Dragonfly News 68 the Magazine of the British Dragonfly Society Autumn 2015
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Dragonfly News 68 The Magazine of the British Dragonfly Society Autumn 2015 www.british-dragonflies.org.uk BDS wins Egg parasitism conservation in the Scarce award at Rutland Emerald Birdfair Damselfly Meet the new Conservation Officer - Genevieve Dalley Following the colonisation of a new species over 12 years Dragonfly News 68 The Magazine of the British Dragonfly Society Published twice a year, in April and October, Dragonfly News covers all aspects of the British Dragonfly Society’s field, recording, monitoring, research, conservation and social activities, as well as information from the wider dragonfly, natural history and conservation world. The emphasis is on dragonflies recorded in the UK. The British Dragonfly Society aims to promote and encourage the study, conservation and understanding of dragonflies and their natural habitats, especially in the UK, and to raise public awareness of dragonflies. Dragonfly News is edited & designed by: Trustees & Officers of the BDS Mark Tyrrell, 8 Warwick Close, Raunds, Chairman: Vacant Northants., NN9 6JH Tel. Vice-Chairman: Vacant e-mail: Secretary: Henry Curry, 23 Bowker Way, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1PY. Tel. Deadlines for inclusion of copy: Spring 31 January Treasurer: Brian Walker, 49 Roman Way, Wantage, Autumn 31 July Oxfordshire, OX12 9YF. Tel. Advertising Rates: Trustees: David Goddard, Stuart Irons, Mick Parfitt, *Nigel £15 for small-ad (text only); £40 for quarter- Scott Journal Editor: Peter Mill, 8 Cookridge Grove, LEEDS, page; £60 for half-page; £100 for full-page. LS16 7LH. Shop Manager: Lynn Curry, 23 Bowker Way, Whittlesey, © British Dragonfly Society 2015 Peterborough, PE7 1PY Tel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Dragonfly Conservation Group (DCG) recording or otherwise, without the permission of the British Convenor: Dave Smallshire, 8, Twindle Beer, Chudleigh, Newton Dragonfly Society or the copyright owner. Abbot, Devon, TQ13 0JP. Tel. The views expressed by the contributors to Dragonfly News are not necessarily those of the Editor or the British Dragonfly Society. Members: Mike Averill, Steve Brooks, Steve Cham, David Chelmick, Claire Install, Stephen Prentice, Adrian Parr, Val Perrin, Ian Smith, Pam Taylor. Corresponding Members: Tim Beynon, Norman Moore, Charlotte Smith BDS Subscriptions (annual) Ordinary membership £20 Project Officers Field Meetings Organiser: Mike Averill, 49 James Road, Ordinary – Overseas £25 Kidderminster, Worcs. DY10 2TR Benefactor (minimum) £40 Life Member Benefactor £20 Migrant Dragonfly Project: Adrian Parr, 10 Orchard Way, Barrow, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP29 Library £35 5BX. Corporate £100 Subscriptions are due on 1 April each year. Conservation Officer: *Genevieve Dalley, c/o Natural England Please Gift Aid your subscription, if possible. (West Midlands), Parkside Court, Hall Park All subscriptions & membership enquiries to: Way, Telford, TF3 4LR. Tel. 0300 060 2338 BDS Membership, Lynn Curry, 23 Bowker Way, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1PY Records Officer: *Henry Curry, BDS Web Master: David Hepper, 12 Three Stiles Road, Registered Charity Number: 800196 FARNHAM, Surrey, GU9 7DE. *Tel. web site: www.british-dragonflies.org.uk David.Hepper@Local-Software. co.uk ISSN: 1752-2633 Dragonfly News is printed byArtisan Litho using vegetable oil based inks on paper from well managed, sustainable sources, certified to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.- http://www.artisanlitho.co.uk The plastic envelope used to deliver Dragonfly News can be recycled with shopping bags at larger retailers. * An asterisk indicates a change since the last issue www.british-dragonflies.org.uk Follow us: Corporate Members @BDSdragonflies British Dragonfly Society British Dragonfly Society Pool Contents Features 06 Obituary: Betty Smith, doyen of dragonfly studies in Scotland Pat Batty, Mo Richards & David Clarke 10 Favourite Days Jerry Hawker 12 Identifying Dragonflies: a personal journey from late 1960s to the present Brian Walker 16 On the Colonisation of Red-eyed Damselflies at Moors Valley Country Park Keith Powrie 18 White-faced Darters break through the ‘1K barrier’ at Foulshaw Moss 10 Have you ever David Clarke 22 got up at 0400hrs Egg parasitism of Scarce Emerald 12 BDS Treasurer Damselfly Dave Smallshire to catch dragonflies Brian Walker reviews waking up? Read the growth in field about Jerry Hawker’s guides and how experiences doing they influenced his just that. recording. Regulars 02 All Change Henry Curry 03 From the Conservation Officer Genevieve Dalley 04 Daniele Muir - Scotlnd Officer 05 HotSpots - Morton Lochs 07 InBox 08 First Dates for 2015 Adrian Parr 09 Migrant & New Colonist Update Adrian Parr 14 Notes & Observations 20 Members’ Gallery 23 Reviews 23 In a first for