Wiltshire Dragonfly Report – 2008
Steve Covey
Click here to download a copy of the report.
At the end of last years report I hoped for a better recording season in 2008. Well, it was not to be unfortunately, with cool and often rainy conditions dominating the summer; not the most auspicious of starts for the Atlas Project (both county and National). Despite this however there were a few interesting observations and happenings of note.
The first recorded odonata of the year, on 2nd May, was of a female Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula f. fulvipes) by the River Ray in Swindon. The 4th May saw the launch of the Cotswold Water Park (CWP) Dragonfly Atlas Project (and, indirectly, the Wiltshire one) at Lower Moor Farm. Kat Parkes (Conservation Officer for British Dragonfly Society) came along to lend her support and present an overview of the National Atlas Project. Gareth Harris (CWP Society’s Biodiversity Officer) and Ingrid Twissell (Gloucestershire recorder) also gave presentations. We gained several new recorders who pledged to take on board several tetrads in the CWP! On a walk around Mallard Lake, as well as Large Reds, we found some early Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) including a pre-flight emergent and exuviae.
Over the next few days several more damselfly species began to appear. Also the first dragonfly, a teneral Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa), was found by Damian Pinguey at Somerford Common on the 9th.
On the same day I found an exuvia of a Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) dragonfly at Lower Moor Farm; first proof of breeding for the site! This is a target species within the revised Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan (WBAP) and is part of the Habitat Action Plan (HAP) for Standing Open Water (SOW). It is intended to revisit all existing and historical sites for Downy Emerald by the end of 2009 season to establish presence or absence and (if possible) proof of breeding. So 2008 went a good way to fulfilling these targets with proof of breeding established at Swillbrook Lakes in CWP as well as Lower Moor. The strongest colony is at the National Trusts Stourhead in SW Wilts and during a visit there on 9th June I counted at least 26 individuals, including mating and ovipositing. In addition I collected 8 exuviae off Hosta leaves at one of the ponds margins with yet more present out of reach. (Also collected were 5 Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) exuviae). Although C. aenea was absent at two other sites visited I’m sure I shall find them in 2009 as they may well be two year cycle sites (i.e. originally colonised by a female(s) in one year only rather than successive years). They were also reported from Bentley Wood ponds, east of Salisbury.
Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva) continued to expand its range, being discovered by a visiting enthusiast to the county (Julie Thomas) around the turning ponds adjacent to the Caen Hill Locks on the Kennett & Avon Canal at Devizes. There were at least 20 - all very fresh teneral individuals and, given the River Avon is some distance away, is highly suggestive of breeding on site. No exuviae were found but it is a difficult site to work. It will be hoped that breeding will be proven over the next few years. From a press release given out locally by the Wilts Wildlife Trust the news even reached the Times newspaper, which managed to get it wrong and stated this was a new species to the UK as a result of global warming. Oh well, it was still good to get dragonflies in the national press! On the downside this species was not seen at the Semington Bypass balancing ponds this year after my surprise discovery of them there in 2007. Perhaps it was a one off event as a result of the exceptional summer of 2006 – only time will tell.
Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) was rerecorded at it’s new locations as well as the more traditional sites so giving the impression that it is consolidating it’s expansion within the county. Rob Turner (our county bird recorder) saw it again in woodland rides on the edge of Salisbury Plain. He also recorded several other species in the middle of the Plain utilising water filled tank tracks!
A disappointment was a lack of any sightings of Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) after the excitement of breeding records last year – casualties of the poor weather perhaps? Another possible victim of the poor summer was Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) which failed to appear at all at its site in Longleat Forest. Hopefully this is a temporary setback. But to balance that, Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) was still hanging on in reasonable numbers at the balancing pond by the Great Western Hospital at Swindon with mating and ovipositing both noted.
Forest Enterprise has carried out work in Savernake Forest near Marlborough to enhance its biodiversity. This included the clearance of trees and scrub from around a number of ponds in the forest which were previously totally overgrown and, in many cases, silted up. One of my recorders, Ian McColl has agreed to monitor the ponds to see how odonata respond to this management. It had been intended to make regular visits but due to weather conditions it ended up as (in his words) “random sampling”. A total of 12 species were recorded between May and September, some ponds holding more than others. These were the usual pioneering species such as Broad-bodied Chaser. However there was one surprise, in the form of a Black Darter (Sympetrum danae), on one pond on 22nd and 23rd August (and a possible sighting on a nearby pond on 24th)! As there isn’t any suitable breeding habitat anywhere near it is probably a wandering migrant from (possibly) the New Forest.
The last recorded species (to date) were on the 12th October when I noted Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis), Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) and Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) dragonflies, some of the latter were mating and ovipositing. More surprisingly there were still at least 6 male Common Blue Damselflies about. All of these were at Lower Moor Farm so the damselfly has been present at this site for 6 months and 8 days! A series of hard frosts then put paid to any further sightings.
I would like to finish with my usual sincere thanks to all those who braved the not so clement weather to collect records and to the landowners for allowing access. Also a final plea for anyone else living in or visiting Wiltshire to please record what you see and send your records in. I can steer you in the direction of un-allocated parts of the county (of which there are plenty) if you wish.
