British Dragonfly Society Sussex Group Autumn Newsletter 2008
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British Dragonfly Society Sussex Group Autumn Newsletter 2008 No 21 Recent habitat creation work at Rye harbour has improved habitat for Lestes Dryas © B Yates Welcome I can hardly believe that autumn is in full swing after what can only be described as a fairly typical British summer. We have certainly not been precipitationally challenged this year!! - good weather for dragonflies but not for dragonfly surveyors. Nevertheless Sussex is proving to be a never ending treasure trove and we have had some great discoveries over the summer. Thanks again to all those who have been our treasure hunters this year! The Coup de Grace was of course, finding a population of Scarce Chaser well established on the Ouse, with only three previously confirmed records (2006/2007) - leading us to concur that this species has been rapidly growing in numbers in recent years. The discov- ery of a very high flying Four Spotted Chaser (all be it on the continent!) is also an unusual find and bears witness to the fact that these creatures have survived for millions of years and are still going strong. Here’s hoping we can help them along the way. BDS - Sussex Group Newsletter Sussex Odonata Report 1ST Sighting of Scarce Chaser in East Sussex – New record I’d proudly annotated my Scarce Chaser sighting of 18th June 2006 as probably the 1st record in East Sussex. Then a conver- sation, earlier this year with another sea- watching pal at Splash Point, Seaford rather overturned this notion. I was aware that Geoff Gowlett had a wider interest in wildlife than merely birds as I’d met him whilst visiting one of the few Pearl-bordered Fritillary sites in the county, but only discovered his Odonata interests when he bought a copy of DoS. The next thing I know he’s seen a Scarce Chaser on the Cuckmere in 2005 (June 11th to be pre- cise) just 2 months after buying the book and a year earlier than my own record! The quality of his photo nearly convinced me to dispose of my own digital camera in the nearest lake. The re- cord was also nearer to the sea than any other records I was aware of so all in all very useful data. How good is that? He’s also seen several Red-veined Darters and taken an awesome pic- ture of a Club-tailed Dragonfly. A shining exam- ple to us all! I’m looking forward to hearing other “up-to-now hidden” sightings from other bird/butterfly/mammal — watchers John Luck 23rd September 2008 First and Last Scarce Chaser Exuvia found in May on the River Arun © J Luck BDS - Sussex Group Newsletter Back to Black Relaxing in the heather, munching bilberries and watching dozens of Black Darters high up on the northern Sussex Downs just a stone’s throw from the Stockbroker Belt, I could hardly believe I was in Sussex! And yet here I was, at Black Down contemplating what is surely one of the county’s best-kept secrets. Ultimately there was a purpose to my visit other than filling my stomach with scrumped fruits and turning my fingers purple! A glance at the book “Dragonflies of Sussex” previ- ously had revealed to me two black circles, representing the only previous records of Black Darters at Black Down from 1992! Beautiful Black Down © J Luck So what brought this site to my attention? Well, we’ve got Sussex Butterfly Conservation to thank for that. My wife and I attended Michael Blencowe’s 2nd Grayling Festival in early August. Whereas the previous year we had bathed in sunshine, this year we were treated to really poor weather. So needless to say we didn’t see any graylings and we didn’t see any dragonflies, but what we did do was to visit Black Down in the afternoon. It was instantly clear to me that we needed to return to this site at the earliest opportunity to see which acid dragonfly species were present on this prime habitat. Black Darters mating (S danae) © J Luck BDS - Sussex Group Newsletter Back to Black continued … And so we did on more than one occasion, and what a magic place it is. A series of pools of vary- ing sizes have been created by the National Trust and the area is literally heaving in Black Darters, including breeding pairs. It is undoubtedly the best site in the county for this species. Small pond at Black down — prime Black Darter habitat © J Luck The National Trust Ranger for the site also confirmed that Keeled Skimmer, Golden-ringed Drag- onfly and Four-spotted Chaser are here in abundance too. There are even reported sightings of Common Hawker. It’s certainly the ideal habitat and a species that we would dearly love to see as a resident. Thus, we will be keeping a close eye on this little corner of heaven. On our first visit the only species we saw were Southern Hawkers and a lone Blue-tailed Damselfly. The second time we added a couple of Four-spotted Chasers and Southern Hawkers to our list but the other species remained elusive. What we did see was that if you like Black Darters or magnificent heathland, then this is the place for you. Both the species and the habitat are on the county’s Rare list. As we have concerns about the wellbeing of Black Darters at one of the few other sites in Sussex (Iping Common), it makes this new discovery all the more important, and I am looking forward to discovering how large the Keeled Skimmer population is next year, which other acid species are present and whether Com- mon Hawker might return to the county. Black Darter male (left) and female (right) © J Luck John Luck 24th August 2008 BDS - Sussex Group Newsletter Could I be responsible? At the end of the 1960’s a chap called David Chelmick came to do a spell of voluntary wardening at the RSPB’s Arne Nature Reserve in Dorset, where I was a warden. In those days the ‘vols’ accommodation was a none too salubrious caravan, not the five star dwelling that is standard today. Dave quickly became known as ‘Plastic Chelm’, because when I picked him up from Wareham sta- tion he would always be decked out in his smart city cloth- ing. However, the next day you would have hardly recog- nised him after he had changed into his field gear. Whilst Arne was best known in those early days for its Dartford Warblers, less was said about its other biological riches. During the 2nd World War, the Arne Peninsula re- ceived its fair share of enemy bombs intended for the cordite factory on the NW side of Poole Harbour. Where ‘stray’ bombs landed in the wet heath and bog areas, an instant pond would result, creating a legacy to this day of some fantastic dragonfly habitat. In 1964 Norman Moore published his paper ’Intra- and interspecific Competition among Dragonflies (Odonata) in the Journal of Animal Ecol- ogy, which included a great deal of work at Arne, using these explosively created ponds. So, when David arrived on the scene, I was already an Odonata enthusiast. Portrait - Just after going through over his waist in a quaking bog Blue Pool Bog - Purbeck. In general discussions one day I suggested that as almost everybody at Arne did bird watching, it would be a challenge to do something different. As I was already hooked, I suggested that may be dragonflies could be a profitable area of study. He took up the suggestion like a duck to water and there is the keyword, water! For reasons only known to him, there appears to be a desire to immerse his body into water whenever there could possibly be an association with dragonflies. Working a pool on Rio Hozgarganta - Andalucia - Spain In the following years, David became an annual volunteer but also a friend of the family and remains so to this day. On acquaintance, one quickly was aware of David’s enthusiasm. This enthusiasm has never diminished, he is a good communicator and when one is with him, you have a feeling that you are with someone who knows his subject but also who is very willing to impart his vast knowledge to those who want to learn. Should you be fortunate enough to go out with David, you quickly have to accept that David and water go together, he seem inexorably drawn to the stuff. One of his excuses is that from the wa- ter exuviae are so much easier to locate. I suppose he has point! BDS - Sussex Group Newsletter As a result on any trip there is always the danger of him suddenly disappearing. A search in the aquatic environment usually locates him, backside in the air. In the field, we are less polite about naming this posture! Crossing the Rio Viar - Andalucia - Spain Over the years he has waded in some foul waters, which have produced some interest- ing odological finds but on a number of occasions turned his clothing into a disgusting state. On more than one occa- sion his festering shoes and socks have been banned and ejected from motel rooms!. As photographs taken show, his enthusiasm can get him a bit carried away. The upside of this behaviour is not only an advancement in our knowledge of Odonata, but usually also high moments for the naturalist watcher on the bank. A fine example is this June in Andalucia where his aquatic activities disturbed an Eagle Owl, we had super views.