Dragonflies 2022
29
August 2021
A
Ruddy
Darter settled briefly by the pond at
Castle Lane Park, Bramber.
9 August
2021
After
the torrential downpour in the morning, the precipitation stopped under
a cloudy sky in the afternoon. Two Southern
Hawkers
(dragonfly)
patrolled the hedges of the Downs Link
near the Cement Works.
21
July 2021
I
spotted a Southern Hawker
and a Common Darter
over the towpath to Cuckoo's Corner.
14
July 2021
Positively
the largest dragonfly I have ever
seen flew over the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham. It was probably
an Emperor Dragonfly, Anax
imperator .
It patrolled to and fro under the shelter of the trees above the lawn/meadow
and disturbed a Speckled Wood Butterfly,
but would not settle.
15
June 2021
A
male Beautiful Demoiselle
over
the Downs Link south of the Cement Works
was the only sighting noteworthy on a sunny cycle rode to Bramber
Brooks Nature Reserve.
11 June 2021
.jpg)
Broad-bodied Chaser
27
May 2021
I
spotted my first Large Red Damselfly
of
the year at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham.
9 October
2020
A
Speckled Wood Butterfly and a Common
Darter (dragonfly) were spotted on the
sunny Knepp
Estate in the afternoon.
8 September 2019
.jpg)
Common Darter
Castle Lane Park pond at Bramber was initially a hive of notable activity, a patrolling bright blue patterned dragonfly which I assumed was a Southern Hawker, and a handful of Common Darters.
1 September
2019
A
Southern
Hawker (dragonfly) flying five metres
above the Downs Link Cyclepath north of
Erringham Gap looked like it was a predator on the hunt.
25 August 2019
.jpg)
Ruddy Darter
At
Bramber, the sandy coloured water of Castle
Lane Park pond rippled at the surface with shoal of over a hundred
Rudd
could be seen in the bright sunshine. A pair of Emperor
Dragonflies, Anax
imperator, patrolled without stopping,
but two pairs of Ruddy Darters
were more engaged in copulation in flight.
Red-veined
vs Common vs Ruddy
14
July 2019
A
stunning male
Banded Demoiselle (a damselfly), Calopteryx
splendens, fluttered (like a butterfly) over the Chicory
road verge at Erringham Gap. It stopped five times amongst the long grass
and tall vegetation for less than a second each time and then disappeared.
5 June
2019
Two
dragonflies
darted rapidly to and fro over the Yellow
Water Lily covered main pond at Woods
Mill, with
no inclination to pause for a photograph or come close enough to make identification
definite. One was unmistakably a male Broad-bodied
Chaser but the other one was slimmer
with a brown and black appearance and I best guess this dragonfly as my
first ever Four-spotted Chaser,
Libellula
quadrimaculata. Beautiful Demioselles
were
frequently seen but they were very active as well, appearing like a dark
butterfly fluttering between the plants on the pond margins. Azure
Damselflies
were seen around the pond
margins.
30
May 2019
A
male Broad-bodied Chaser
(dragonfly)
flew to and fro over the new pond at Truleigh Hill. It was my first dragonfly
of the year. A
few Azure
Damselflies were seen on the top meadow
of Mill Hill.
19
May 2019
I
spotted my first Azure
Damselfly of the year in the field next
to Ladywells on the Coombes Road. It was with a teneral Large
Red Damselfly.
1 May
2019
On
the southern part of the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham,
(which
doubles up as a Footpath
3138), I disturbed my first Large
Red Damselfly
of the year.
1
August 2018
Afterwards
I cycled to Annington Sewer
and back noting plenty of Common Blue
Butterflies
and
Silver
Y Moths in the verges and Small
White Butterflies over the verges on a quick
passage journey. Annington Sewer
was full of water as the River
Adur was on a high spring tide.
Three
blue Southern
Hawkers (dragonfly)
patrolled
about 30 cm above the surface.
Blue-tailed Damselfly
It was very much a mixed bag after leaving the downs: around the pond in Castle Lane Park, Bramber, numerous damselflies flitted between the reeds and pondside plants. The small blue ones were difficult to get close to identify, (Azure or Common Blue?), but there were also a half a dozen or more of the unmistakable Blue-tailed Damselflies. At least two much larger dragonflies hawked amongst the reeds and the damselflies were very quick to get out of their way. They did not stop for for me to get a very clear look at them, but I saw enough to determine it could only be a Hairy Dragonfly, Brachytron pratense.
