May Sightings and News

Total species recorded during the 2008 season is 12

Tandem Hairy Dragonfly at Vale Royal 31.5.08. Photo © Mat Bingham 2008

31.5.08
Bob Bradshaw recorded Common Blue Damselfly at Stapeley Water Gardens (65Q SJ666513) in addition to Azure Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly. Mat Bingham found several Hairy Dragonfly on the Weaver at Vale Royal (67F SJ639703).

Male Azure Damselfly at Tarporley 30.5.08. Photo © David Kitching 2008

30.5.08
Not much of an improvement in the weather but a trip to the Tarporley area yielded a few insects on the wing. Two ponds (SJ638624 & SJ538623) saw plenty of Azure Damselfly and a few Blue-tailed Damselfly with single Large Red Damselfly and Four-spotted Chaser.

Population control by Robin at Stapeley Water Gardens 26.5.08. Photo © Bob Bradshaw 2008

26.5.08
On a very cold and windy day Mel Bellingham did well to find seven species at Newchurch Common (66E SJ603687) comprising a pair of Downy Emerald with Four-spotted Chaser, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Azure Damselfly. At Stapeley Water Gardens (65Q SJ666513) Bob Bradshaw found the local Robins to be busy gathering up the emerging Azure Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Male Downy Emerald at Newchurch Common 26.5.08. Photo © Mel Bellingham 2008

Female Downy Emerald at Newchurch Common 26.5.08. Photo © Mel Bellingham 2008

24.5.08
Tom Hubball came over from Yorkshire to see the Cheshire specialities and was able to see a single Common Club-tail at Aldford (45E SJ415596) with Four-spotted Chaser, Large Red Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. Moving on to Newchurch Common (66E SJ600687) to see a single Downy Emerald and a the usual damselflies. Back in Sandbach (76K SJ759604) George Hill confirmed that Banded Demoiselle are still present on the stream close to the Waitrose supermarket when he found four individuals.

Emerging Common Club-tail on the Welsh side of the Dee at Holt 20.5.08. Photo © Emma Broad 2008

22.5.08
A single male Hairy Dragonfly was flying at Newbridge Pool (66P SJ653686) and several more at Vale Royal (67F SJ639705) reports Peter Shaw. On the Shropshire Union Canal at Stoak (47G SJ420725) and Caughall (47A SJ409709) Mel Bellingham found several Red-eyed Damselfly.

Male Variable Damselfly at Churton 20.5.08. Photo © David Kitching 2008

Female Azure Damselfly at Aldford 20.5.08. Photo © David Kitching 2008

20.5.08
I had a look at the Dee today and then searched for Hairy Dragonfly and Variable Damselfly around Coddington and Churton. The weather was sunny but very cold and breezy and this seems to have kept back the numbers as I saw far fewer Odonata than I would normally expect to see on a sunny day at this date. At Aldford (45E SJ415596) I found a few Common Club-tail and a single Banded Demoiselle and at Churton Marl Pits (45I SJ430565) there were a few Variable Damselfly and a couple of Hairy Dragonfly. More productive was a woodland edge pond in Coddington (45H SJ438554) were there were at least four male and one female Hairy Dragonfly with a single Four-spotted Chaser. Moving on to a pair of ponds at Highfield Farm (45I SJ436561) there were Hairy Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly and Variable Damselfly.

Phil Smith and Trevor Davenport also visited the Dee and report Common Club-tail at Farndon (45B SJ412539 and 45C SJ413541).

Male Common Club-tail at Aldford 18.5.08. Photo © Heather Green 2008

18.5.08
On the old river at Vale Royal (66P SJ642699) today Mat Bingham saw plenty of Large Red Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly with a few Banded Demoiselle. Meanwhile at Aldford (45E SJ415596) Les and Heather Green found a couple of Common Club-tail. Julia Drage reports Four-spotted Chaser emerging at a garden pond in Handbridge (46C).

Male Banded Demoiselle at Vale Royal 18.5.08. Photo © Mat Bingham 2008

15.5.08
Two more species added to the year list today with Dave Walters finding plenty of Red-eyed Damselfly at Billinge Green Flash (67V SJ682713) along with Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly and a couple of Hairy Dragonfly whilst I saw a single male Banded Demoiselle on the Weaver at Barnton (67H SJ636745).

