Tag Archives: RSPB Radipole

Scarce chasers

28 Tuesday Jul 2026

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Well, hello there!

Those amazing blue eyes are the easiest way to distinguish the male Scarce chaser (Libellula fulva) from other quite similar blue-bodied dragonflies like the Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and the male Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (both featured in my blog The skimmers, published in June 2017).

Both sexes of Scarce chaser have brown eyes and a bright orange abdomen when they first emerge, something I didn’t realise when I wrote my first blog about this species, Lifer: Scarce chaser, in June 2025 (though the dragonfly I labelled as female was indeed a female). As the females age, they change to an ochre-brown colour, while the males change to a pruinose pale blue, with a dark tip.

In case you don’t know, pruinescence is a covering of wax particles that develops on the skin as the male dragonfly ages, making it look blue. That pruinescence often gets scraped off during the mating process when the female is holding on to the male’s abdomen. If you look at the image above, you can see these darker scrape marks around the central area of the male’s abdomen, and, looking at the image below of the dragonflies mating, you can see how the female holds on to the male from below, causing the scratching in that area.

These recent photos and sightings were, of course, at RSPB Radipole, in exactly the same location where I saw my first Scarce chasers in 2025. And, just as last year, these dragonflies were very co-operative photographic subjects, though I did eventually just put down my camera and watch as they went about their daily lives. Such stunning creatures!

Golden-ringed dragonfly

26 Sunday Jul 2026

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Golden-ringed dragonflies are impressive beasties! Though the Emperor dragon (Anax imperator) is larger and has the widest wingspan of all the British dragons (10.5 cms), the Golden-ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) has the longest body of any British odonata species (females grow to around 8.4 cms). This is a dragon I rarely see as it has a preference for the acidic conditions found in the heathlands and peat bogs of upland locations, so you can perhaps imagine my surprise at finding one on 12 July during my walk around RSPB Radipole, a seaside site with extensive reed beds surrounding a tidal river and lake.

It was patrolling one of the footpaths through the reeds and then, miraculously, settled within viewing distance on a Buddleja with first one, then a second Norfolk hawker. And I was delighted that I was able to share this experience with an interested couple who happened along at just the right time and who were also excited to see both dragonfly species together.

Weymouth trip birding roundup

28 Thursday May 2026

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The main reason for my trip to Weymouth and Portland from 7 to 14 May was to celebrate a BIG birthday and, for me, there’s no better way to celebrate than to spend time in Nature, watching the birds, butterflies and other creatures that make my heart sing. The fact that I was able to add eight new bird species to my 2026 list was a welcome bonus but certainly not a necessity – I get just as much pleasure from seeing the ‘ordinary’ birds (the Skylarks and Stonechats and the Pipits feeding their families) as I do from seeing those I don’t get to spot on my home turf. And, in fact, I didn’t even see one of the biggest birding highlights of this trip, a Bittern that was booming from deep in the reed beds during two of my visits to RSPB Lodmoor. I didn’t manage to get many great photos of the birds I saw but here are a few …

One of the artificial islands used for nesting by Black-headed gulls and Common terns (and, it seems, the occasional Canada goose). The air around these little islands is always alive with birds coming and going, and the noise is often raucous.

Though Reed and Sedge warblers and Reed buntings sang constantly from the reed beds, they were rarely visible. I got a lucky fleeting glimpse of this Sedge warbler.

Each time I went to Lodmoor, I was treated to Swallows like this one, as well as House and Sand martins zipping about overhead, and also coming down to gather mud and bits of vegetation to help build their nests.

On several days, at both Lodmoor and Radipole, I watched Marsh harriers flying back and forth, sometimes soaring, often just skimming the tops of the reeds as they hunted for food.

From the coastal path above Portland’s west cliffs, I spotted Guillemots and Razorbills, several gull species and Gannets, as well as these Kittiwakes, an adult on the right and a juvenile below left.

If you’re interested, the birds that were new sightings for me were Common tern, Bar-tailed godwit, Sanderling, Little tern, Whimbrel, Kittiwake, Great white egret, and that booming Bittern.

Mr and Ms Beautiful demoiselle

27 Wednesday May 2026

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I didn’t spend a lot of time looking for odonata species during my recent visit to Weymouth, partly due to the weather conditions – when it was sunny, there was almost always a strong cold wind blowing through the areas where I usually find dragonflies, but also because the RSPB has made the decision, despite the protests of very many people, not to spend money on maintaining many of the footpaths at both the Lodmoor and Radipole nature reserves, meaning some areas are already becoming inaccessible. (I won’t go in to my opinion about the RSPB here – suffice to say it couldn’t get much lower, and the organisation will never again receive any financial support from me.)

On the one afternoon the weather was favourable, I was exceedingly lucky to find several species that were my first sightings for 2026. The Blue-tailed and Red-eyed damselflies will be covered in future blogs, when/if I get more and better photos of them at home in south Wales, but I couldn’t resist sharing these images I did manage to get of the aptly named male (above) and female (below) Beautiful demoiselles (Calopteryx virgo) that were wonderfully entertaining as they flitted amongst the tall reeds along the edge of a path at Radipole. Such gorgeous creatures!

