Site No. 5 - Hall Farm Fisheries, Thorpe Satchville

• By Steve Houghton

Grid Refs: SK 730 126 and SK 726 127

 Site Access

Situated half a mile to the north of Thorpe Satchville, down a minor road off the B6047. Look for the signs for the fisheries at the crossroads. This site comprises two privately-owned coarse fishing lakes, a quarter of a mile apart. Between them, they provide a superb range of habitat for Odonata.

 Site Details

Hall Farm 1 - SK 730126
This lake is the older of the two and is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs. It has extensive bankside reed beds and large areas of lilypads. It supports a good variety of both dragonfly and damselfly species, though not in such large numbers as Hall Farm 2

Hall Farm 2 - SK 726127
This lake is only 12 years old, but is very impressive. It lies in a small steep valley and is bathed in sunlight from dawn to dusk. It has good bankside vegetation with a very large reedbed at one end that is host to huge numbers of both Common Blue and Azure Damselflies, and most importantly a vast colony of Blue-tailed Damselflies. This colony has all forms of Blue-taileds and is a perfect site for anyone wishing to study this species. In addition to this there are good areas of exposed mud banks that are favoured by good numbers of Black-tailed Skimmers.

Please note: this is not a public site; try to avoid any disturbance to the fishermen who pay for the privilege of being there!

Dragonflies recorded at the site
Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta  Damselflies recorded at the site Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens		Female Brown Hawker © Steve Houghton