March 2018
4th March 2018 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
6th March 2018 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
After the snow and ice of the weekend, the temperature rose on Monday and we also had lots of rain. On my visit on Tuesday visit I was greeted by lots of rainwater and meltwater running down the hill and into the site via an impressive waterfall.
7th March 2018 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
Teréz visited the SQ, accompanied by Robika. There was a good flow of water into The Bowl.
8th March 2018 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
The Horned Dung Beetle - Copris lunaris - Holdszarvú ganéjtúró found by Teréz may have been parasitized by a Horse Hair Worm larva, as it was back in the water today, after being rescued yesterday.
11th March 2017 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
Although the water flow into the SQ has stopped, there is still a reasonable amount of water in The Bowl. I listened, but heard no amphibian sounds coming from the water. Maybe another week of mild temperatures will bring them to the site. I saw a flock of about 12 Starlings, and flushed a female Pheasant from near the top irrigation channel.
22nd March 2018 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Although there was a cool breeze today, the warmth from the Sun made it feel quite Spring-like. I entered the water of The Bowl for the first time this year to try and get close to the Common Spadefoot Toads I heard 'clucking' underwater. I didn't actually see any of the 6 heard, but I found five spawn clumps of the Agile Frogs. Whilst I was in the water, a Wren noisily made its presence known as it disappeared into clumps of vegetation, searching for food. It appears that 'Achim the Terrible' had made some modifications to our top irrigation channel, but these were soon remedied. The bags of dumped rubbish, opposite to the SQ, have been ripped apart by animals, and really need to be cleared before the situation gets out of control. Just before leaving the site I spotted a male Field Cricket coming out of his burrow to enjoy the Sun on his patio!
28th March 2018 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
The airfield road was bone-dry, and the water level in The Bowl had dropped since my last visit. I had another 'paddle' to search for amphibian life. Unfortunately, the first thing I saw was amphibian death: a dead Agile Frog. The five clumps of Agile Frog spawn were still in place, and I heard the underwater clucking of a Common Spadefoot Toad, and the gentle piping of a Fire-bellied Toad. No sign of newts as yet. I found three plant species in flower, and my first butterfly of the year, a Peacock, was sunning itself on the top rim. On the water surface were Common Pondskaters and Whirligig Beetles. The Pondskater I photographed seemed to have a curved body, perhaps indicating a problem during emergence.