No dragons but.....

'Trapped' at head office today in Devizes, but coming back from the car mid morning I disturbed a Hummingbird Hawkmoth which was nectaring on a clump of Valerian by the office wall. It flew up just above the first floor window level and proceeded to sunbathe. Luckily I had my camera with me and got some distant [even for my zoom!] shots. Some interested colleagues saw it too. Unfortunately it flew off before giving the opportunity for in-flight feeding shots. Amazingly this is my first sighting this year! No repeat of the fly-by Southern Hawker there a couple of weeks ago.

Late dragons and predators

As you may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for some time! A combination of a torn shoulder muscle and crushed nerve, starting a new job and unsuitable weather when on my days off!
Anyway, today I managed to squeeze in a short 1 hour visit to a local pond I only discovered this year at the Woodland Trust's Warneage Wood at Lower Wanborough.
It's a small round pond approx. 8 metres across.
In the glorious Autumn sunshine [20degC!]I watched 3 male Southern Hawkers battling it out for territorial rights over the limited surface area while a lone female quietly sneaked in to lay eggs unseen and unmolested [but unfortunately too obscured by vegetation to provide a decent image]. These males quite often approached me so close that they were inside my closest focussing distance!
Also present was a lone male Migrant Hawker and two male Common Darters.
Another male had unfortunately become lunch for one of the bankside spiders!
While on the subject of predators; I was pondering the absence of any damselflies when what should drop in but a fabulous Grey Wagtail - the arch nemesis of all damselflies [and some dragonflies if they aren't careful...]. So I'm guessing that this bird may have 'hoovered up' all the remaining late damsels!?
A supporting cast of calling Buzzards overhead and a fly-by Comma made this a delightful short tranquil interlude in an otherwise hectic weekend.
Make the most of the sun - it's changing by the end of next week...

Records for 19th August 2009.

Yesterday I was able to regain access [at long last] to one of the most important odonata sites in Wiltshire. It is a private site that is also a SSSI and is our only acid bog habitat [that includes standing water]. My main concern was to establish that Small Red Damselfly was still present - which I am pleased to say is there in reasonable numbers [100+]. Mating was noted including pairs in cop and in tandem. Keeled Skimmers were also there in good numbers [30+] again with mating behaviour noted. Other species present included a patrolling male Golden-ringed Dragonfly which caught a Wasp then used one of my tripod legs as a perch while he consumed his snack with a sting in the tail!
Migrant and Southern Hawkers, Emperor, Common Darter; plus Common Emerald, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies completed the line-up.
I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't find any Black Darters as they were there [albeit in small numbers] during my last late summer visit several years ago.
I still hold out hope and perhaps they are just late emerging at this site.
Now I have re-established contact I will be revisiting next year in Spring to [hopefully] confirm the continued presence of Downy Emerald and late summer to see if Black Darter is back. Common Hawker also seems to have disappeared but was only ever included from one sighting.
I also visited the WWT's site of Landford Bog but there was no open water and the only odonata was a single teneral male Common Darter!

Coate Water Country Park

I managed a brief visit to the above late this afternoon during a small glimmer of sunshine. Haven't managed much fieldwork lately what with helping my eldest daughter decorate and set up her new [first]salon in Swindon town centre and helping my other daughter prepare for her move to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music!
Anyway, I am pleased to be able to report that Small Red-eyed Damselflies [Erythromma viridulum]are back at Coate!! I was able to find at least 4 on the model boating lake in blustery, cool and partly overcast conditions. If I can manage a return visit in better contidions hopefully there will be more. This is particularly pleasing as there appears to be none at the 'hospital pond' this year. Perhaps they emerged, found little or no weed to use and moved over to nearby Coate Water?
Also present were several Common Emerald Damselflies [Lestes sponsa] and a few Common Blue-tailed, Red-eyed and Blue-tailed Damselflies. Dragonflies were represented by a single Common Darter!
The other good news is that the land next to Coate Water has been saved from development [at least for the time being....]

Records for Saturday 8th August 2009.

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum Sanguineum) Male, originally uploaded by Rezamink.

Damian Pinguey visited the 'Chippenham Pond' site behind the Volvo garage on Saturday where he saw Ruddy and Common Darter amongst others.

Records for Sunday 2nd August

Not posted for a while - a combination of being away on holiday [to Corfu] and rubbish weather when able to go out!
I was very pleased to receive a report [with photos] from a new recorder, Barry Watts. He lives in Frome and visited Stourhead for the first time on Sunday. As well as some Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies he saw the first reported Migrant Hawker and Common Darters for Wilts for the year. As well as this there was an ovipositing Brown Hawker, some Broad-bodied Chasers and an ancient female 4-spot Chaser [looking her age!]

On the same day I had the first Southern hawker in my garden for some time - a pristine male in his prime.

Savernake - Emperors of the Purple persuasion!

I visited the excellent Savernake Forest near Marlborough today to see if I could find and photograph the Ruddy Darter seen on Sunday. No luck, 'only' 2 Broad-bodied Chasers and a male and female Emperor. I then went to the column to find the butterfly namesake - Purple Emperor - and saw at least 3 in the canopy and one [presumed female] down low checking out sallows for oviposition potential. Then, walking along the track, I found a male sucking up minerals from a damp shady patch on the ride which allowed amazingly close approach. This fulfilled a lifes ambition to get up close and personal with 'his Majesty'. It nearly climbed onto my finger too when offered but spooked before it's rear pair of legs were aboard!! My wildlife moment of the year so far...