Wow, That Could Have Been Worse!

 A post by Mark Tyrrell, our county dragonfly recorder, on the Northants FB page alerted me to the presence of Downy Emerald(s) at Priors Hall. Any plans forming in my mind were promptly changed and I duly pitched up at Priors with a view to seeing if I could find one. Some may recall that a Downy Emerald was photographed here in 2020 so these further sightings raised some intriguing possibilities. Sadly I dipped in my efforts to see the one two years ago but held my fingers crossed for more success this time.

Downy Emerald.

A mixture of sunny spells and clouds were the order of the day weatherwise but thankfully there was enough sunshine to prompt some insects out. On arrival I checked the grassy areas for butterflies and was rewarded with sightings of a faded looking Grizzled Skipper. Both these and Dingies look to be coming to the end of their season and they should be gone soon. Other species active here included Small Heaths as well as many Burnet Companion moths. At this relatively early stage there was not a great deal of ode activity and just a few damsels were noted. A male Cuckoo was calling and I later heard a female that was probably paying the nests of the local Reed Warblers an unwelcome visit.

Chaser trio.

I passed the first couple of ponds on my way to the first one set in amongst the alders where I hoped the Downy might be present. A shiny winged teneral Black-tailed Skimmer was my first of the year, I saw several more as well as a couple of more mature examples during my walk. With the sun now  beginning to make its presence felt a few Four-spotted Chasers and several Hairy Dragonflies began to show. My eyes were drawn to one of the dragons patrolling the pond and a squint through the bins showed it to be a Downy Emerald! It ranged up and down the pond fighting several battles with the Four-spotted Chasers in the process for about twenty or more minutes. I took a couple of record shots which while not great at least show most of the pertinent features. As more chasers joined the fray it became harder to pick the emerald out though I did see a site rarity Scarce Chaser sparring with its commoner cousins.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Grizzled Skipper and Small Copper

I checked some of the other ponds out though varying amounts of cloud made my search more difficult. Five of the commoner damsel species were noted, a sixth on my way out was Banded Demoiselle suggesting that the stream in Weldon may still harbour a few despite the pollution incident during the winter. Plenty of new brood Speckled Woods are now on the wing and I saw at least two Brimstones while a Painted Lady was also observed. My butterfly list was rounded off by a few Common Blues and a first Small Copper of the year while other wildlife included a Brown Hare and Common Toad. There's a saying that " It aint over till the fat lady sings" and while a female Broad-bodied Chaser did not break into song she did at least bring things to a satisfactory conclusion.

Painted Lady, Brimstone and Scorpion Fly.