August 2016 - part 1
1st August 2016 - (Monday, Hétfő)
An afternoon visit ... and still very hot ! A Scarce Swallowtail was missed by the camera, as it didn't stop ! There was a lovely Dingy Skipper enjoying the moist moss today, and it was so bronzey and shiny ... certainly not dingy at all ! Some water patches were starting to look isolated during my time there, but this evening, we have had some rather heavy rain showers, so we're hoping that we have been saved again. There were some rather nice Short-tailed Blues there today, and a Thomisus Crab Spider that was mimicking its chosen yellow flower head perfectly.
Teréz's photos from the same day (1st August):
2nd August 2016 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
This afternoon was, again, very hot, but it was well worth the visit as there were many unusual species recorded, including many 'old favourites'. It started with an Ant Lion, continued with a young Praying Mantis, followed by the 'weird and wonderful' Golden Egg Bug, was supplemented by a Blue Carpenter Bee, and was rounded-off with a Fox Moth caterpillar, calmly wandering along the top irrigation channel. Luckily, for the caterpillar, no rain deluge was imminent ! Besides that star line-up, many other interesting species were photographed, including the amazingly agile Hummingbird Hawkmoth. A Wood White eluded the camera, as did an Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow. Teréz took some super photos of a Dryad, and also the 'rather special' Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper today. These photos will appear soon !
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day (2nd August):
3rd August 2016 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
Today was a mixture of sunshine and cloud, which made photography somewhat challenging. I was constantly changing settings to cope with the rotating brightness and shade. But, for all that, it was another highly rewarding visit, with the first sighting of a female Small Pincertail dragonfly (we'd only had the male previously), and a varied selection of grasshoppers and bush-crickets. A pair of Silver-studded Blue butterflies gave a fine display of courtship poses. Eastern Pale Clouded Yellows were recorded, as well as several male Chalkhill Blues, and one female. I've said it many times before, but the SQ constantly provides surprises, and delights, with its amazing diversity. Some of the trails I walk through The Bowl now have some sections that are no longer under water. If the heat continues, the wet areas will start to fragment, so we're hoping for a few more substantial thunderstorms, accompanied by even more substantial rain !
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day (3rd August):
4th August 2016 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Today, I was on-site from 1145 until 1405, and once again, there were many interesting things to observe and photograph. We always say that the SQ is an amazing place, as we never know what will appear next. To underline this fact, I had a Dryad that wanted to open its wings, a superb male Brimstone, a female Sooty Copper, the welcome return of the Gold-ringed Burnet moth, and a mating pair of Weaver's Fritillary. I also recorded the sad demise of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth … the prey of a yellow crab spider. That spider must have reacted very quickly, as usually only the tongue of the HBHM touches the flower head. The extreme heat is causing the water level to drop, and we are now very close to the 'fragmentation stage' for the water in The Bowl, when pools become separated from each other. All this could change if a monsoon storm arrives. We hope it does, because a 'watery' SQ is so full of life!
5th August 2016 - (Friday, Péntek)
I was on-site from 0915 until 1100, and the big news is: we have tadpoles in the reedbed channel ! Tadpoles (ebihalak) of the Common Spadefoot Toad - Pelobates fuscus - Barna ásóbéka, to be precise. You may remember, a few weeks ago, when we had the large influx of rainwater, that Fire-bellied Toads and Spadefoots were calling. At the time, I thought it was just 'wishful thinking' on their part, but no .... mission accomplished! Now we hope that we get more rain so that these late babies can complete their development. Butterflies seen but not photographed today were: Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Dryad, Large White, and what looked to be a female Silver-washed Fritillary. I also briefly came face-to-face with a large yellow and black dragonfly in the reedbed, which I assume was the female Small Pincertail that I photographed a few days ago.
6th August 2016 - (Saturday, Szombat)
Here are Teréz's pix when she visited the SQ with Robika, Franci, Miklos, and Enikó
8th August 2016 - (Monday, Hétfő)
A late afternoon visit provided some real gems: a superb Swallowtail, a male Chalkhill Blue, Chestnut Heath, Weaver's Fritillary, and, for only the 2nd time since we've been studying the site, a Silver-spotted Skipper. This one was a male, as indicated by the black sex brand on the forewing. In addition, there was a female Long-winged Conehead (bush-cricket), climbing on a rock face ..... a long way from its traditional haunt, namely, the reedbed area ! A Hummingbird Hawkmoth also put in an appearance, as did a Common Buzzard. The Coffee Pool is now very low on water, and is cut-off from the reedbed water. We desperately need rainfall now, if the Common Spadefoot Toad tadpoles are to complete their development. Maybe another tadpole rescue operation will be required?
9th August 2016 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
My lunchtime visit gave me the Silver-spotted Skipper male for the 2nd day in succession, plus Chestnut Heath, Silver-studded Blue, Common Blue, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Weaver's Fritillary, Wood White, Chalkhill Blue males, Large White, Small White, False Grayling, Dryad, Meadow Brown, and Small Heath. Blue Carpenter Bees, Hummingbird Hawkmoths, and Hornets were visiting the stands of Purple Loosestrife, the latter for sinister reasons ! The water areas are continuing to shrink in the relentless heat of the sun. The situation in the reedbed channel is fairly stable at the moment, but drastic rescue action may be needed soon if the tadpoles are going to survive.