May Sightings and News

Total species recorded during the 2014 season is 14

Teneral male Broad-bodied Chaser at BarnstonDale 31.5.14. Photo © C Millington

31-5-14
At Barnston Dale (28X SJ285840) Colin Millington found a teneral male Broad-bodied Chaser

Female Variable Damselfly at Churton 28.5.14. Photo © P Heywood

28.5.15
Peter Heywood visited Churton (45I SJ430565) in damp conditions and found a single Hairy Dragonfly with plenty of Azure Damselfly and several Variable Damselfly.

Male Variable Damselfly at Hatchmere 26.5.14. Photo © R Gabb

Male Azure Damselfly at Hatchmere 26.5.14. Photo © R Gabb

Large Red Damselfly at Alderley Edge 26.5.14. Photo © C Storey

26.5.14
The first sighting this year for Beautiful Demoiselle comes from Martin Pennell who saw this species along the Wybunbury Brook (74E SJ703497). Richard Gabb found both Azure Damselfly and Variable Damselfly at Hatchmere (57L SJ551721). At Alderley Edge (87N SJ853774) Chris Storey saw plenty of ovipositing Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.

Female Hairy Dragonfly at Churton 21.5.14. Photo © D Kitching

21.5.14
As it was a sunny day I took a trip around Cheshire looking for odonata. At Aldford (45E SJ415596) I found several teneral Common Club-tail, and also plenty of Banded Demoiselle, Red-eyed Damselfly, and Azure Damselfly. Moving on to the marlpits at Churton (45I SJ430565) where there were pleny of Hairy Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, and Variable Damselfly. Some marlpits at Coddington CP (45N SJ445563) yielded lots of Red-eyed Damselfly and Azure Damselfly, with a few Four-spotted Chaser and Large Red Damselfly. The final visit was to Billinge Green Flash (67V SJ682712) and a couple of Hairy Dragonfly, several Four-spotted Chaser, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and lots of Common Blue Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, and Azure Damselfly.

David Keogh found a single teneral Broad-bodied Chaser at Frodsham Marsh (57E SJ504781).

Male Variable Damselfly at Churton 21.5.14. Photo © D Kitching

20.5.14
Chris Storey reports plenty of Banded Demoiselle on the Bollin around Styal (88G SJ831832).

19.5.14
The sunny clearings at Middlewood(98M SJ947846) were full of Large Red Damselfly and Azure Damselfly this morning.

Female Banded Demoiselle at Aldford 21.5.14. Photo © D Kitching

18.5.14
Then sunny and warm weather brought out lots of people to look for Odonata today and resulted in several first records for the year which took the species list to 13. At the same point in 2013 only 3 species had been recorded!

Broad-bodied Chaser was seen at Big Wood, Lower Withington (86E SJ806698) by Steve Hind, at Rixton Claypits (69V SJ685907) by Ray Collins, and Saltersley Moss (88F SJ822805) by Barry Shaw. Mike Read saw Variable Damselfly and Hairy Dragonfly in good numbers at Churton (45I SJ430565) and teneral Downy Emerald at Gull Pool (56Z SJ599689). At Farndon (45B SJ411533) Mike Read and Greg Osborn both saw Common Club-tail and Banded Demoiselle. Bob and Helen Coan visited Walk Mill (46W SJ485638) and found Hairy Dragonfly and a single teneral Red-eyed Damselfly.

Teneral male Red-eyed Damselfly at Coddington 21.5.14. Photo © D Kitching

17.5.14
A first record of Hairy Dragonfly for Chester Meadows (46D SJ416660) comes from Andrew Ingham who spotted an ovipositing female along with Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and Azure Damselfly. At Gowy Meadows (47G SJ433735) Steve Hind saw several Banded Demoiselle.

Teneral female Common Clubtail at Aldford 16.5.14. Photo © J Renshaw

16.5.14
Janette Renshaw is the first person to report Common Club-tail and Banded Demoiselle this year. Both species were emerging on the Dee at Aldford (45E SJ415595).

15.5.14
There were lots of Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and Azure Damselfly at Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651751) when Janette Renshaw visited. She also saw Four-spotted Chaser and a few Large Red Damselfly.

Male Hairy Dragonfly at Vale Royal 7.5.14. Photo © G Osborn

7.5.14
The first Hairy Dragonfly of the year was found today on the old river at Vale Royal locks (66P SJ643698) when Greg Osborn visited.

Female Four-spotted Chaser at Anderton Nature Park 6.5.14. Photo © D Green

6.5.14
Barry Shaw visited Saltersley Moss (88F SJ822807) and found only Large Red Damselfly. At Abbots Moss (56Z SJ593686) Peter Snape spotted a teneral Four-spotted Chaser. Dave Green was at Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651751) and saw tandem Common Blue Damselfly along with plenty of Large Red Damselfly and a single Four-spotted Chaser. Over at Jacksons Brickworks (98M SJ947845) Richard Gabb found Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, and a freshly emerged Four-spotted Chaser

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Teneral male Azure Damselfly at Jacksons Brickworks 6.5.14. Photo © R Gabb

Teneral female Azure Damselfly at Jacksons Brickworks 6.5.14. Photo © R Gabb

5.5.14
Today at Anderton Nature Park (67M SJ651751) Paul Hill found Four-spotted Chaser emerging and plenty of damseflies flying. These comprised Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and Azure Damselfly. Vicky Nall reports Four-spotted Chaser and Large Red Damselfly at Black Lake (57F SJ537709).

Large Red Damselfly at Poynton 3.5.14. Photo © R Gabb

3.5.14
Not much reported yet in May apart from a single Large Red Damselfly seen by Richard Gabb in Poynton (98B SJ9183).

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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