Oxon Odonata

By any reasonable measure the Oxon Odonata world is thriving: already host to a great number of species, several more have been added this year with a surprise colony of Southern Migrant (Blue-eyed) Hawkers turning up at Otmoor, followed by some Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies in Banbury and then over the weekend only the second record of Willow Emerald in the county. One thing I've learnt about insects is that in general they're much faster to colonise new places than birds. You've only got to look at the Southern Emerald colony that sprang up in a nearby home county as well as the rapid expansion of Willow Emerald across the country. So I wouldn't be surprised if all three of these species become well established in the county before too long.

I have a bit of an ambivalent relationship with Odonata. On the one hand I really enjoy learning all the ID subtleties and have loved working on my Odo list which now just missing the three Scottish specialities as well as some of the rarer migrants. On the other hand, repeatedly seeing the same few species over the course of an entire season just doesn't really do it for me. For this reason whilst I'll enjoy watching them and photographing them en passant such as on my patch at Port Meadow, I won't go very far out of my way to see them unless there is a good reason. However, a local Odo trip to see a new coloniser was certainly enough to prompt me into action. I'd mentally pencilled in a visit to see either the Scarce Blue-tails or the Blue-eyed Hawkers for some time but somehow the timing was never right: either we were busy en famille at the weekend or the weather wasn't right. In the end it got too late to see the Scarce Blue-tails.  As far as Otmoor was concerned, originally the Hawkers were found as immatures and after a while news went quiet on them. "Oh well, I guess I've missed those as well" I thought but then news of mature males started to be reported and finally one Sunday morning I was free to have a go. So off I set with my two daughters along for the ride though sadly despite plenty of seraching we didn't manage to see them. Nevertheless it was good to be out looking again and I was starting to get my eye in again. 

The following Saturday a female Southern Migrant Hawker was reported from the usual location. Fortunately, the next day I was free to have another go and so found myself walking, this time alone, along the Oddington to Noke track in the extreme heat, hoping I wasn't going to pass out from exhaustion! After a relatively short time of seeing Southern and Brown Hawkers buzzing around I spotted a small Hawker with quite an interesting jizz. It wasn't as "in your face" as a Southern Hawker and didn't have the same feel as a Migrant, something was different. Glimpses of the solid green thorax sides seemed encouraging and it didn't have the huge antehumeral stripes of a Southern. I watched optimistically as it circled for a long time till eventually it settled for a rest right at the top of the Hawthorn hedge and I was finally able to take some photos. It turned out to be an adult female Southerm Migrant  Hawker. Whilst the shots were nothing special given how high up she was, I was most pleased to have found my target.

Female Southern Migrant Hawker

Female Southern Hawker

Small Red-eyed Damselfly at the Oddington Weir

 

Migrant Hawker

In the extreme heat I didn't linger too long and once my target took off again so did I. I wandered back to the car in a good frame of mind. Maybe I will compile a county Odo list after all!