A short run to Hedgerley SP as there are (were) a couple of nice shallow sand pools that can have some interesting Dragonflies, but it entails walking along a public footpath that runs parallel to the M40 and is a tad noise and at one end full of rubbish off the motorway, plastic, cans etc. The middle and northern pools tend to be the best for Dragonflies, the middle held a few Azure and Large Red Damselflies and Four-spotted Chasers. The northern pond held the Southern Emerald Damselflies last year but had been landscaped during the winter, made a lot deeper, steeper sided and rounded, presumably removing this rare population.
Azure Damselfly
Two captured, then Three, Azure Damselflies - Crab Spider
Four-spotted Chaser
Large Red Damselfly
22 May
First attempt at Goring for Common Clubtails, took a longish walk along the Thames from the road bridge at Goring to the railway bridge. Pretty quite with a few Banded Demoiselle and a lot of Red-eyed Damselflies, but no Clubtails.
Banded Demoiselle - female
Red-eyed Damselfly
Early afternoon attempt at Streatley where there was more riverside vegetation only added Azure and Blue-tailed Damselfly, along with more Banded Demoiselle and Red-eyed Damselflies, along with a single female Orange Tip and a Brown Argus.
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle - male
Azure Damselfly
Orange Tip - female
Brown Argus
Another return visit to Burghfield Bridge, again a few Variable and this time some Common Blue Damselflies.
Common Blue Damselfly
Variable Damselfly
23 May
A visit to Sonning on another Clubtail hunt. This produced quite a few Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies, the odd Blue-tailed Damselflies and single fresh Club-tailed Dragonfly, and a pretty poor picture, which it then flew off before allowing for a better attempt, plus a fresh emerged White-legged Damselfly.
Red-eyed Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle
Fresh emerged White-legged Damselfly
Having had a pretty poor view of a Clubtail through the camera lens before it flew off, which at the time due to the view I had no idea that was what it was, a repeat visit was made to Goring, plus via a shorter walk to the bridge than the day before, producing two Common Club-tails, one on the wall of the bridge and the other in the nearby vegetation.
A final visit to Decoy Heath with a single Downy Emerald, a few Four-spotted Chasers and Azure Damselflies.
Azure Damselfly
24 May
A visit to Boldermere on Ockley Common. Several Red-eyed Damselflies were present along with Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Beautiful Demoiselle, Four-spotted Chasers, Hairy Dragonflies and a number of freshly emerged Black-tailed Skimmers.
Blue-tailed Damselfly