20 May 2018
Azure
Damselfly
Downs
Link Cyclepath verges near Old Shoreham
Teneral
A
teneral insect is one that has recently moulted and its exoskeleton is
yet to harden and get its final colouration. In this state the insect is
very vulnerable and the teneral state can last for some time. Teneral insects
may be mobile and may even fly during this time but can often be hard to
identify because of their pale colouration.
Dragonfly
Anatomy (Glossary)
Dragonfly
Anatomy (with pictures)
Dragonfly
Anatomy & Terminology
Azure Damselfly
The
shape of the hind margin of the pronotum is diagnostic in blue damselflies.
Pronotum:
a shield-like plate covering the top of the thorax.
Comparison
of pronotums of blue damsels
18
May 2018
The
only surprise of the early afternoon was a very quick male Broad-bodied
Chaser (dragonfly)
chasing after the skippers
on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
A few Azure Damselflies
were seen around the Brambles.
15 May 2018
Large
Red Damselfly, Azure
Damselfly
Broad-bodied
Chaser, Beautiful Demoiselle
By the big pond at Woods Mill, scores of bright blue Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, occasional Large Red Damselflies and frequent Beautiful Demoiselles, Calopteryx virgo, skirted the vegetation of the fish less ponds and streams of the Nature Reserve. A female a Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, patrolled incessantly over the still water.
8 May
2018
My
first damselfly
of the year was an unidentified teneral
by the Streamside Scout Hut near Ladywells
Stream and weir next to the Coombes Road
6 November
2017
At
least three Common Darters
(dragonfly)
showed over the lower slopes and over the paths through the scrub of Mill
Hill..
12
October 2017
With
the verges on both sides shorn of vegetation, if there was hardly anything
of interest a week ago, there was absolutely nothing
to make my cycle ride to the Cement Works worthwhile. I
cycled to Woods Mill and that had mostly mud, fallen leaves and acorns.
Common
Darters (dragonfly)
were frequent near the pond. .
26
& 28 September 2017
Occasional
Common
Darters (dragonfly)
appeared on over the lower and middle slopes and over the paths through
the scrub of Mill Hill.
27
August 2017
A
Grey
Heron was surprised at Annington Sewer and
the large bid took flight, a short hop into the neighbouring pasture. This
left an Emperor
Dragonfly, Anax
imperator, on patrol over the confluence
of two streams south of the road bridge. In
Castle Lane Park (adjacent to Clays Hill), Bramber, three species of dragonfly
were quickly seen by the pond: one Common
Darter, one Southern
Hawker and
a clearly seen Brown Hawker, Aeshna
grandis.
Butterfly
Report
Wild
Flowers 2017
1 August
2017
My
first of the year Southern Hawker was spotted at the top
of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham.
30
July 2017
Most
impressively a huge Emperor Dragonfly patrolled the shady Downs
Link Path (by the Cement Works) incessantly.
16
July 2017
Woods
Mill was generally disappointing, but
it had its moments, notably three restless male Beautiful
Demoiselles, Calopteryx
virgo,
over a stream, and a really large dragonfly
in Hoe Wood.
It was really close but it would not stay still so I'm not sure which one
it was. I think it was most likely an Emperor
Dragonfly,
Anax
imperator. I also spotted a handful
of Blue-tailed
Damselflies, Ischnura
elegans.
6 July
2017
A
Brown
Hawker Dragonfly flew to and fro over
the big pond at Woods Mill where it sparred with an Emperor
Dragonfly and was accompanied on the nature
reserve by Blue-tailed Damselflies and
I also spotted a male
Banded Demoiselle (probable ID). An Emperor
Dragonfly was the dominant dragonfly at
Tottington Wood pond.
2 July
2017
Pride
of the day was a spectacular Emperor
Dragonfly,
Anax
imperator, that patrolled over a confluence
in the Meadowsweet-lined Annington
Sewer near the A283
Steyning by-pass bridge over the tidal
River
Adur. Annington Sewer was partially clear of Water
Fern
and
in this open water Whirligig Beetles
gyrated and it looked there was quite a lot
of bug life. The
Emperor
chased away a male
Broad-bodied
Chaser, Libellula
depressa, (dragonfly),
which appeared very much smaller. Later, in the early afternoon, two
Blue-tailed
Damselflies, Ischnura
elegans were seen in
a field near Coombes.
