British Dragonfly Society Sussex Group Autumn Newsletter 2007 No 19 Ovipositing Small Red-eyed Damselflies (E viridulum) ©Keith Noble Welcome As this year draws to an autumnal close, I’m amazed at how lively some of the local wildlife still is. The flowers have started flowering again in the garden, and I am still regularly seeing dragonflies flitting around the wetlands of Sussex. I can only describe this year as being ‘confused’ in terms of weather and unsurprisingly, some of our local species (including the lesser spotted local otter officer!) are too! Much as it may hamper our enjoyment of these incredible creatures, for dragonflies, the extra doses of the wet stuff we’ve had all summer, with the occasional drop of warmth and sunshine, have probably been beneficial to them in the long term. Increasing pressure on our water resources in Sussex mean that every little drop counts for wetland wildlife. With the possibility of breeding Red-veined darters however, 2008 looks set to be an interesting year. So we wish you all well for the winter, and look forward the prospect of some interesting new records in the New Year!! Sussex Dragonfly Socie ty Newsletter Sussex Odonata Report 2007 Travel Diary of a Dragonfly! Migrant Hawker ( A mixta ) © John Luck As we move into November, the season is nearing its close but for those of you who are still out and about there are still sightings of Common Darter and Migrant Hawker to be had when the sun appears. The records we have received this year so far seem to indicate that it hasn’t been a bumper season, however there have been some particularly significant events. An influx of more than 12 migrant Red- veined Darters Sympetrum fonscolombii was spotted at Seven Sisters Country Park by Keith Noble on nd June 2 . This is by far the largest number of this species to be seen in Sussex, and although it appeared that only males were present, there is a possibility they were accompanied by females which then dispersed. In theory this means that they could have bred and that there may be emergences, so do keep your eyes peeled next year! I think one of our jobs in the future will be to keep track of the exciting new voyages from across the sea that this species appears increasingly to be making. There is also the possibility that the red veined darters may have cross-bred with local female Common Darters to produce hybrids. Curious as this sounds, I have recently seen a photo of a dragonfly exhibiting diagnostic features of both species. The Sympetrums are already a difficult group to identify and hybridisation would introduce a further level of complexity that makes even my mind boggle! Another challenge for next year perhaps! Another species worthy of mention is the Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum , which continues to extend its range. We saw several on our field trip to Pett Level which was hardly a surprise as this is close to the original site at Icklesham. However, I hardly expected to find them whilst walking on Lullington Heath North of Seaford and dropping in at Winchester’s Pond. The pond was full of water and there was a patch of algae which I thought looked ideal for the species when as if on cue, out of the blue a mating pair appeared. They are a tricky species so often a telescope is a must, but once we are more used to their behaviour it should become easier. As yet, this years records have yet to be finalised, so as the season draws to a close, now is the ideal opportunity to ask you to send in your records as soon as you are able preferably using Odonata Recorder. If you experience any difficulty using this, please let us know. John Luck October 2007 Sussex Dragonfly Society Newsletter Return of the Red Barons! SDS Competition Red-veined Darter The arrival of 12 Red-veined Darters at Seven Sisters Country Park prompts the question “Is this the result of global warming?” Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter) is a resident of Northern Africa and Southern Europe and a rare migrant to the U.K. It requires southerly winds to assist its flight. Resident populations have been established in Cornwall, Devon and Lancashire, but to date no populations have been established in Sussex. “Dragonflies of Sussex”, published in 2004 by the Sussex Group of the British Dragonfly Society, tells us that there had been 23 sightings with the most being 5 at any one time. Since then, 3 separate records were received last year, including 5 at Arlington Reservoir and this year at an early stage, we have already been advised of 4 separate sightings with the 12 at Seven Sisters being more than twice the previous record number. The 12 dragonflies were all males. However, it is possible that females were also blown over and have dispersed to