Creigiau 12 September

Walking around the perimeter of the Creigiau Recreation Ground yesterday morning and spotted this. Have seen very few dragonflies this year, but think this is a female Common Darter - a bit darker than others I've seen.

Parc Cwm Darran 13/08/2017

Plenty of male Common Darters (13) at the dragonfly ponds with one hawker making a brief appearance, not much else about apart from a few Emerald damselflies. Away from the pond on one of the paths I did see a Golden Ringed Dragonfly but it did not stay still long enough for me to get a photo.

Penallta Parc 13/08/2017

Not a great deal about at the horse-shoe ponds with just a few Emerald and Blue-tailed Damsels and only one male Common Darter. A male Emperor made a brief visit but did not stop a photo.

Then moved onto Parc Cwm Darran.

Llanerch Wood 06/08/2017

Not a great deal about here with only Blue-tailed and (9) Red-eyed Damsels on the ponds, I did see a Hawker flying near a hedgerow but it disapeared when I tried to get close to identify it.

Lavernock Point NR 06/08/2017

Spent a good few hours around the reserve on Sunday with the weather not too god first off there was not alot happening, only some Blue-tailed Damsels around the small pond. Up by the gun emplacement buildings I did find a pair of Migrant Hawkers resting in a tree.

As the weather improved so things started to show, on a path I found a pair of female Common Darters then I made my way back to the pond and arrived just as a male Emperor took a butterfly and continued to eat it in flight. Around the pond there were alot of male Common Darters plus Blue-tailed and Azure Damsels, the highlight being a male Ruddy Darter making a show. The Emperor did settle for a picture after its dinner.

 I then moved on to Llanerch Woods

Roath Park Lake and Woodland Garden 04/08/2017

Spent a couple of hours at Roath Park on Friday looking for ringed gulls, walking around the lake I saw alot of Damselflies on the vegetation Blue-tailed, Common Blue and Azures. I did not see any Dragons.

Llanerch wood 27/07/2017

In between the showers last Thursday I managed a couple of hours looking around Llanerch wood, I only saw one hawker but flying to high to get an ident. There were alot of damsels about mainly Blue-tailed and Azures although I did find a single Red-eyed Damsel on the lily pads.

Whats happened to our Summer?

Parc Cwm Darran 09/07/2017

At the dragonfly ponds there was alot of activity with all three ponds having Azure, Large Red, Emerald and Blue-tailed Damsels with the Azures in tandem and ovipositing. On the main pond there was a male Emperor patroling over the pond and a male Broad-bodied Chaser keeping to the margins, the other two ponds each had a male B-B Chaser patroling on them.

Walking along the stream which runs through the park I found a female Beautiful Demoiselle resting on a tree near the stream.

Penallta Parc 09/07/2017

The water in the horse shoe ponds at penallta was very low so we could do with alot of rain to fill them, there were alot of Blue-tailed and Azure Damsel at the ponds with just a few Large Red and Emeralds.

 

There were some Dragons on the ponds with two male Emperors patroling two seperate ponds and three male Broad-bodied Chaser and one female laying claim to others.

I then moved on to P.C.D.

Parc Slip 02/07/2017

Around by the visitor centre there were a few damselflies on what little water was available in the overgrown ponds, Azure and Large Reds. I did find Two possible Southern Hawkers in the reeds which looked like they may have emerged that morning.
On the small pond by the raised hide overlooking the new scrapes there was a single male Four-spotted Chaser plus some Emerald Damsels.

Pysgodlyn Mawr 02/07/2017

At Pysgodlyn Mawr there were a few damsels, Azure, Large Red and Blue-tailed plus alot of dragons but they were staying around the reed area at the far side of the pond. I only managed to get a photo of a Four-spotted Chaser and a Black-tailed Skimmer the others were Broad-bodied Chasers and Emperors.

I then moved on to Parc Slip.

Llanerch Wood 02/07/2017

Around the ponds at Llanerch the vegetation was awash with Blue-tailed Damsels with just a few Azures, no Large Reds. On the lily pads were a few Red-eyed Damsels all males, the only dragons seen were three Emperors two females and one male. One female was in a tree resting with the other ovipositing at the waters edge, the male was patroling near-by.

On some waste ground near the car park as I was leaving I did find this Golden-ringed Dragonfly resting.

I then move on to Pysgodlyn Mawr to see what was there.

Cosmeston Lakes 25/06/2017

At the pool to the left of the visitor centre there was not alot about this could be down to the fact a pair of coots have nested on this pool and had a couple of young, so anything flying would have been snapped up for food. I did find a couple of Azure Damsels in tandem with the female ovipositing and a female Emperor ovipositing here as well.

Strangely I did not see any large Red Damsels at both sites.