Odonata

Local dragonfly reserve established in Beijing

On Monday this week I received a message from the Shunyi Forest and Parks Bureau asking when I had some time to meet. They said they had something to show me.

We arranged to meet on Thursday morning and I was a little intrigued. They collected me from my apartment and drove me to a small park close by, a place that I had highlighted to them some time ago as a good place for dragonflies and that provided a potential opportunity to set up a community dragonfly reserve.

As we parked up and walked in, I could immediately see a new addition to this small green space – a large information board with pictures of 24 dragonfly and damselfly species that have been recorded there, with text about dragonflies’ life-cycle and why they are important. Wow!

The information board with photos of the 24 species of dragonfly and damselfly recorded at the site, including a special emphasis on the critically endangered Libellula angelina, 24 October 2024.

This small green space, about 20 minutes walk from my apartment, is a place I visit every month. Two years ago, I was fortunate to discover a small breeding population of the critically endangered Libellula angelina 低斑蜻 Dī bān qīng. There are only a handful of known sites for this species in the capital and it has clearly declined significantly over the last few decades. Given that the species is on the wing only in April and early May, it is easily overlooked. The following summer I discovered a small population of Brachydiplax chalybea 蓝额疏脉蜻 Lán é shū mài qīng (Oriental Blue Dasher) at the same site, a species that historically was found only to the south of Beijing and with only very few records in the capital. Together with a good variety of more common resident species, it was clear that this site was an exceptionally good place for dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata).

The discoveries inspired me to draft a short proposal to make this small urban wetland a dedicated dragonfly reserve, with suggestions on how to manage the habitat effectively to protect these fantastic insects. I submitted it to the local government with low expectations but I took the view that it was worth the effort to try to raise awareness about the special wildlife we have around us in a relatively urban part of the city.

I am overjoyed that the local government has decided to take up the recommendations.

In the proposal, I listed the species I had recorded, illustrated with photos taken at the site, and highlighted the two rare species, especially the critically endangered Libellula angelina. They used the images to illustrate the information board and have included background about Libellula angelina to help raise awareness that this community has something special in their backyard.

Internationally, there is a lot of emphasis on officially protected areas to help protect biodiversity and, under the new Global Biodiversity Framework, there is a headline global target to protect at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and at least 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030, but it is arguably equally as important to manage non-protected areas in a way that is more friendly for biodiversity, and I hope that this example from Shunyi District in Beijing will inspire other districts and towns to follow suit. As far as we know, it is the first local dragonfly reserve in Beijing and, possibly, in all of China.

Big thanks to the local government in Houshayu, Shunyi District, and to friends at Shandong University for their help with the habitat recommendations.

The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Beijing

Summer is a good time to experience the wealth of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) that grace our local patches and, given the birding is usually relatively quiet at this season, the number of insect enthusiasts is often swelled by birders for a couple of months of the year.

It’s overdue to include information on Birding Beijing about these flying insects and so I am pleased to finally publish a dedicated page, accessible from the main menu. The page includes a downloadable PDF of the 60 species of dragonfly and damselfly to be found in Beijing, including scientific, Chinese (including pinyin) and English common names where available.

I am planning to supplement the list with images taken in the capital, slowly building up a library of images showing the different sexes and ages. The image gallery currently has only eight species, so there is much room for expansion! If you have any images of Odonata from Beijing that you are willing to share, particularly of species not yet illustrated, please contact me using the form on the dedicated page.

Special thanks you to Yue Ying who provided a list of species found in Beijing.

Title image: a Dusky Lilysquatter, Paracercion calamorum dyeri, 苇尾蟌, in the Olympic Forest Park, 26 June 2020 (Terry Townshend)

In the continuing sultry heat of Beijing in August it’s uncomfortable to spend much time in the field, even during the early morning or evening. A sun hat and lots of water are essentials. And so for my latest visit to the Olympic Forest Park, I packed a heavy 2-litre bottle of water with my camera gear and made my way to the Metro for the 40-minute journey to the south gate. I was hoping to catch up with the breeding Yellow Bitterns and some more dragonflies.

The large reedbeds in the south-west of the park were now very tall and, in contrast to my last visit when the bitterns were constantly flying to and fro with food, it took me over an hour to catch sight of my first – a young bird – that made a short flight across one of the lakes. My only other sightings were of two other young birds, leading me to suspect that the adults have already left the breeding grounds and are on their way south.

Other birds were few and far between. The reedbeds that have, for the last couple of months, been full of the chattering of Oriental Reed Warblers, were eerily silent with just the odd sub-song from one or two of these birds and, as with the bitterns, noticeably less feeding activity.

In contrast to the birds, the dragonflies were seemingly more abundant than ever. One particular species is very common at this site. I think it is a Sympetrum sp, possibly Sympetrum kunckeli. Photos of the male and female below.