Hoverfly: Parhelophilus species

25 Monday May 2026

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When I first saw these hoverflies basking on the leaves of tall reeds along the edge of a path at RSPB Radipole, I knew immediately they were something different, a species I hadn’t seen before. This was mostly due to their bright orange colour – they seemed almost to be glowing in the sunshine. I thought they were a species of Helophilus, as their body markings looked similar to Helophilus pendulus and H. trivittatus, but their orange gleam marked them out as something other.

I was wrong but close; these are a species of Parhelophilus, of which there are three species in Britain. One species, Parhelophilus consimilis, is rare and darker in colour, and the other two, P. frutetorum and P. versicolor, are so similar as to be very difficult to distinguish, one from the other.

If I had known what to look for – the male P. frutetorum has a small tubercle on the underside of its hind femur, I might have been able to get better photos that showed that area of the leg, but somehow I doubt it. And anyway, it’s not necessary to know the precise name of something to feel the pleasure of seeing it.

A tree full of Siskin

02 Monday Mar 2026

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The RSPB Radipole Nature Reserve in Weymouth was quite disappointing for wildlife during my recent visit, except for the presence of a large flock of Siskin (Carduelis spinus), their distinctive happy chattering audible from quite some distance along the path. (If you’re not familiar with their call, the RSPB website has a sound file you can listen to, though be aware that I could hear a Blackbird singing in the background, as well.)

Siskin are traditionally found in coniferous woodland but I’ve noticed that, especially in the winter months, they can be found wherever there’s an abundance of Alder trees, as they seem to love using their sharp beaks to prise open the cones to extract the tasty nutritious seeds.

I was interested to note in Fauna Britannica that two of their several vernacular names are black-headed thistlefinch (though I’ve never seen them eating thistle seeds) and tea leaves (sadly there’s no explanation given for the origin of this Cheshire name, which seems quite extraordinary).

A confusion of Comfreys

10 Sunday Aug 2025

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In Flora Britannica, author Richard Mabey explains that Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) hybridises freely with Russian comfrey (S. x uplandicum) and Rough comfrey (S. asperum), so I make no apology for not being able to be precise about today’s wildflower species. To further confuse the picture, White comfrey (S. orientale), an introduction from west Russia and Turkey, has become naturalised, and is commonly found in hedgerows and on waste ground in southern England. The combination of species certainly provides a wonderful mix of white, blues, lilacs and purples in the Comfrey flowers, which I noticed the bumblebees were particularly enjoying (the flower nectar, not the colours).

The Comfrey plants shown here was at RSPB Radipole in Weymouth, thriving in the reserve’s damp environment, growing beside the footpaths and along the edges of the reed beds.

You probably know that Comfrey is very commonly used in herbal medicine, especially in connection with healing open wounds, broken bones and severe bruising, hence its common names of Knitbone and Nip-bone. It contains Allantoin, a substance that encourages the healing of connective tissue, and Flora Britannica lists many reports from contributors of poultices being used to heal severe cuts, ease the severely bruised knees of miners, and assist with the knitting of broken bones. One of my grandmothers always grew Comfrey in her garden and would drink an infusion of the leaves to ease her sore back and aching limbs, though Mabey warns that Comfrey contains alkaloids that can cause liver damage, so infusions and tablets are now discouraged.

Radipole Reed warbler

09 Saturday Aug 2025

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Though the vegetation had been cut back along the pathways so I didn’t get to do my ‘Jane of the Jungle’ impression, my visits to the RSPB Radipole reserve were a little disappointing during last week’s visit to Weymouth. Unlike my June visit, when I saw two dragonflies I’d never ever seen before (Lifer: Norfolk hawker and Lifer: Scarce chaser), this time I saw just one dragonfly and it didn’t stop for a photo. On the birding front, activity had also diminished, though I did enjoy watching a Sedge warbler searching for food and feeding its young, and the sounds of young birds either keeping in contact with their parents or following them through the trees and reed beds were a constant accompaniment to my walks. My best image came from one of those moments, when this juvenile Reed warbler paused momentarily right in front of me.

Sedge warblers

20 Friday Jun 2025

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I don’t see Sedge warblers very often; if I’m lucky, I might see or, sometimes only hear, one or two as they pass through the local area during Spring and Autumn migration. That’s my excuse for not recognising these two birds, seen on two separate visits to RSPB Radipole in Weymouth. As I could hear Reed warblers singing all around me while I was exploring the reserve, which is jam-packed full of Reed beds, I just assumed these were also Reed warblers.

Wrong! The streaking of dark and light above the eyes is a sure sign of a Sedge warbler. My more expert birding friends think that the first bird, above, is an adult, though I’m not entirely convinced that it isn’t a well-grown youngster, as it was flapping its wings in the way juvenile birds do to get their parents to feed them.

The bird below is definitely a youngster; one of my friends pointed out that you can still see the gape, the yellow fleshy part at the base of its beak that is a characteristic of chicks. And it behaved like a chick: ‘My mum told me to stay right here until she got back so I’m not moving even though you’re coming along the path towards me, getting closer and closer with that black thing in front of your face, and I’m a little bit scared.’

After quickly grabbing a couple of photos, I moved past, then stopped further along the path and watched as one of its parents brought it food, and moved it to a different bush, a bit further away from the main path.

Lifer: Scarce chaser

19 Thursday Jun 2025

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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.