[Adastra] Scarce Chaser in East Sussex

[John Luck]

I have just sent this email out to all our Sussex Group "members" so 
apologies if you have already received it.

Should you wish to become a member and receive our free Newsletters, 
please let me know. In return we would appreciate receiving any 
dragonfly records you have time available to send to me.

Best wishes

John

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Dear All

As you may have read in our recent Newsletter, the Scarce Chaser is now 
present in East Sussex. The Cuckmere population where only males, albeit 
with breeding scars on the abdomen, were found, has been confirmed as a 
breeding site with both a newly-emerged teneral in late May and mating 
pair seen in early June.

For many years it was believed to have been present only on the Arun and 
Adur, but now we are trying to establish how many other Sussex rivers 
hold a population. We thus have until mid-July to search other rivers in 
Sussex.

If everyone can visit their local rivers and take a closer look at every 
supposed Black-tailed Skimmer they find to see if in fact it might be a 
Scarce Chaser (the males of both species have a blue abdomen with black 
tip).

Key id points of males are:

Black-tailed Skimmer - green eyes, brown thorax, normally perches on 
ground;

Scarce Chaser - grey-blue eyes, dark thorax, dark patch at wing base, 
normally perches on vegetation.

Take care to ensure it is not a Broad-bodied Chaser.

Having found the Cuckmere population, the Ouse was also checked last 
year and a couple of males found in late June. This year I have surveyed 
two stretches upstream from Barcombe Reservoir and have located one 
male, which very obligingly perched up on a blade of grass. Photo may be 
viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/8662757@N03/549187421/ . On the 
evidence seen so far the bankside vegetation along the Ouse is not ideal 
habitat for Scarce Chasers, which enjoy dense, tall vegetation and 
particularly umbellifers.

Please let me know of any suspected sites.

Many thanks for your help

John