My second ever visit to Hensol Forest, today, was much more rewarding than my first, a year ago. This time I managed to catch up with at least 2 male Downy Emeralds in what turned out to be a brief and fortuitous window of opportunity. The males were showing from the fishing bays along the NE side of the lake, around 14:15, and they would sometimes clash with each other, but more regularly they would clash with male Broad-bodied Chasers. Even though it was a warm day they were only observed during strong sunshine, for which there was only a limited period this afternoon.
On arrival at the lake, a quick scan of the waters near the vegetated side showed a few good candidates for Downy Emerald, but by the time I'd got a few shots of this distinctive male and the sun went behind the cloud the opportunity to do a proper site count was lost.
If anyone wishes to make the trip to see these very special dragonflies please be aware that they are not on Hensol Lake, a mistake which cost me a lot of time last year! They are in fact on a lake situated in Hensol Forest called Pysgodlyn Mawr. It's not easy to find but there does seem to be a small parking area near to the lake at ST 0416 7583.
My desperation to see the Downy Emeralds meant that I just about ignored everything else around the lake! However, there were a few Red-eyed Damselflies (5+) and a decent sized Grass Snake for good measure.
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