10
June 2017
Azure
Damselflies, Coenagrion
puella,
were
out in the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham, and Blue-tailed
Damselflies, Ischnura
elegans in
a field of Yellow Flag Iris, Hedge
Woundwort, various
grasses and Stinging Nettles, next to Ladywell's
Stream & the Scout Hut (just north of
Cuckoo's Corner). There were less than a dozen seen but I expect there
were many more.
9
May 2017
My
first damselfly of the year, a Large Red
Damselfly, flitted around the short vegetation
on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
18 September 2016
By Widewater Lagoon, a Common Darter landed for a second on the bank near the bridge.
25
August 2016
Over
the cyclepath just north of Old Shoreham,
my first Southern Hawker
(dragonfly) of the year, cruised by at a height
of about two metres. This was quickly followed by a Common
Darter.
10
August 2016
A
large brown dragonfly patrolled the large pond at Woods
Mill, Small Dole, and I think this is most likely to be a Brown
Hawker which appeared double the size
of a Common Darter seen
at the same time.
8 August
2016
The
first Common
Darter of the year was seen at top of
Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham (SE of Mill Hill Bridge). .
19
July 2016
A
Common
Blue Damselfly was seen at Annington
Sewer on the warmest day of the year.
5 July
2016
Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum
4
June 2016
On breezy humid afternoon, I looked out the meadow-like road verge at Buckingham Cutting (south) where there was a Common Blue Damselfly.
29
May 2016
A
large unidentified dragonfly
was seen flying rapidly over Shoreham Beach and
the Shoreham Fort end (east). It flew like a hawker.
12 May 2016
Hairy
Dragonfly 
Brachytron
pratense
Photograph
by Ray Hamblett
South
Lancing
23
September 2015
Cloudy
but at least it was not raining and anything
fluttering in the breeze was more likely to be a fallen leaf as
the equinox passes and the days become even shorter. The
Pixie
Path hosted three Common
Darters and a larger
dragonfly. As they all appeared simultaneously
so I did not get a chance to chase the larger dragonflyto
find out what is was. I fancied it to be a Migrant
Hawker but I expect it was the more usual
Southern
Hawker.
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Common Darter |
3 July
2015
I
noted the first signs of the impending autumn with the first Buddleia
in flower by the River
Adur, and a large dragonfly hawking up
The Street, Old Shoreham. This was possibly a Southern Hawker
but
it seems too early in the year for this species?
22
April 2015
The
first Large Red Damselfly
of the year was seen at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham.
24
September 2014
On
a cloudy day. I picked an overcast period.
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Darters (dragonflies) were occasionally spotted including a mating pair of Common Darters, Sympetrum striolatum, flying in tandem over the Downs Link Cyclepath, north of Old Shoreham.
7 September
2014
Two
hawker
dragonflies
flew over the cyclepath north of Old Shoreham and another one over Shoreham.
They were not recognised as Southern Hawkers
and could have been Migrant Hawkers? Common
Darters were seen mating at Annington
Sewer.
31
August 2014
Two
hawker
dragonflies
flew over the cyclepath north of Old Shoreham.
A Southern Hawker flew
over Shoreham.
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23
August 2014
My first Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum, (dragonfly) of the year was spotted over the drainage ditch/stream that runs along get eastern bank of Shoreham Airport and parallel to the River Adur. |
| 19
August 2014
Azure Damselfly
Top of Mill Hill Road/Pixie Path |
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31
July 2014
I spotted a Southern Hawker patrolling the top of Buckingham Park and the one in the photograph stopped by the path at the top of The Drive, north Shoreham. |
12
& 31 July 2014
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Dragonfly nymph |
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Photograph by Kim Murphy |
Hammy Close Pond Life
22
July 2014
A
cycle ride to Annington Sewer and
back, with a detour to Anchor Bottom, brought
15
different species of butterfly,
but the highlight of the day was a male
Banded
Demoiselle, Calopteryx
splendens, over a stream
next to the cyclepath halfway between
Old Shoreham and Upper Beeding. This
blue
demoiselle has a butterfly-like wing, but
like all damsels
landed with its wings closed. I spotted a
Southern
Hawker patrolling the flowering
Buddleia at the edge of the cyclepath
south of the Cement Works.
21
July 2014
After
the thunder and rain deluges (a weather
front from the south), I was curious to see what life was out on
the downs and about in the humid sunshine
on an overcast muggy afternoon.
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An amble up to Mill Hill produced my first of year teneral Common Darter (dragonfly) landed in front of me. As I was about to go home I spotted a blue Southern Hawker patrolling the unruly hedge at the bottom of the lower slopes.
