September 2017 - part 1
1st September 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
Today I spent about 2.5 hours (1235-1500) on-site, catching as many remaining amphibian young as possible, before taking them to the garden pond at Mátrafüred. I rescued about 50 Spadefoot tadpoles, and 3 young Great Crested Newt. The underside of the latter were an amazing orange colour. As for the Fire-bellied Toads .... we again had 'little and large'. The adult was the poor individual with a hand missing, and the baby was fully-formed but only about 1 cm long ! Both were left at RB1 as it seems unfair to remove them. I hope they can find suitable cool and damp places once the water in RB1 dries up. While waiting for the sediment to settle in RB1, and for the tadpoles to emerge from their hiding places, I walked up to the top rim to photograph the new, open RB1 from above. After that I had a short walk through The Bowl, photographing several butterfly species in the process. Those recorded were: Adonis Blue (4 males), Common Blue (male), Small White, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Small Heath, Chesnut Heath, Lesser Fiery Copper, Silver-studded Blue, Wood White, False Grayling, Chalkhill Blue, and Hungarian Skipper = 12 species. I found a green Praying Mantis on the footpath, and it vibrated backwards and forwards very vigorously as I approached, in a bid to tell me that it was there ... 'Don't stand on me !'. The Lesser Reedmace in The Bowl is now looking very yellow due to the drought.
Here is the scene at Mátrafüred when the young amphibians were being transferred to the garden pond.
2nd September 2017 - (Saturday, Szombat)
This morning I visited RB1 (0950-1130) to check for any remaining amphibian young that were in need of rescue. I found 5 Spadefoot Toad tadpoles and 1 young Great Crested Newt. All six were taken to the garden pond at Mátrafüred to join their friends. During the rescue session, I photographed a bird of prey that was circling above the SQ. I lack the knowledge to identify it, but I am wondering if its a Merlin? The highlight of the day, and certainly the most surprising, was finding an adult Green Tree Frog sitting quietly on a Bramble leaf beside the path next to RB2. I'm told that big rain is expected tonight, so maybe the GTF knew this already. Butterflies seen were: False Grayling, Reverdin's Blue (female), Wall Brown, Short-tailed Blue (female), Common Blue (3 or 4 males), Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, and Chalkhill Blue (4 males): 9 species. There were no Adonis Blues seen today, despite having 4 males yesterday ! I'm hoping that the adult Fire-bellied Toad in RB1 doesn't eat the baby ! It was cool when I arrived, but after 30 minutes, I had to remove my sweat shirt, as it was living up to its name !
3rd September 2017 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
A short, morning visit to check the SQ after some heavy rain overnight. As I expected, there was no water in The Bowl, as no doubt, the airfield area above is so dry that it most likely drank the water like a sponge. However, RB1 had received quite a lot of water. In fact, as well as the level being raised in the right-hand section, the left half also had water, to a depth of about 10 cms. RB2 also had water, and I had to fight the temptation to collect a bucket from the car and transfer the water to RB1. As far as I know, I've transferred all of the developing amphibian young to the pond at Mátrafüred, so such water transfers are no longer required. Now I hope for more rain so that the remaining plants that are in-flower, such as the swaythes of Purple Loosestrife, will keep flowering, and attracting the butterflies and other insects. The reeds had been knocked down by the heavy rain.
4th September 2017 - (Monday, Hétfő)
Just a short visit to check on the site. Butterflies seen were: Common Blue, Small Heath, Brown Argus, and Chestnut Heath: 4 species.
Teréz also visited (4th Sept.), maybe for a longer time, as her butterfly list was longer than mine!
6th September 2017 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
As the day was not too hot I decided to take the tarpaulin to the SQ and clear away my cuttings from RB1. I also trimmed the Bramble stems on the pathway that runs adjecent to RB2, as these move when stepped on, causing insects to depart before being photographed! As I neared the roadside 'dump' with my full tarpaulin I noticed a green Praying Mantis riding on the load. I gently placed the cuttings on the pile, taking a few moments to photograph the Mantis helping me! A young Green Lizard was seen near the reedbed, and several butterfly species were recorded: Common Blue, Brown Argus, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Small Heath, Chalkhill Blue, and Meadow Brown: 6 species.
Teréz's pix for the same day (6th Sept.) :
7th September 2017 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
A solo visit by Teréz.
8th September 2017 - (Friday, Péntek)
After all the water-carrying days it's nice to be able to visit the SQ and just photograph, study, and record the species. So many records were missed during the period June-August as I had my hands full with water containers. Today there were many Sooty Coppers in The Bowl, both males and females. Most looked 'fresh from the box', and courtship chases and territorial battles were happening. I was also able to photograph a male Adonis blue and a male Common Blue sitting almost side-by-side. Others blues seen were Short-tailed (female), Reverdin's (male), and Chalkhill (male). Other species observed were: False Grayling, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Wood White, and Small Heath, making a grand total of 10 species. Black Redstarts were very active, and in RB1 I found a young Edible Frog, the single Common Spadefoot tadpole, and I also heard two soft 'pipes' from my Fire-bellied Toad friend.
9th September 2017 - (Saturday, Szombat)
Having parked the car near the houses, I started to walk towards the SQ fence, but stopped in my tracks because, on the ground in front of me were two green Praying Mantis. This was the first time I'd seen two so close together. The one on the right seemed to be eating a grasshopper (later identified as a Blue-winged Grasshopper). The other one appeared to be eating something larger, which I though was a large moth. Looking at the Mantis through the 300 mm lens I could see that it was actually gripping a straw-coloured Mantis, which was presumably a male that she had just mated with. As I watched, a short battle ensued, as she attempted to eat her mate while he was still alive. At the start, she had two complete antennae, but later, I noticed that one had been bitten off by the male as he fought to save himself. In some of my photos one can see that chunks had been bitten out of one of his arms. At one point, the male fought hard to save himself, but was overwhelmed by the strength of the female as she held him firmly in place. Eventually, I moved away to explore the site. When I returned about an hour later, all that remained of the male in her grasp was the bottom half of his abdomen. The other female had finished her grasshopper meal long before. During my walk, I found another female on the path to RB1, and another male inside The Bowl. I managed to photograph some Chiffchaffs at RB1, plus one of two male Blue-eyed Hawker dragonflies in-flight (after many failed attempts!). Butterflies seen were: Wall Brown, Great Banded Grayling, Sooty Copper (female), Reverdin's Blue (male), Chalkhill Blue (male), and Small Heath: 6 species. I also recorded Sardines for the first time .... a shoal of 8 in one can !
10th September 2017 - (Sunday, Vasárnap)
I found two more green Praying Mantis in The Bowl, but without the carnage I witnessed yesterday. In RB1 I found the usual Fire-bellied toad, plus the young Edible Frog. Also in there were two tadpoles of the Spadefoot Toad, not just the usual one. I also photographed one of a small flock of buntings, and I think these are juvenile Yellowhammer. Also there today were Black Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Blue Tit, and Great Tit. Whilst in The Bowl I saw a shadow move across the ground and looked up in time to see a Black Woodpecker fly over my head from behind. It made no call so I had no time to focus the camera ... therefore no photographic record was obtained. I saw no Odonata today, but butterflies seen were: Short-tailed Blue (female), Reverdin's Blue (2 males), Brown Argus, and Small Heath: 4 species. The Purple Loosestrife has nearly finished flowering now, which will make the site less attractive to butterflies.