The return of the Small Red-eye!

After a tip off from Damian Pinguey yesterday, I visited the model boating lake at Coate Water Country Park in Swindon today. I'm pleased to be able to report that Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) is back!

...and back in good numbers - there were between 100 - 150 there! I saw several pairs in cop and in tandem plus some ovipositing going on.

With less than ideal conditions for the past couple of seasons it just shows that even very small numbers keeping the colony 'ticking over' can then result in a boom when conditions are right!
Males were zipping about all over the lake and even came close enough for an attempt at an in-flight shot!

I also checked out the hospital pond as it has recently been managed, with most of the bankside scrub removed and a lot of the Bulrush taken out. Unfortunately there are now some huge carp in there which have 'hoovered up' all the submerged vegetation. As a consequence of which there are no surface mats of algae either and so no Small Red-eyes this year....
Damian  had a single E. viridulum on a pond in the Town Gardens in Swindon last year - so a visit there will be a must in the next day or so!