10
June 2014
A
flash of turquoise in the roadside woods by Ladywell's
Stream, on the Coombes Road, was a Kingfisher
flying a straight like an arrow. This stream on the eastern side of the
road hosted Sticklebacks
and I noted an Azure
Damselfly,
Coenagrion
puella, on the streamside vegetation.
At Cuckoo's Corner Ladywell's Stream
ran rapidly out to the sea: amongst the trees that bordered the bank, two
flashes of dark blue were two male Banded
Demoiselles, too far away to photograph.
14
April 2014
A
first of the year Large Red Damselfly
settled briefly in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham.
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6
October 2013
The first of two Common Darters (dragonfly) was seen amongst the Brambles on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. |
29
September 2013
A
Common
Darter
(dragonfly)
was seen at Upper Beeding and a Southern
Hawker at the southern edge of the Saltings
Field at Bramber by the River
Adur.
16
September 2013
A
Southern
Hawker, (dragonfly)
flew
about and then settled high up in the trees over the outskirts of Steyning
by Rublees allotments.
5 September
2013
At
least two Southern Hawkers, (dragonfly)
were seen over the Downs Link Cyclepath and
another looked much larger over a drainage stream near the river near Botolphs.
25
August 2013
After
the rain, there were only small muddy puddles on
the Downs Link Cyclepath north of Old
Shoreham, where my first Southern Hawker,
(dragonfly) of
the year landed immediately in front of me on the clay path.
12
July 2013
The
highlight of the day was a dark blue damselfly
over the top of Erringham Road in north Shoreham. I thought it was a male
Beautiful
Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo, from my rather restricted view
of the insect in flight. (It was possible it could have been a male Banded
Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens,)
5 June
2013
With
scarcely a cloud in the clear blue sky, the
damsels
and demoiselles were seen on the outskirts
of Shoreham. Just three were seen of two different species most spectacularly
a male Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx
virgo, on the Downs-Coastal
Link Cyclepath just north of the Flyover, and two Azure
Damselflies, Coenagrion
puella, on the Pixie
Path to Mill Hill.
6 May
2013
The
first Large Red Damselfly
of the year was seen on the verges of the footpath section of the Waterworks
Road.
15
October 2012
With
Cumulus
clouds
rushing across the sky, the weather was changeable, the sun shining through
the gaps in the clouds for a few minutes on the lower slopes of Mill
Hill, and I was subsequently battered by hail
blowing horizontally (Force
4) from the west on the upper plateau.
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Altogether, there was very little of interest: dragonflies replaced butterflies and Common Darters were frequently seen with 14 counted and one large predatory Southern Hawker near the copse at the top of the hill.
4
October 2012
On
the fourth day of the month the rain had stopped and it was worthwhile
taking the camera out. A Southern
Hawker dragonfly
flew over the Pixie Path and Frampton's Field.
Common
Darters (dragonfly) frequently
arose from the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
9 September
2012
Occasional
(4+) Southern Hawkers
were seen on the cyclepath north of Old Shoreham, and one blue one appeared
much larger than the others, but I think the ID was correct. (There
was a possibility that the large one was an Emperor,
and another possibility that the smaller ones were Migrant
Hawkers.)
6 September
2012
I
noted my first Common Darter
(dragonfly)
of the year in Lancing. It was one of a few.
17
August 2012
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Female Emperor
Dragonfly
Photographs
by Sharon Penfold
This spectacular dragonfly was spotted in a Sompting garden. It is female Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator.
Adur Dragonfly Reports16
August 2012
A
Southern
Hawker (dragonfly)
hawked over the car park and country road at Cuckoo's Corner.
11
August 2012
Southern
Hawkers (dragonfly)
were occasionally spotted (about eight seen) on the cyclepath north of
Old Shoreham to the Cement Works. Identification was certain on one that
settled on a Buddleia.
6
August 2012
My
second of the year Southern Hawker*
(dragonfly)
looked menacing as it patrolled beneath the tree canopy in St Julian's
churchyard, Kingston Buci. (*Originally identified as a Migrant
Hawker and changed later.)
23
July 2012
Under
a blue sky, the sun bathed Mill
Hill in light (>19.3
°C), and
I found myself on an overgrown part of the southern part of Mill
Hill Nature Reserve which was covered in Stinging Nettles and not normally
an area that I visit. A Southern Hawker
(dragonfly) flew past (first of the year).
31
May 2012
My
first Common
Blue Damselfly, Enallagma
cyathigerum, of the year put in an appearance
over the verges of the Waterworks Road,
Old Shoreham.