nearby woodland. Thus, we wait to see if a breeding population is established. Sympetrum fonscolombii is the Scientific Name: Sympetrum defining the genus (or sub-family) known in English as Darters and fonscolombii the species which was named after Baron de Fonscolombe.” The idea of Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, the celebrated World War I fighter pilot returning as a dragonfly conjures up just the right image. He was the ace German pilot who flew a Fokker triplane, which was all red with a white nose. The Red-veined Darter has an all red body but with a red nose. It’s frequently in action performing low-flying sorties over the water. The pictures show the red veins on the wing and why it is so called. Red-veined Darter ( S fonscolombii ) © John Luck The BDS Sussex Group are holding a competition for the best photograph of a darter with red veins – the prize being a copy of “Dragonflies of Sussex” signed by the authors – although all records of dragonflies, either rare or common, will be gratefully received. John Luck October 2007 Sussex Dragonfly Society Newsletter News Watch this space! The Sussex Dragonfly Society (SDS) is embracing the wonders of technology and will be launching its own web page soon! One of the few colonies of the small red damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) in West Sussex is alive and well. The colony near Wiggonholt Common seems only to appear in wet summers and a healthy number of breeding pairs were observed in August and early September. Hopes of the rediscovery of the Scarce Emerald damselfly (Lestes dryas) at Rye Harbour following the sighting of a single female in 2006 have so far come to nothing. This is an insect that can occur in quite small populations and may be overlooked so keep searching especially in brackish waters along the coast. Hold the page! It has never been easier to get yourself a copy of the Dragonflies of Sussex book. You can now pop in to Borders and peruse one at your leisure with a cuppa! Four Spotted chaser © Dave Sadler First and Last Dragonflies are being seen increasingly early in the year and late in the season. The Sussex Dragonfly Society would love to receive records of your latest sightings in 2007 and earliest records of emergences in 2008 for any species. Records of early mating, ovipositing and emergence, along with the last dates on which individual species were seen can provide valuable information about the changing habits of dragonflies as climate changes. In future years, these records could be invaluable in helping inform how our wetland habitats need to be managed to help these incredible creatures adapt. Sussex Dragonfly Society Newsletter Eye – D Corner White-Legged Damsels Honing your identification skills is one of the great joys and challenges of wildlife observation. To attempt to determine a species of dragonfly or indeed any beast by just one feature places great demands on our skills. I personally apply a “Rule of 3”. If all three features are satisfied then you can be reasonably confident that a correct identification has been made. In the case of the WLD Platycnemis pennipes, although it has white legs, other damsels such as Blue- tailed Damsel have pale legs which can be misleading. White Legged Damselfly © Gordon Jarvis Female Blue-tailed damselfly (Ishnura elegans) Immature insect in unusual pink morph (adults are pale blue) © Theresa Greenaway In 90% of cases, you will be observing a male dragonfly, so these comments refer to males. For any Blue Damselfly, look at Segments 8 & 9 – if all/mostly blue then it will be Common Blue, Azure, Variable, Blue-tailed or even Red-eyed, but it won’t be White-legged. The three features to look out for on the White Legged damsel are:- • A pale blue abdomen • A unique inverted “V” on final three segments of abdomen • A double ante-humeral stripes Only then should you take note of the white legs. An additional tip is that the newly emerged insect of this species is also a unique pale colour, which is quite distinctive displaying both the inverted “V” and double ante-humeral stripes of the adult. John Luck October 2007 Sussex Dragonfly Society Newsletter Chasing ScarcScarce e Chasers After exciting discoveries last year of the Scarce Chaser on both the Cuckmere and the Ouse rivers, this year’s flight season was eagerly awaited. Quite clearly breeding of Scarce Chasers had taken place as evidenced by the markings on the males’ abdomens although breeding activity was not witnessed. Scarce chaser with abdomen marks © John Luck Male Scarce chaser © John Luck Upon my return from a holiday in Spain in early May, I knew that the weather back home had been perfect and looked forward to the prospect of basking in sunshine watching mating Scarce Chasers.