Dragonfly News, Mark Tyrrell 27 BDS Business reviews the new Canon 100-400mm L lens 28 BDS Annual Meeting 2015 as a general purpose lens for dragonfly photography. Autumn 2015 1 capable of meeting these challenges, and We have some marvellous All Change we all wish her well in this fascinating job. communicators in the BDS, and we By the time you read this our Scotland now need nominations for the Longfield Officer, Daniele Muir, will also have Certificate for this year. Is there someone left us, for personal reasons. We are in the Society who should receive also particularly sorry to say goodbye this award, given for their outstanding to Daniele. In her relatively short time contribution in educating the public about with us she has been an amazing dragonflies? Please let me know who you and dynamic representative for the think should receive the award. Society north of the border, and she has Now for one of those shocks that you impressed everyone with her energy and get in life; they don’t come very often, but enthusiasm. We’ll be looking for someone when they do you are left momentarily to take over this role and carry on the dumbstruck! I opened a letter in July and good work as soon as possible. was amazed to see that the BDS has Henry Curry As I mentioned in the last issue of benefited further from a legacy which had DN, our Records Officer Steve Prentice already allocated us a generous sum last Another summer, during which has now retired. I’ve temporarily year, from the estate of a member who we’ve seen the usual crop of interesting assumed a Records Co-ordination role passed away. It’s particularly gratifying to sightings, is coming to a close. The to make sure we have continuity. Our realise that all the hard work of everyone Migrant Hawkers are whizzing around recording process is also going through involved in the Society is valued, and our front garden in a superb display that fundamental changes, and whilst the I believe that many of our aims and looks choreographed, and Common transition period from existing systems activities will now be secured much Darters begin to hug the old fence may last some time – probably rather further into the future on a more sound for every last ray of sunshine as the more than the original rather optimistic financial footing due to this additional shadows grow longer. It’s a fact of life that estimate - I am convinced that iRecord is sum. I am sure this bequest will allow change is inevitable, but I suppose we the right way forward and will ultimately the Society to increase its influence and mostly do our best to maintain a ‘dynamic be the central input point for our records, expand its staff so that we can grow, and equilibrium’. We have seen quite a few stored in the Indicia data warehouse and the Trustees have spent considerable changes to the Society recently, and the available via the NBN Gateway. We’ll time discussing how best to use this latest is the departure of Claire Install and hear more about this soon and I hope to money. appointment of our new Conservation discuss guidance and training with Vice- Which brings me nicely on to the Officer, Genevieve Dalley. Claire joined County Recorders. subject of the Trustees and our meetings. us back in 2009 and since then worked hard on multiple tasks of conservation projects, answering public queries, education and managing the media. She left us on 20 May, having been appointed as Senior Conservation Officer with Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. We are very sorry to lose her services but thank her for her contribution to the BDS and wish her every success in her new role. Our new ‘Consoff’ Genevieve - happy to be called ‘Gen’ - who comes to us with a good grounding in wildlife and plenty of dragonfly & freshwater invertebrate experience, introduces herself in an article elsewhere in the magazine. After a significant selection process and interviews (there were over 70 applicants!) she was appointed on 13 July. Amongst other things she has already visited the Dragonfly Centre at Wicken Fen for Dragonfly Day, stood duty at the Rutland Water Bird Fair, and been to some key dragonfly sites. She BDS Trustees at the August Trustees meeting. Left to right: Mick Parfitt, Nigel Scott, has significant challenges ahead in this Henry Curry, Stuart Irons, Brian Walker abd Genevieve Dalley. demanding role, but I am sure she is very 2 Dragonfly News 68 www.british-dragonflies.org.uk Apart from an occasional plea that you’ll see in this magazine, asking for From the new folks to replace those who have completed their term of office, as a team we decided that it’s probably not obvious Conservation Officer to anyone outside our meetings exactly what we do and how we go about our and the erection of an electric fence to business. So I thought I’d share some protect breeding waders. While I was thoughts on this and give you a flavour here, one of the other volunteers, David of how we operate.