12
May 2012
In
the weak sunshine (12.4
°C), my first Odonata
of the year, a Large Red Damselfly
showed amongst the Stinging Nettles in the Butterfly Copse next to the
Waterworks
Road.
1 November
2011
An
emerald green Southern Hawker (dragonfly)
hawked along the western end of Nicolson Drive in residential Shoreham.
15
September 2011
On
a pleasant day (>17.2
°C), the outskirts of Shoreham (Waterworks
Road - Pixie Path - Chanctonbury Drive, passage
trek) a handful of Common Darters
(dragonfly)
flew rapidly overhead with none of them showing any signs of settling.
11
September 2011
Three
splendid blue South Hawkers
(dragonfly)
were the most impressive sight on a cloudy
day with two around the hedgerows below Old
Erringham (on the levels to the south-west
of the farm; on the road to Old Erringham) and another one over the Pixie
Path to Mill Hill. A Common
Darter landed on the Downs-Coastal Link
Cyclepath north of Old Shoreham.
26
August 2011
A
emerald green Southern Hawker (dragonfly)
hawked to and fro long the Buddleia-lined
Downs-Coastal Link Cyclepath at Upper Beeding. It was an impressive insect
which I watched for a few minutes.
27
July 2011
On
the Pixie Path I spotted my first Migrant
Hawker (dragonfly),
Aeshna
mixta, of the year. This was a distant
view and the identification is just a probable. The thorax appeared light
blue in the brief sighting and the the abdomen a much darker blue, almost
black with patterns.
There
was also at least two Common Darters.
24
July 2011
On
the top part of the Pixie Path I spotted my
first Common Darter
(dragonfly)
of the year.
1 July
2011
As
the sun shined intermittently through the clouds,
I spotted my first Blue-tailed Damselfly
of the year on the River
Adur eastern towpath at the same latitude
as Mill Hill (south of the upper car park)
(TQ
202 073).
4 June
2011
It
was warm and blustery, the warmest day
of the year so far recorded at 25.8
°C at 3:00
pm, but again spoilt by steady Strong Breeze
(Force 6) from the north-east gusting to Gale
Force
7 all through
the day. Two bluish-green Hawker
dragonflies
were seen sparring at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham (SE
of Mill Hill), but they flew upwards over house height against the wind
before I could get a closer look.
1 June
2011
A
large bright blue dragonfly
cruised over the Ladywell's Stream by the Scout Hut, and although it was
prominent as it flew to and fro, it never got close enough for a positive
identification. I think it was probably a male Broad-bodied
Chaser although
it looked longer. One pair of Azure
Damselflies, Coenagrion
puella, flew in a mating tandem over
the stream and there were singles seen.
31
May 2011
Immediately
I entered the Bramble-bordered path that opening up in the southern bank
of the Buckingham Cutting, a Broad-bodied
Chaser, Libellula
depressa,
landed.
21
May 2011
The
first Common Blue Damselfly of
the year put in an appearance in amongst the brambles in a shady area behind
the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting.
Two female Broad-bodied Chasers, Libellula depressa, (a dragonfly) cruised over an open part of the path that runs parallel with the dual carriageway at the top of the southern embankment of the the Slonk Hill Cutting. Both of them settled, one of them long enough for the photograph above.
4 May 2011
29
April 2011
2010
| 6
October 2010
Two dragonflies were seen: a Common Darter on the top part of Mill Hill, and a Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta, on the north-south part of the Pixie Path. |
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| Late
September 2010
Common Darters (dragonfly) were occasionally seen on the Pixie Path and Mill Hill. |
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10
September 2010
On
a day too cool for butterflies
a Southern Hawker patrolled
the Coastal-Downs
Link Cyclepath north of Old Shoreham.
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7
September 2010
On the hedgerows on the southern side of Buckingham Cutting, a Migrant Hawker (dragonfly), Aeshna mixta, flew over and then it was spotted settled on Bramble with blackberries. |
1 September
2010
Common
Darters (dragonfly)
were seen beside the stream at Brooklands, east Worthing with one impressive
Southern
Hawker flew by in the brief spell of sunshine.
31
August 2010
Teneral
Common
Darters (dragonfly)
appeared with half a dozen seen over the footpath section of the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham.
29
August 2010
At
least two Common Darters
(dragonfly) were seen, one in the hedgerows
on the south side of Buckingham Cutting and
the other one on the Pixie Path. A Southern
Hawker flew by the hedgerows at top of
Chanctonbury Drive (SE of the Mill Hill Road Bridge).
