March 2017
3rd March 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
Teréz and I went to check whether any amphibians were at the SQ, but our first job was to remove the heap of broken tiles and cement that some kind person had dumped outside the site. We filled 4 bags, but there was still some dusty residue left, along with some small tile pieces. This remaining mess will be cleared on a future visit. As can be seen by these photographs, the water level continues to drop. The 'indicator rock' is now very exposed in the Coffee Pool. I had a wander through some of the wet areas, but saw or heard no amphibian life. There were, however, some Whirligig Beetles dashing around on the surface, in company with some Common Pond Skaters.
Here are Teréz's photos from the same day (March 3rd 2017):
8th March 2017 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
Here are Teréz's images from her solo visit. In Rock Bath 1, she discovered a strange, new species for the site: It is a Hair Worm (Gordius sp.). They belong to a little known phylum group, the Nematomorpha. The worm-like adult stage is found in water, and does not appear to feed, but only breeds. The larvae, which hatch from sticky eggs, are parasitic and seek out hosts in the water. Eventually, the larvae end-up with terrestrial hosts, such a grasshoppers and Praying Mantis. Once they have become mature worms, they somehow affect the brain of the host, 'hypnotising' it to go into water, even though it will most likely drown. The worms can sense that the host is in the water, and emerge via the vent. The whole process starts again. We are not sure if all of the hosts die, or whether some can survive this infestation.
10th March 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
The local area had some steady rain last night and this morning, so Teréz, Robika, and I visited to check on the water level. Unfortunately, despite the rain, the amount of water in The Bowl is decreasing, and the Coffee Pool will soon be cut off from the main wet area in the reed bed. Some frog movement was noticed in Rock Bath 1 and in the reed bed area, with some possible spawn seen at the latter. Some Snowdrops were in flower, and several deer tracks were seen.
11th March 2017 - (Saturday, Szombat)
A study visit by Teréz and Robika.
12th March 2017 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
Although Teréz captured several amphibian images on her solo visit, her main aim was to get some more images, and to shoot some video, of her 'new' creature .... the Hair Worm (Gordian Worm) – Gordius sp. This long, but very thin, worm produces parasitic larvae, and emerges from the body cavity of its insect host. Apparently, the worms produce a substance that has a 'brain-washing' effect on its host, compelling it to locate, and jump into, water in order that the worm can emerge. Here are more details about these strange creatures ... taken from the Field Studies Council web page:
Hair Worms belong to a little known phylum group, the Nematomorpha. The name is similar to the Nematode worms but they have little in common. The Hair Worms are very distinctive in the adult form, resembling a thickened piece of hair. The body can be very long but generally around 200 mm. However, it is only about 0.5 mm in width. It is not segmented and the brown body is very "stiff" or wiry, not bending easily. It has a thick cuticle covering. The tips of the body are very blunt; the posterior is forked or lobed. In the male there is a distinct curvature within the cleft of the fork. They may be found curled up around vegetation or extended when swimming.
The adult is the stage most likely to be encountered and this will be in sluggish rivers and ponds where the vegetation is thick. Where they are found Hair Worms may be abundant. A number of different species are found in Europe and the group is well represented across the continent.
ECOLOGY: Hair Worms are little understood. They appear during late spring and summer in ponds and weedy rivers; coiled up on the vegetation or swimming with a waving, undulating movement. These are the adults and are believed not to feed as they have no gut present. After mating the female lays strings of eggs encased in sticky jelly on to the aquatic vegetation. Upon hatching the parasitic stage commences and the knowledge about them becomes limited. The larva enters an insect. The species are not especially specific and they may pass through several hosts. For example, the worm larvae may enter the body of a dragonfly larva where they feed within the body fluids. Once feeding is complete they may enter another insect or it could be that the host is consumed by the second host. Either way they may ultimately appear within terrestrial insects such as beetles, crickets and grasshoppers. When development is complete they fill the hosts body cavity. They then bore out of the body and re-enter water again as an adult to lay eggs and die.
Hair Worms belong to a little known phylum group, the Nematomorpha. The name is similar to the Nematode worms but they have little in common. The Hair Worms are very distinctive in the adult form, resembling a thickened piece of hair. The body can be very long but generally around 200 mm. However, it is only about 0.5 mm in width. It is not segmented and the brown body is very "stiff" or wiry, not bending easily. It has a thick cuticle covering. The tips of the body are very blunt; the posterior is forked or lobed. In the male there is a distinct curvature within the cleft of the fork. They may be found curled up around vegetation or extended when swimming.
The adult is the stage most likely to be encountered and this will be in sluggish rivers and ponds where the vegetation is thick. Where they are found Hair Worms may be abundant. A number of different species are found in Europe and the group is well represented across the continent.
ECOLOGY: Hair Worms are little understood. They appear during late spring and summer in ponds and weedy rivers; coiled up on the vegetation or swimming with a waving, undulating movement. These are the adults and are believed not to feed as they have no gut present. After mating the female lays strings of eggs encased in sticky jelly on to the aquatic vegetation. Upon hatching the parasitic stage commences and the knowledge about them becomes limited. The larva enters an insect. The species are not especially specific and they may pass through several hosts. For example, the worm larvae may enter the body of a dragonfly larva where they feed within the body fluids. Once feeding is complete they may enter another insect or it could be that the host is consumed by the second host. Either way they may ultimately appear within terrestrial insects such as beetles, crickets and grasshoppers. When development is complete they fill the hosts body cavity. They then bore out of the body and re-enter water again as an adult to lay eggs and die.
