Aeshna mixta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The migrant hawker or autumn hawker (Aeshna mixta) is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies. It can be found away from water but for breeding it prefers still or slow-flowing water and can tolerate brackish sites. The flight period is from July to the middle of November. A. mixta occurs in North Africa, southern and central Europe to southern Scandinavia and the Baltic region.
A. mixta is a small Aeshna which appears dark in flight. It is similar in appearance to other Aeshna species but has a characteristic "golf-tee" shaped mark on the second segment of the abdomen (S2) which is diagnostic. In flight it looks like a small Emperor dragonfly with a blue abdomen which, when seen from the side, curves down. The main identification problem in the field is distinguishing this species from A. affinis where the two species fly together. The markings on the side of the thorax are different in A. affinis and A. mixta. In A. affinis the sides of the thorax are greeny yellow with fine black lines along the sutures. In A. mixta the sides of the thorax are similar in colour but the yellow is separated by dark brown areas so it gives the appearance of having two... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 4 | Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 5 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 6 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Migrant Hawker sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 294th most-seen of the 387 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Migrant Hawker in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Migrant Hawker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Migrant Hawker sightings, Snowdonia National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 20%), Doñana National Park (Spain, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Migrant Hawker is recorded against all the insects logged in Snowdonia National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