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24
August 2010
This looks like a teneral male Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta, one of two hawkers on the the Buckingham Cutting area south.
There was a Common Blue Damselfly that flitted over the meadow. Common Darters (dragonfly) were occasionally seen on the Pixie Path. |
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19 August 2010 After
the overnight rain shower, I made an extended visit to the Buckingham
Cutting area from the eastern end. Odonata
were represented by a dangerous looking (from a butterfly's view) Southern
Hawker
(dragonfly),
a handful of Common Darters and
my first Common Blue Damselfly
of the year.
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12
August 2010
A
Southern
Hawker flew rapidly over the Co-operative
(=Somerfield) supermarket along Ham Road, Shoreham.
9
August 2010
There
was an active Southern
Hawker in the meadow south of the top
copse on Mill Hill and at least two Common
Darters over Frampton's Field, Old
Shoreham.
28
July 2010
There
was a fresh Southern
Hawker mobbed
by a Holly Blue Butterfly
in the Butterfly Copse near the Waterworks
Road, and a Common
Darter on the path that runs along the
south side of Frampton's Field, Old Shoreham.
18
July 2010
In
the immediate hedgerow as the path leads east from the southern bank of
Buckingham
Cutting, north Shoreham, there was an explosion of flying insects:
dragonflies,
butterflies,
hoverflies
and other small flies and beetles.
A Southern Hawker (dragonfly)
had scared the butterflies into hiding but after it flew off three Speckled
Woods and a Comma
Butterfly appeared with another Meadow
Brown.
The first
Common Darter (dragonfly)
of
the year was spotted in the same hedgerow.
11
July 2010
A
Southern
Hawker cruised over the mown grass at the top of Chanctonbury Drive,
north Shoreham (SE of Mill Hill) and then rested just too high in the shrubbery
for a photograph.
10
July 2010
At
Shermanbury
the freshwater reaches of the western River
Adur are more like a large slow flowing
stream, with plenty of vegetation including yellow Water
Lilies. Shoals of Rudd
with
reddish fins could be seen in the surface waters with much smaller silvery
fish fry.
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The River Adur at Shermanbury showing the location of the male Banded Demoiselles. |
By
far the most impressive sight was the appearance of frequent attractive
male Banded Demoiselles which were everywhere and numbered in excess
of thirty in a small area of river near the road bridge. A large
brown dragonfly cruised repeatedly over the
river, and it was much too large to be a Common
Darter
(comparable in size to a Broad-bodied
Chaser but a different shape). My
inclination was to think it was Hairy Dragonfly,
but its identity awaits confirmation. Several Blue-tipped
Damselflies flitted over the river.
Adur
Levels
9 July
2010
A
spectacular male
Banded
Demoiselle (a damselfly), Calopteryx
splendens, an Azure Damselfly,
and a Small Red Damselfly all
flew over the Annington Sewer near the Oak
Tree.
I
chased a male Broad-bodied Chaser on
my bicycle down the towpath south of the South Downs Way Bridge over the
River
Adur.
8 July
2010
Azure
Damselflies were mating above the small
weir on the Ladywell's Stream (on the Coombes
Road, north of Cuckoo's Corner) with
two dragonflies flying and not settling.
They seemed too small to be Broad-bodied
Chasers compared to the two males seen
over the Lancing Ring dewpond
puddle. A Blue-tailed Damselfly
was seen resting on vegetation by the Ladywell's
Stream, and a Southern
Hawker cruised over the Lancing Ring meadows
and was later seen to the west of the dewpond.
Adur
Levels
2 July
2010
A
first of the year Southern Hawker (dragonfly)
cruised amongst the first flowering Buddleia
along
the Coastal-Downs
Link Cyclepath by the Cement Works at Upper Beeding.
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22
June 2010
A female Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo, settled on the top of a leaf amongst vegetation at the top of Slonk Hill Farm Road on the south-west side of the bridge over the A27. |
21
June 2010
A
male Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula
depressa,
rose from a dry mud patch next to Lancing
Ring dewpond
and flew into the scrub where it hid.
| 20
June 2010
On a day too cool for butterflies a female Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, cruised over an open part of the path that runs parallel with the dual carriageway at the top of the southern embankment of the the Slonk Hill Cutting. There is no obvious water nearby but this wandering dragonfly has been seen in this area before. |
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| 18
June 2010
A Large
Red Damselfly settled at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, north Shoreham.