13th March 2017 - (Monday, Hétfő)
Today, Teréz and I visited the SQ to check on the amphibian situation. Donning my wellies, I wandered through (what remains of) the Coffee Pool and discovered seven clumps of Agile Frog spawn. Six of these were transferred, one-by-one, to Rock Bath 1, with the seventh being taken to the garden pond at Mátrafüred. Clumps five and six had been deposited side-by-side, whereas the others were well apart from each other. A further clump was found in the reed bed channel, and was left in situ. A Fire-bellied Toad kept dropping into the water of RB1 whenever we approached, and later, whilst sitting there quietly, we heard the underwater clucking sound of a Common Spadefoot Toad. Three Agile Frogs were resting on the surface of the open water of the reed bed channel, and a Green Lizard juvenile was seen next to the water's edge. Hopefully it escaped the attention of the largest Agile Frog! Three butterfly species were seen, but were too lively to photograph: Peacock, Comma, and Brimstone.
Here are Teréz's photos from the same day (13th March 2017):
14th March 2017 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
A short solo visit on a (mainly) sunny afternoon. As can be seen, the water levels have dropped since yesterday, and it was a good thing that we rescued the frog spawn clumps yesterday, as the water will not remain in the Coffee Pool for much longer. Again, I had the Fire-bellied Toads being elusive by dropping into RB1 before I could seen them. I did photograph the large Agile Frog near the reeds again, though. I also photographed a juvenile Green Lizard, and it may be a different specimen from that seen yesterday as this one had a re-grown tail. No butterflies were seen today.
17th March 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
As can be seen from my photos today, the water level contunues to drop. The Coffee Pool has dried-up completely, and many of the wet paths through The Bowl have little moisture. Again, we hope for a lot more rain, and no sabotage from 'you know who'.
18th March 2017 - (Saturday, Szombat)
A quck dash to the SQ by Teréz to see what effect the recent rainfall had on the waterfall, and The Bowl.
21st March 2017 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
A lunchtime visit on a sunny day, but with a cool wind. We seem to have many days like this at the moment, and I always seem to make the wrong decision on how much clothing to wear. Today, I overdressed, as the Sun beat down in almost summer mode! Rock Bath 1 hosted around 8 Smooth Newts, with at least 3 of them being female. The chases and territorial battles have begun ! The 6 Agile Frog spawn clumps I rescued from the rapidly-drying Coffee Pool have now been joined by 3 clean, freshly-deposited clumps. We had some prolonged rain on Saturday, which helped the Coffee Pool to re-form, and also raised the water level in RB1 and RB2, plus The Bowl. No Agile Frogs were seen, but Fire-bellied Toads were in evidence. A Comma butterfly flew across the site, and about 4 Peacock butterflies were seen. When I arrived, a pair of White Wagtail were enjoying the new Coffee Pool water. Other birds seen were: a small flock of Long-tailed Tit, 2 or 3 Blackbird, and a few Great Tit.
22nd March 2017 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
A solo visit by Teréz to check the water at the site.
24th March 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
A solo visit on a very warm day. In fact it felt more like Summer than Spring. This, of course, meant that the Coffee Pool had again vanished, due to the heat. Several things of interest were seen: a pair of Smooth Newt, a small Fire-bellied Toad, and my first Edible Frog of the year ... all of them in, or around, Rock Bath1. Two superb female Green Lizards were sunning themselves on rocks between RB1 and the SQHQ. Several plants were coming into flower, including the first Eastern Grape Hyacinths of 2017. As I was about to leave the site, I found 3 small insect species. Two of them were on the car, and the third was on ... ME ! Two of those species remain unidentified, but the other is the first record of the Kidney-spot Ladybird at the site. It had the distinctive flange around the base of the wing cases, and was very small ... under 5 mm.
28th March 2017 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
My afternoon visit was really to check for reptiles and amphibians, but my attention was caught by a female Sand Digger Wasp - Ammophila sabulosa - Homoki hernyóölő as it walked towards its newly-created burrow. Slung beneath it was a caterpillar that had been stung to paralyse it. The wasp then proceeded to drag the caterpillar down into the hole, where it would lay an egg on it before re-filling the hole with sand and small stones. She spent a long time clearing-up and leaving the concealed burrow and its surroundings neat and tidy.
Teréz's visit on the same day (28th March 2017):
30th March 2017 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Two Grass Snakes were found today, but both were obscured, and therefore, could not be photographed in their entirety. The first, mature and quite large, was 'partly' seen on the bank near the HQ drainage channels, and it eventually moved slowly into the thick grass cover. The second was one of last year's juveniles, and was found very near to my feet. It sought cover among the rock scree, but left its tail section uncovered. I waited a long time, and although it started to move, it went even deeper into cover. I had, however, seen its bright yellow collar when I first encountered it. An Edbile Frog and a Fire-bellied Toad were seen on RB1, and one adult, and one juveneile Green Lizard were photographed.