Pete Leicester checked Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651752) and foundLarge Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Four-spotted Chaser. The latter two species were also at Neumann's Flash (67S SJ664754). At Ness Gardens (37C SJ304753) Colin Millington saw a teneral Broad-bodied Chaser.

Female Broad-bodied Chaser at Ness Gardens 15.5.08. Photo © Colin Millington 2008

14.5.08
On the Dee at Farndon (45C SJ412543) Rob McHale found five exuviae and a recently emerged female Common Club-tail this morning. The Anglers' Pond at Vale Royal Locks (67F SJ639705) has plenty of Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly on the wing according to Peter Shaw. Hairy Dragonfly was seen by by Alan Redley at Billinge Green Flash (67V SJ682713) and Neil Friswell at Churton Marl Pits (45I SJ430565) along with a couple of Four-spotted Chaser.

Freshly emerged female Hairy Dragonfly at Billinge Green Flash 14.5.08. Photo © Alan Redley 2008

13.5.08
The season is really going now with more species appearing. Today Andy Harmer saw a female Hairy Dragonfly at a pond in Wettenhall (66B SJ611626) and Alan Redley photographed a Four-spotted Chaser at Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651752). Terry Sanders saw a Broad-bodied Chaser at Rake Hall (47B SJ 411738) near Ellesmere Port.

Peter Shaw reports a single Blue-tailed Damselfly at Vale Royal Locks (67F SJ639703). Over at Danes Moss (97A SJ907704) Les and Heather Green saw a couple of Four-spotted Chaser and a lot of Large Red Damselfly. Nearer the Mersey there were Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly at Oxmoor LNR (58M SJ557843) when visited by Tony Parker and Risley Moss (69Q SJ666918) seen by Rob McHale. The former site also yielded Blue-tailed Damselfly whilst the latter had Four-spotted Chaser.

Four-spotted Chaser at Anderton Nature Park 13.5.08. Photo © Alan Redley 2008

Teneral female Blue-tailed Damselfly at Newchurch Common 12.5.08. Photo © David Kitching 2008

12.5.08
To Newchurch Common (66E SJ607690) where in the sheltered areas there were plenty of teneral Large Red Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly with a few Azure Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly. Also seen was a single Downy Emerald feeding high up in the trees. Meanwhile over at nearby Abbots Moss (56Z SJ595686) Dave Walters found abundant Large Red Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly and a single Four-spotted Chaser.

Ovipositing pair of Large Red Damselfly at Moore 11.5.08. Photo © R Buxton 2008

11.5.08
Paul Hillyer was at Oxmoor LNR (58M SJ559841) and found lots of Blue-tailed Damselfly flying, whilst at Moore Reserve (58S SJ578858) Large Red Damselfly. Back at Churton Marl Pits (45I SJ430565) Neil Friswell found more Variable Damselfly and also Azure Damselfly. Meanwhile Bob Bradshaw reports from Stapeley (65Q SJ666513) where he saw Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly

Male Variable Damselfly at Churton 11.5.08. Photo © N Friswell 2008

10.5.08
At Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651752) Mat Bingham observed three newly emerged Four-spotted Chaser and a couple of Large Red Damselfly.

8.5.08
There were several Large Red Damselfly at Brereton Heath (76X SJ797656) when Paul Hill visited the site.

7.5.08
Back again at Churton Marl Pits (45I SJ430565) Neil Friswell found plenty of Large Red Damselfly and a single teneral male Variable Damselfly.

6.5.08
Bryan Roberts headed for Shemmy Moss (56Z SJ595687) today and in warm sunshine found abundant Large Red Damselfly.

Teneral female Large Red Damselfly at Shemmy Moss 6.5.08. Photo © B Roberts 2008

Mel Belllingham also found around twenty Large Red Damselfly.along the ditches in Delamere Forest (57L SJ550721).

Teneral male Large Red Damselfly at Delamere 6.5.08. Photo © M Bellingham 2008

2.5.08
After an unsuccessful search along the Dee, Neil Friswell visited Churton Marl Pits (45I SJ430565) where he found 20 Large Red Damselfly.

1.5.08
Pete Leicester searched diligently for Odonata at Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651752) and finally found four Large Red Damselfly.

If you have made any Odonata observations in Cheshire and would like to share them with others or wish to take part in the recording scheme please email me. Good quality photographs of Cheshire Odonata for use on the news pages are also very welcome.

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