Dragonflies and Damselflies of the New Forest and East Dorset

In the Press

Welcome to Dragonflies and Damselflies of the New Forest, a site dedicated to the enormously rewarding pastime of tracking, identifying and photographing these most beautiful of insects. The New Forest on the South Coast of England offers one of the most diverse array of species in the UK, and has become a popular holiday destination for Dragonfly enthusiasts.

Today, 74% of the UK species can be found in the New Forest and neighbouring East Dorset, providing a wealth of photographic opportunity throughout the summer months.

My name is Doug Overton and I started filming and photographing Dragonflies in 2003. Since this time I have developed a number of techniques for photographing dragonflies in their best light, both perched and in-flight.

Over this period I have also identified a multitude of ideal spotter locations in the New Forest and East Dorset, with a list of perfect 'hot spots' on record for spotting all popular species.
Few hobbies are as rewarding as those which combine the tranquillity of relaxing by sun blazoned forest ponds, the excitement and anticipation of seeing a rare species, and the joy and fulfilment of capturing it on camera.

I am not a scientist, nor entomologist, and as such please don't expect to be blinded by science and jargon, or to be overwhelmed with ecological information or migration patterns! There are many more valuable sites of this nature on the web for those who are interested. This site sets out to share my photography and video footage, along with the associated techniques with fellow enthusiasts.

To accompany the media I have included references to flight times, behaviors and locations that have all been derived through my own personal experience.

Many of the photographs included are a result of many patient hours spent sat in mud, poised with a camera waiting for an opportune moment to take the perfect shot.

I do hope you enjoy the site and all of its features; I am always delighted to hear feedback from visitors, and welcome contributions from fellow enthusiasts to the discussion forums.

As time progresses I will be adding more media, features and species to the site, and expanding the location maps with new exciting spots in the New Forest and SE Dorset areas. While this site is predominantly focused on species in the Hampshire and Dorset areas, I am always interested to hear of species from other regions in the UK, or worldwide.

All my images are available for use in print for no charge, all I ask is that you drop me an email to request their use, and credit me as the photographer alongside any included images. If you wish to use an image in print / on-line media, then please contact me and I will be happy to provide you with hi-resolution imagery or hi-definition video clips or all species mentioned on this site.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy snapping!