June to October are the best months of the year to see the Southern hawker dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea), and so far I’ve seen two. The first was during my wander through Slade Wood on 2 July, a bonus sighting on a day mostly dedicated to looking for butterflies (see NFY: White admiral & Silver-washed fritillary) but which also turned up the Ruddy darters I blogged about last week in A tale of two darters.

It often seems strange to me to find dragonflies patrolling the vegetation lining woodland rides, particularly when the nearest water source is quite some distance away but this is normal behaviour for the Southern hawker, and many other species. I found my second Southern hawker of the year on 5 July, in a similar setting, flying rapidly back and forth along a wooded lane about a mile from the nearest water source. On their website, the British Dragonfly Society notes that this species has spread throughout much of England and Wales in recent years, and has also colonised parts of Scotland, so hopefully many of you will have been privileged to see them in your area.

One of the reasons I booked my latest visit to the south Dorset coast for July was to see more Norfolk hawkers (Aeshna isoceles), a dragonfly species I saw for the first time during a visit to Weymouth last June. I was not disappointed, though I had forgotten how tricky and frustrating they can sometimes be to photograph – like most hawkers, they rarely stay still for long.

Fortunately, the nature reserve at Radipole is just a short walk from where I stay in Weymouth so I was able to wander its trails multiple times and at different times of the day, giving myself as many opportunities as possible of watching these green-eyed beauties. And, as is often the case with wildlife, time and patience and getting to know the behaviour of the creature you’re watching can bring the rewards you’re hoping for. I’m already planning my 2027 wildlife excursions to include Radipole for more Norfolk hawker watching next year.