Course curriculum

    1. Welcome to Surveying For Dragonflies

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Surveying For Dragonflies

    3. Q&A with Dave Smallshire

    4. Surveying For Dragonflies Quiz

    5. Useful Books

    6. Further Info
  • £10.00
  • 1 hour of video content

What will be covered during this course?

Aimed at site managers, naturalists and conservationists looking to monitor Odonata on local sites and contribute to national biodiversity monitoring schemes..

  • Understand a range of dragonfly and damselfly survey methods – including point counts, transect walks, exuviae surveys, species-specific approaches, and site evaluations.

  • Recognise when and where to apply different survey techniques – considering timing, habitat conditions, and the strengths and limitations of each method.

  • Gain the skills to plan and conduct effective surveys – from selecting suitable sites to collecting and contributing records to national monitoring schemes.

Ecology tutor

Dave Smallshire

Dragonfly & Damselfly Specialist

Dave Smallshire was an agri-environment adviser to farmers and the government before taking early retirement in 2006. He’s been an avid birdwatcher for nearly 60 years, travelling extensively in Europe and Africa, with visits to several parts of North, Central & South America and Asia. Although a competent all-round naturalist, his early career as an agricultural entomologist led to an interest in butterflies and dragonflies some 40 years ago; the latter have taken up increasing amounts of his time in recent years. He is a member of the Dragonfly Conservation Group of the British Dragonfly Society and is a former trustee of the charity. He’s led countless dragonfly training events, which resulted in co-authoring (with Andy Swash) the highly-acclaimed field guide, 'Britain's Dragonflies'. He has pioneered dragonfly-watching holidays to countries such as Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, South Africa and Sri Lanka. He is heavily engaged in bird, dragonfly and other ecological surveys and conservation in Devon, UK, where he’s lived for 36 years, but above all else, he loves to find and show people wildlife, preferably in exotic places!

Start learning about surveying dragonflies today!

Enroll today

Skills For Ecology

Our Skill For Ecology webinars focus on technical skills useful in ecology and conservation roles, such as use of technology, field surveying, species identification and practical conservation skills.
Check out upcoming Skills For Ecology webinars