Norwich Western Link road planning decision sparks outrage amongst environmental groups
Following the announcement that Norfolk County Council has given the green light for a planning application to be submitted for the Norwich Western Link road, the BDS and other environmental organisations continue to raise grave concerns about the damage the road would do to wildlife and the landscape. Environmental experts and community groups warn that…
Read the White-legged Damselfly Investigation final report
The final report on the White-legged Damselfly Investigation citizen science project is now available to download here. From 2018 to 2022 over 700 volunteers assisted the BDS in mapping the distribution of the White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) across England and Wales with the aim of assessing changes in the species’ occupancy (geographic area within which…
BDS supports call for ban of the use of harmful pesticides in pet medicines
The BDS has written to Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in support of the recent call to ban of the use of harmful pesticides in pet medicine.
Collect our new pin badges
The BDS shop now offers four bright and beautiful pin badges for sale at £2.50 each: Emperor, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, and Banded Demoiselle. They’ll make a great Christmas stocking filler – take a look.
State of Nature 2023 Report – UK nature-depleted
The State of Nature 2023 report, the most comprehensive report on the UK’s current biodiversity, has been released and is available to read in full here. The report uses data collated over the past 50 years by thousands of volunteers taking part in recording schemes, such as the National Recording Scheme for Odonata. In summary,…
Dragonfly Conservation Group – Statisticians Needed
The BDS Dragonfly Conservation Group is looking for volunteers with experience in statistical ecology to assist them in exploring and analysing the BDS datasets; for example, identifying relationships between species occurrence and environmental/geographical variables. The DCG is a volunteer group of dragonfly experts that works to forward research into British Odonata, in particular species of…
Register as a volunteer
We are calling for all new and existing volunteers to register via this quick online form: click here. Registering as a volunteer will help us contact you regarding important updates and new opportunities. It will also allow the BDS to track your activities and celebrate your achievements. Image by Daniele Muir
Introduction to the National Dragonfly Recording Scheme
New to dragonfly recording? The entoLIVE blog for the DragonflyWatch: The National Dragonfly Recording Scheme entoLIVE webinar is now available via the link below. The blog includes a recording of the presentation as well as a transcription of the Q&A with Ellie Colver, BDS Conservation Officer, a list of literature references and any relevant useful…
Photographing Dragonflies – top tips by a County Dragonfly Recorder
Written by Marc Heath (Kent County Dragonfly Recorder) For over ten years, I have been photographing the dragonflies and damselflies that live in the UK and have been proud to have had a number published in national magazines and identification guides. Whilst anyone can capture photos of these fascinating insects there are a number of…
Pond Ponderings – An Emerging Story!
By Alison and Marc Dilnutt We started off with a very small pond about six years ago then in lockdown we went crazy and hand-dug our current pond. It’s about a sixth of our garden now and we love it. When we dug the new one, we decanted all the water from our old one and kept…