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3 June
2010
An
Azure
Damselfly, Coenagrion
puella, was seen on the Coastal-Downs
Link Cyclepath north of the Toll
Bridge. This one was azure blue in colour.
23
May 2010
Over
the Waterworks
Road, (Old Shoreham), the first female
Broad-bodied
Chaser (dragonfly),
Libellula
depressa,
of the year cruised above my head
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21
April 2010
A Large Red Damselfly were seen on Spring Dyke, (next to Miller's Stream), north of Old Shoreham. |
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19 April 2010
| 8
April 2010
In the Butterfly Copse, (the Waterworks Road), my first damselfly of the year was spotted amongst the Alexanders. I think this is most likely to be the Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella. However, it is surprisingly early for this species. Grid ref: TQ 209 062
The
shape of the hind margin of the pronotum
is diagnostic in blue damselflies.
|
 I think it is more likely an immature blue form Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella, given the shape of the pronotum. The pink on the thorax will colour with age. It's a little early, but Azure was out on 19th April last year and 26th the year before. In 2007 when lots of spring species were early, Azure was out on 8th April. Comments
by Dr Pam Taylor
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A Southern Hawker (dragonfly) flew south down Victoria Road in Shoreham town.
August2009
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Photograph by Alec Trusler |
13-18
August 2009
Southern
Hawkers (dragonfly)
are seen in each of the five days, in ones on the edge of Shoreham town,
over the residential areas of both Shoreham and Southwick.
12
August 2009
At
Annington Sewer and medium-sized orange-brown (and I thought slightly hairy)
dragonfly caught me by surprise as it darted over the stream. It was possibly
a Hairy Dragonfly.
A Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura
elegans, settled.
10
August 2009
A
brown Common Darter
was seen on Ivy on the Pixie Path.
9 August
2009
A
Southern
Hawker (dragonfly)
was seen over the Waterworks Road,
Old Shoreham.
5 August
2009
One
large dragonfly with a bright blue abdomen cruised over Lancing
Ring dewpond without stopping for at least
15 minutes and probably considerably longer. It did not seem big enough
for an Emperor Dragonfly but
this its most likely identity. The first red Common
Darter (dragonfly)
of the year was also seen resting whilst I was waiting for this large impressive
insect to settle so I could have a closer look.
29
July 2009
Six
Southern
Hawkers (dragonfly)
flew around without stopping in a shaded part of the Coastal-Downs
Link Cyclepath.
23 July 2009
| 14
July 2009
There were two ponds in Tottington Wood. The pond in the photograph at the eastern end hosted a Large Red Damselfly. A Migrant Hawker (dragonfly) was seen in a woodland ride and on the edges of the duckweed covered duck pond at the southern part of the wood, Common Blue Damselflies mated over the Gypsywort covered edges. |
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2 July 2009
A dragonfly with a multi-patterned abdomen flew amongst the Hawthorn scrub on Mill Hill. It was most likely to be the first Migrant Hawker of the year.
22
June 2009
The
most interesting observations of the day occurred at Annington Sewer where
a large blue dragonfly flew over the stream
and it looked subtly different from a Southern
Hawker and may very well have been a male
Emperor
Dragonfly. Unfortunately, it quickly flew
out of sight. Its display was excelled by a pair of Banded Demoiselles
that danced over the stream for a full ten minutes and probably longer.
They appeared to be courting, but both of the wings had bright blue patches
whereas the female has wings of metallic green. Interestingly there was
a resting emerald green damselfly
of about the same size which may have been a female of the species. There
were a few first of the year
Common Blue
Damselflies, and
at least one Large
Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma
nymphula.
Over
a stream next* to the Coastal-Downs
Link Cyclepath there was another Large
Red Damselfly, Common
Blue Damselflies and one Blue-Tailed Damselfly,
the first seen this year. (*Off the cyclepath through a gap in a locked
gate off the cyclepath from Old Shoreham just before Shoreham Cement Works:
this is a short cut to the River Adur towpath).
19
June 2009
Over
Lancing
Ring dewpond, I spent ten minutes or more
watching three pairs of Broad-bodied
Chasers (dragonfly),
Libellula
depressa, chasing each other all over
the pond. Occasionally one of them would dip on the surface of the murky
water. On two occasions in-flight mating was observed for about ten seconds,
possibly longer on the first occasion. Over
McIntyre's Field two dragonflies were observed in quick succession, the
first one was brown in colour and thought to be the Hairy
Dragonfly, Brachytron
pratense, and the second one with
a blue abdomen was probably a Southern
Hawker (although it could have been an
Emperor?).
