it is also very satisfying to actually get good photographs of them.

240823 migrant hawker (2)