July 2016 - part 3
21st July 2016 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Here are Teréz's photos from her solo visit:
22nd July 2016 - (Friday, Péntek)
A sunny, lunchtime visit ..... complete with the new waders ! Again, these wondrous creations enabled me to explore the reedbed, which, in turn, enabled me to add more observations. The Fire-bellied Toads were still calling, but could not be photographed today. It was a good day for Odonata, with the male Emperor dragonfly again hunting over the open water, plus at least one species of Lestes damselfly, and several of them, including a mating pair. Four species of blue damselflies were recorded: Azure, Scare Bluetail, Common Bluetail, and the star: the return of the Small Red-eyed Damselfly .... the first time since 2011 (as we've had no Summer water since then). Also a good day for the Short-tailed Blue .... two or three males were seen, plus one egg-laying female.
Teréz's pix from the same day (22nd July 2016):
23rd July 2016 - (Saturday, Szombat)
A solo visit by Teréz:
24th July 2016 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
My Sunday morning visit proved to be very productive, with several butterfly species recorded. Again, I wore the new waders in order to investigate the reedbed. The water level reached just above knee level, but after two days of unrelenting sunshine, the water level has started to drop. We're hoping that the continuing heat will cause more thunder storms so that our 'little oasis' will continue to support the increased number of species. It seems such a waste that damselfly eggs will not realise their full potential. The top drainage channel has quite a lot of road stone in it,, and although I don't believe that it has been deliberately dropped there, it, nevertheless, needs removing quickly, so that any water flow is not impeded. We think that the force of the previous downpour washed this material into the channel. Butterfly species recorded include: Silver-studded Blue (many mud-puddlers), Common Blue, Brown Argus, Eastern Bath White mating pair, Hungarian Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Scarce Swallowtail, and Small Heath.
Here are the photos from Teréz's visit on the same day:
25th July 2016 - (Monday, Hétfő)
Rumbles of thunder and dark clouds heralded the arrival of a thunder storm in the Mátra region. My first thought was that the top irrigation channel was partially blocked by road stone that was swept into it during the last 'monsoon'. So I headed there quickly, armed with a small bucket to make a clearance before the rain fell. Of course, whenever we do something like this, we seem to frighten away the rain, sending it elsewhere, and the same thing happened today, We had a short spell of rain, but it certainly wasn't heavy, and no water ran down the airfield road. Shortly after my arrival, Teréz appeared, and we logged species together. Not too many butterfly species at the site today, but we saw False Grayling, Woodland Grayling, Silver-studded Blue, Small Heath, and Spotted Fritillary. Whilst exploring the deeper water, I found the remains of a Scarce Swallowtail floating on the water surface, perhaps the specimen I photographed yesterday, and most likely the victim of the male Emperor Dragonfly. At the end of the visit, I was delighted to meet a young Common Toad (about 3 cms) making its way towards The Bowl and its water. One Wasp Spider seemed to have one of the metallic blue Dor Beetles as a captive in its web. How did THAT get there?
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day (25th July 2016):
26th July 2016 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
I was on-site from 1334 until 1508, and boy, was it hot ! I didn't help myself as I was wearing the new waders. They kept the SQ water out, but there was a massive build-up of perspiration inside. So much, in fact, that, halfway through, I unclipped the straps and rolled the top part down to waist level. I fought the discomfort because I really wanted to explore the wet areas again. I was glad that I did as I recorded and photographed a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly for only the second time at the SQ. It refused to open its wings though ! I also managed to find a male Chalkhill Blue, as Teréz did yesterday. As I walked around The Bowl, it was noticeable that the water level is continuing to drop. As I type these words (@ 1751) a thunderstorm has come to this area, but the rainfall is not heavy enough, or prolonged enough, to help the SQ situation. There are lots of Scarce Blue-tailed Damsels -Ischnura pumilio - Apró légivadász, and also several Lestes sp and Azure. The lone male Emperor dragonfly continues to patrol The Bowl, but he's not too popular with us as he's the prime suspect in the killing of the Scarce Swallowtail !
Teréz's photos from the same day (26th July 2016):
27th July 2016 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
An early evening visit, mainly due to the extreme heat of the afternoon, yielded a few butterfly species, but not too many. Teréz had much more luck earlier in the day, when she photographed a real 'basketful'.
Here are those Teréz photos from earlier in the day (27th July 2016:
28th July 2016 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Another large thunderstorm rolled in from Budapest in the west, so I whizzed up to the SQ to see how big the waterfall was ! I suppose it could be described as 'medium', but that's better than nothing. As I left, a few more rain spots were falling, so maybe the flow into the SQ will be prolonged.
29th July 2016 - (Péntek, Friday)
Teréz made this photographic record on her visit:
30th July 2016 - (Saturday, Szombat)
I arrived at the SQ at an earlier time (0945) in the hope that the temperature would not be so hot. Too late! It was already scorching ... probably up around 34 degrees. It was even worse when I put on the waders, but without them, I cannot explore the deeper water areas. It was a good decision, as I was able to photograph 2 male Large Copper that were feeding on the Purple Loosestrife flowers. I was also able to confirm that both blue-tailed damsel species are still present on the site. Butterflies photographed were: Chalkhill Blue, Large Copper, Small Copper, Sooty Copper, Common Blue, Silver-studded Blue, Grizzled Skipper, Small Heath, False Grayling, and Eastern Bath White. Escapees were: Dryad, Wood White, and (possibly) a Peacock. For maybe the first time ever, the False Grayling opened its wings ... this family is notorious for closing the wings as soon as they land. The male Emperor dragonfly was still in residence, but could not be photographed, but I was able to get some reasonable images of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth as it visited Loosestrife flowers. As always, we need another heavy downpour, or The Bowl will be mostly dry in 7-10 days.
31st July 2016 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
I was on-site from 0945 until 1130, and it was as hot as ever. Soon after arrival, I noticed a very lively, strong-flying Swallowtail butterfly investigating the undergrowth, and most likely, it was an egg-laying female. I was determined to get some photos, but the insect hardly settled anywhere. I managed to get some poor, distant images, eventually. Others photographed were: Common Blue (including a rather spectacular blue female), Silver-studded Blue, Chalkhill Blue males, Brown Argus, Dryad, Meadow Brown, False Grayling, and a 2nd brood specimen of the Chestnut Heath. A Woodland Grayling could not be photographed. The water continues to drop, but there is plenty of 'water life' activity: water beetles, Water Boatman, Whirligig Beetles, Pond Skaters, plus the many damselfly species and the male Emperor dragonfly.