12
June 2009
On
the Coastal Link Cyclepath just south of the
Toll
Bridge, Old Shoreham, the flying insect fluttering and being blown
about in the breeze was not a
butterfly but
a Banded Demoiselle (a damselfly),
Calopteryx
splendens.
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There were at least two Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, at the Annington Sewer, north of Botolphs on the Coastal Link Cyclepath.
9 May
2009
My
first dragonfly of the year flew over Frampton's Field, Old Shoreham. It
had a mostly greenish thorax and abdomen, seen for about two seconds
before it whizzed out of sight. It
was probably a Hairy Dragonfly,
Brachytron
pratense.
7 May
2009
At
least one Azure
Damselfly, Coenagrion
puella, and at least one Large
Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma
nymphula,
were seen over the verges of the Waterworks
Road.
26
April 2009
The
first of the year Azure
Damselflies,
Coenagrion
puella*, were seen amongst the Stinging
Nettles on Spring Dyke,
north of Old Shoreham. (* The identification
was not positive.)
22 April 2009
17 October 2008
As expected at this time of the year Common Darters were frequently seen on Mill Hill, and occasionally on the outskirts of Shoreham town.
A
Comma
Butterfly and Common
Darter settled on the wooden rail in the Butterfly
Copse next to the Waterworks
Road.
26
September 2008
Common
Darters
were frequently seen over the Coastal Link
Cyclepath.
20
September 2008
A
Southern
Hawker
and
frequent Common Darters were
noted over the Coastal Link Cyclepath.
11
September 2008
A
Southern
Hawker
was
seen by the Ladywells Stream and Coombes Road.
10 September 2008
6
August 20084 August 2008
A handful of Common Darters (dragonflies) were seen at the top of Buckingham Park and a Southern Hawker in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road).
22
-23 July 2008
About
half a dozen Southern Hawkers
were
seen on the downs in the two days from Slonk
Hill Farm to the Waterworks
Road,
with a Common Darter
on Mill Hill.
20
July 2008
The
first Common Darter
(dragonfly) of the year was seen in the Butterfly
Copse next to the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham, resting on Common
Bindweed.
17
July 2008
A
Southern
Hawker flew over the
Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham at a height of about
six metres.
5 July
2008
A
Southern
Hawker flew rapidly along Ham Road, Shoreham by Somerfield supermarket
at a height of about four metres. I estimated its speed at about 12 mph.
30
June 2008
A
large blue dragonfly hawked the Coastal
Link Cyclepath just 50 metres north of the Toll
Bridge, Old Shoreham, and another one flew over Anchor
Bottom. They were almost certainly both Southern
Hawkers.
29
June 2008
A
large blue dragonfly hawked over the southern
part of Buckingham Cutting and this was
thought most likely to be a Southern Hawker.
24
June 2008
Over
the Lancing Ring dewpond
and a male Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly
dipped its head on to the surface of the water, and it was accompanied
by a one third longer dragonfly in bright blue which was either the frequently
seen Southern Hawker,
or the locally scarce Emperor Dragonfly.
Either of the latter two would have been first for the year.
17
June 2008
On
the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting
covered in hundreds of Common Spotted Orchids
and frequent Pyramidal Orchids,
my first Common Darter (dragonfly)
of
the year rested on a herb, followed by a strong-flying female Broad-bodied
Chaser,
Libellula
depressa, over
the scrub hedgerow area on both sides of the path to the west of the spinney.
8 June 2008
4 June 2008
15
May 2008
Scores of Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, flew over Spring Dyke, north of Old Shoreham. Not so much as flying as darting about in the air over the vegetation which contained about 20% Stinging Nettles.
10
May 2008
The
first female Broad-bodied
Chaser (dragonfly),
Libellula
depressa, of the year flew
across in front of me at the top of the Pixie
Path. A male and female pair of Azure
Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, were
also seen on the north-south section of the Pixie Path.
9 May
2008
A
Large
Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma
nymphula,
was seen in the scrub of Mill Hill.
But
there was also a puzzling damselfly that eluded the camera on the Pixie
Path. Its body was a dark grey and the wings were misty rather than
veined like the normal blues. It was smaller with a body about the same
size as a Large Red Damselfly.
I originally thought that this could be a female Beautiful
Damselfly Calopteryx
virgo, but I have now rejected this identification.
The female damsel is not as distinctive and colourful as the male with
its vivid blue abdomen.
6 May 2008
Damsels & Dragons 2007 Link
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