Norfolk Hawker has been seen at Whixall Moss for the second year running with reports ranging from 1 to 3 adults. Jan Shields has sent these fabulous photos taken at Whixall showing a male with the diagnostic striking green eyes and yellow isosceles triangle. I was hunting for this species elsewhere yesterday to no avail, but saw some of the first Brown Hawkers! Take care with these species now both on the wing…if you see brown wings in flight and no green eyes then you are looking at Brown Hawkers. Jan also visited Comer Woods at Dudmaston and incredibly saw a male Willow Emerald Damselfly (below right)! The first I’ve heard of this year and surprisingly early for a species I was expecting in August! Perhaps most striking if you see a Willow Emerald are the large light pterostigma and the length of the abdomen. Jan also photographed this wonderful female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing (far below left).
Elsewhere Stephen Barlow and myself have seen the first Common Darters, my sighting of a teneral near Shrewsbury and Stephen seeing a pair ovipositing at Whixall Moss. And the final species to add is Southern Hawker…still to firm up the details but a female definitely seen somewhere in the Rea Valley on 18th June…
