May 2016 - part 3
22nd May 2016 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
Photos from Teréz's solo visit:
23rd May 2016 - (Monday, Kedd)
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day:
24th May 2016 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
After a strange day of dark skies, sporadic downpours, and thunder and lightning, I went to the SQ this evening to see what effect all this activity had brought to the Small Quarry. It seems that more of the rain fell on Gyöngyös, 7 kms to the south, rather than on the SQ area. Despite that, I was greeted, on arrival, by a small but enthusiastic waterfall. Not a great amount of water had entered The Bowl though, as the Coffee Pool had not re-formed, and the Bowl channel had not expanded. Here is the photo record of my brief visit (1935-2019).
26th May 2016 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
It was a hot and sunny day for our visit, and a whole range of species were seen. The butterflies were very active, but we managed to capture most of them 'on film'. The heat (about 28-30 degs today) is making the water recede quite rapidly, and unless we get more rain this weekend, it will be the end for the remaining amphibian young. There is still water in Rock Bath 1, and a single Fire-bellied Toad was enjoying its own private swimming pool. Two new species of beetle were recorded today, both of them colourful and quite spectacular. Just outside our 'loose' boundary, we discovered a 1-metre-long Aesculapian Snake (Erdei sikló). At first I thought it was a shiny metal bar as it didn't move as I stepped over it in the grass ! We also recorded the (welcome ?) return to the site of the Colorado Beetle, for the first time since our very first visit, in 2006. One butterfly that eluded us was either a Silver-washed Fritillary, or a Cardinal. We couldn't tell which as it whizzed past us at a great rate of knots !
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day (26th May):
27th May 2016 - (Friday, Péntek)
Photos from Teréz's solo visit:
28th May 2016 - (Saturday, Szombat)
A late afternoon visit (1700-1830) but the sun was still shining as intensely as it had been all day. Several butterflies were seen, including the first Adonis Blue (male) of the year. It was also a bird day, with a Yellowhammer singing proudly from a Hawthorn tree, and a Red-backed Shrike hunting from a False Acacia tree. The first catch I saw was fairly long. I'm hoping it was a caterpillar, and not a young Green Lizard ! The water level in The Bowl is now at a critical point: I estimate no more than about 30 cms at the deepest point: the reedbed end.
Here are Teréz's photos from the same day (28th May):
29th May 2016 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
Photos from Teréz's short Sunday evening visit:
30th May 2016 - (Monday, Hétfő)
At about three in the morning, our local area had some massive thunder storms roll in, accompanied by very heavy rain. This didn't do much for the sleep pattern, but we hoped it would be good for the SQ, in terms of the water level. When I arrived late morning, I was disappointed to find that the airfield road was dry, with no water flowing into the site. However, further examination showed that quite a lot of water had entered the site during the deluge. All 3 HQ channels showed signs of water, and all 3 Rock Baths had water in them. It was wonderful to see that the water level in the reedbed channel had risen considerably, and I observed several tadpoles that are nearing 'completion', plus a young Smooth Newt. A large Water Beetle larva was hunting, and 2 coupled pairs of Azure Damselfly were attempting egg-laying. As I watched, the sudden blue flash of a male Broad-bodied Chaser whizzed past my eyes. It's amazing what the addition of extra water can do to the site, as regards increasing the number of species present. The day has been very hot and 'close' all day, so I'm hoping for more downpours tonight. It would be so good to give the amphibian young a little more 'breathing space' for their development.
Here are Teréz's pix from the same day (30th May 2016):
31st May 2016 - (Tuesday, Kedd)
I was at the site from 1256 until 1510, on what was another very hot afternoon. There were many butterfly species in action, and despite their speed, I was able to photograph most of them. These included the first Twin-spot Fritillary of the year. I also recorded a new species of mirid bug, and a possible new weevil species. Two young Grass Snakes were hunting in the (now) clear water of the reedbed channel, and tadpoles and damsels were also enjoying the wet conditions.
Teréz's photos from the same day (31st May 2016):