May 2020 - part 1
2nd May 2020 - (Saturday, Szombat)
6th May 2020 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
Sunny, but with very strong, cool winds. This made butterfly photography 'challenging', but at least I obtained some reasonable images.
7th May 2020 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Another windy day, but some interesting species were found. Butterflies: 2 Southern Festoon (these are staying on-site for a much longer time this year than we're used to), Silver-studded Blue (both sexes), Reverdin's Blue (male) = only 3 species. Some of our returning moth favourites were recorded, as were 'regular' bugs and beetles. A few Green Lizards were also observed. Not much water in RB1 and the situation in the reedbed area is becoming serious.
8th May 2020 - (Friday, Péntek)
Still rather windy, but I 'managed'. Some butterflies refused to settle, and therefore, they could not be positively identified. Those recorded: Small Copper, Sooty Copper (both sexes), Silver-studded Blue (both sexes), Reverdin's Blue, Hungarian Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Small Heath, Pearly Heath, Lesser Spotted Fritillary, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Orange Tip (female), and Southern Festoon (maybe 2) = 13 species. I missed photographing a mating pair of Blue Carpenter Bees and a Speckled Yellow moth, among other creatures. Even though The Bowl cannot be considered as a permanent water body, it still supports the cycle of life. I photographed a newly-emerged Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly, but I'm not sure if it's a female, or a teneral male that hasn't got its true blue colour, as yet. The Nightingale was again singing at the SQ, and the first Cuckoo was heard calling just to the east of the site.
14th May 2020 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
Yet another sunny but windy afternoon. Even so, I was able to photograph quite a lot of species, despite the rather 'trying' conditions. Butterflies recorded: Wood White, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Hungarian Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Common Blue (male), Small Heath, Chestnut Heath, Silver-studded Blue (many seen), Southern Festoon (3 faded/damaged examples, and 1 in fresh condition), and Chequered Blue (male) = 10 species. I heard Bee-eaters above me, and armed with my 'new' second-hand lens and camera body, I was, at last, able to capture an image to prove their existence here! Not a good image, but at least with cropping, it can be seen that they really are Bee-eaters. Several Green Lizards were moving about in the vegetation cover. The Nightingale was singing near the entrance gates, and a Golden Oriole was calling from the nearby gardens. We are onto the last remnants of water in Rock Bath 1, and the reedbed. Hopefully some tadpoles will complete their development before the site becomes completely dry.