For various reasons, little moth trapping has been carried out this year, so it was good to have caught 70 moths overnight on the 1st. They included 2 Poplar Hawk Moths, one Eyed Hawk Moth, a Cream-bordered Green Pea, Gold Spot, Yellow Belle, Sycamore and both Swallow Prominent and Pebble Prominent.

On the 5th, the first Black-tailed Skimmer of the year was in the Middle Field, where 2 Red-eyed Damselflies and an egg-laying female Emperor were present on the pond.

Emperor Dragonfly after emerging from larval case. This normally happens at night. (photo, Ian Hodgson)

A walk along Worth track when the sun eventually poked its nose out on the 4th revealed a Four-spotted Chaser, 3 Hairy Dragonflies, 10 Red-eyed Damselflies and, along one of the ditches adjacent to the North Stream, 14 Variable Damselflies. Blue-tailed Damselfly is still the most numerous of the three most common damsels, with only a few Azure and Common Blue in evidence. The event of the day, though, was a female Emperor Dragonfly emerging from its larval skin and eventually taking flight on the Observatory dipping pool.

Four-spotted Chaser, photographed in a ditch near the Observatory by Ian Hodgson

The 26th produced at least one, possibly two Scarce Chasers, following the discovery of one on the 21st; the first records at the Bay for ten years. At least 20 Black-tailed Skimmers were on Restharrow Scrape, along with 4 Red-veined Darters, and 3 Red-eyed Damselflies were on the pond in Middle Field. The final day of the month was warm with with a fairly light breeze and a walk along the North Stream produced the notable discovery of at least 16 Scarce Chasers; a very significant number of a species that is very scarce and local in Kent. Also, at least 6 Red-veined Darters were living up to their name over the scrape and a male Banded Demoiselle was seen in a weedy ditch on Worth marshes.

Scarce Chaser (male) by Ian Hodgson