BLAGDON LAKE BIRDS

Damselfly & Dragonfly List

Here is a Dragonfly [Odonata] list for the site based on my own observations. The checklist follows that given in Appendix 3 of Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe by Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra, 2006. All records are my own unless stated, so any inaccuracy is entirely down to me. If anyone has records they'd like to include, please contact me and I will insert and acknowledge them accordingly. I've revised the abundance during the winter of 2011/12 in the light of personal observations made since 2000.

English Name	Scientific Name	Abundance	Notes
Banded Demoiselle	Calopteryx splendens	Very scarce	Local at dam end
Beautiful Demoiselle	Calopteryx virgo	Very rare	Local at Top End feeder stream
Common Emerald Damselfly	Lestes sponsa	Scarce	Declining?
Blue-tailed Damselfly	Ischnura elegans	Common
Common Blue Damselfly	Enallagma cyathigerum	Abundant
Azure Damselfy	Coenagrion puella	Abundant
Red-eyed Damselfly	Erythromma najas	Very scarce	First record 2003, common in 2010
Large Red Damselfly	Pyrrhosoma nyphula	Scarce
Migrant Hawker	Aeshna mixta	Fairly common	Often seen flying around in the shelter of trees
Brown Hawker	Aeshna grandis	Accidental	At Top End near Bell's Bush, 2001
Southern Hawker	Aeshna cyanea	Uncommon	Often seen well away from the water
Emperor Dragonfly	Anax imperator	Fairly common	Patrols reedy margins e.g. Home Bay
Lesser Emperor	Anax parthenope	Accidental	Several during migrant influx, 2006
Broad-bodied Chaser	Libellula depressa	Scarce
Four-spotted Chaser	Libellula quadrimaculata	Rare	pers. comm. Richard Andrews 21 June 1993
Black-tailed Skimmer	Orthetrum cancellatum	Uncommon	Sits on concrete cills & bare mud on the ground
Ruddy Darter	Sympetrum sanguineum	Fairly common	Bell's Bush area best
Common Darter	Sympetrum striolatum	Fairly common	Top End best

Key to abundance:

Accidental - five or less records
Very rare - twenty or less records
Rare - less than annual; many years between records
Very scarce - less than annual; typically every 2 or 3 years
Scarce - very small numbers virtually every year
Uncommon - recorded in low numbers each year
Fairly common - occurs in reasonable numbers
Common - regularly occurs in good numbers
Abundant - occurs in large numbers

Key to Status :

UK BAP sp. - UK Biodiversity Action Plan species (published Aug 2007)

Species Lists

Updated 5 February, 2012