Butterflies of Hungary Naturetrek Tour Report 18 - 25 June 2013 Beautiful Demoiselle by Gerard Gorman Lesser Purple Emperors attracted to Wolf Scat. – by Gerard Gorman Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell by Jon King Woodland Brown by David Alred Report compiled by Rob Parker Images courtesy of Gerard Gorman, Jon King and David Alred Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Butterflies of Hungary Tour Leader: Rob Parker Naturetrek Lepidopterist Gerard Gorman Local Guide & Tour Manager Participants: Kay Adamson David Alred Joan Alred Bill Furse John Helps Gwen Holyman Jon King Peter Westgate Judy Westgate Michael Wheeler Ray Witt Day 1 Tuesday 18th June In Transit Weather: Fine At Budapest Airport, recently re-named for Liszt, we were joined by Kay and met by our local guide Gerard. Our cheerful and experienced driver, Istvan loaded our luggage and we were soon on our way. Readers should note that we executed the tour in the reverse direction to previous years. We made a brief stop at a motorway service area on the M3 near the village of Ludas. Here, we met a little moth that we were to see everywhere for the rest of the week; the Nine-spotted, Syntomis phegea. We continued our journey to the Bukk Hills, just beyond Eger in north-east Hungary, finishing at the uphill end of Noszvaj, where the Hotel Nomad nestles in a tranquil wooded bowl. We arrived with time to explore the extensive grounds of the hotel and the adjacent lakeside before dinner. We were all impressed at the number of butterflies still on the wing at 6pm; a good omen for the days ahead. We were all charmed by the rustic nature of the hotel and impressed by the enormous meal provided by our hostess Barbara. Replete, we retired to bed to prepare for an early morning foray. Day 2 Wednesday 19th June Nosvaj Weather: Very hot and sunny The butterflies were on the wing before 7am, by which time most of the group were assembled in the garden for a walk before breakfast. A Large Tortoiseshell made a promising start. © Naturetrek August 13 1 Butterflies of Hungary Tour Report Then Gerard led us uphill and showed us his ability to throw an authentic sounding Black Woodpecker call from his own throat, without any electronic assistance. Although the Black Woodpecker was not to be lured down, five species of Woodpecker: Eurasian Wryneck, Lesser Spotted, Middle Spotted, Great Spotted and European Green, were all seen or heard, along with Hawfinches. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was already active, and an Eastern Bath White brought the butterflies to 11 species before 8am! After serving ourselves from an impressive array at the breakfast buffet, we set off for the village of Bogacs where a flower rich hillside ran down to a meadow with a horse-drawn hay-wain being loaded by pitchfork – a nice change from the intensive farming of UK. The bus was parked in the shade and our party poured out to find a feast of species already active in the heat of the sun. Scarce Swallowtail was followed by a Purple-shot Copper, Queen of Spain, High Brown, Marbled and Dark Green Fritillaries, a single Green-underside Blue, Silver-studded Blues and Chestnut Heaths as well as the familiar Small Heaths. An hour of delight later, we were all getting hot and we drifted back to the shade to discover that the glade behind the bus hosted Silver-washed Fritillary and Lesser Purple Emperor. Only the first few back were lucky enough to have a glimpse of the one and only Poplar Admiral of the week. Our next stop was close to Cserepfalu, at a side entrance to the Bukk National Park, where water-filled ruts had created a mud-puddling spot, and we were soon joined by a Lesser Purple Emperor that was content to stay for photography. In due course another turned up and flashed its orangey upper surfaces at us. Yes, orange…with the purple sheen of the form clytie, a form which was new to most of the group. Little did we realise that by the end of the week we would getting blasé about Lesser Purple Emperors, so the cameras kept clicking. Our first picnic stop was conveniently close to an ice cream shop that proved such an attraction that it drew us back the following day for another couple of scoops. Whilst eating under a mulberry tree, we enjoyed the view of a Syrian Woodpecker at eye level just 3 trees away. After the stop we moved on to another part of the Hor Valley, where we found Black-veined White, Assmann's Fritillary, and, to our great surprise, a Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell. This rarity was surprisingly docile, and opened up for photography – showing that its pale legs were not its only distinguishing feature. Later we visited a quarry near Tard to see the resident Bee-eaters. We were able to stand back and watch them in flight and resting on a dead tree. This also proved to be a fruitful site for butterflies, with Large Copper, Short- tailed Blue and Provencal Short-tailed Blue all putting in an appearance. We rounded off the day with another evening feast, and took our daily debrief in the hotel's outdoor bar. As this concluded, Barbara appeared to let us know that the fireflies were flying at the end of the garden, bringing another delightful spectacle to a wonderful first full day. Day 3 Thursday 20th June Weather: Ideal, but very hot at 37C Those who chose to go out early were greeted by Red Squirrels in the garden, Serins singing and Black Redstarts on the roof of the hotel. After breakfast we set off for an out-and-back walk along the Hor Valley, inside the Bukk National Park. 2 © Naturetrek August 13 Butterflies of Hungary Tour Report New species began to turn up almost immediately. The first cluster of salt puddlers included the distinctive shape of a Nettle-tree Butterfly, and then we got our first glimpse of a Great Banded Grayling. Soon we were getting our eyes in for the hairstreaks at a patch of sambuca, where large fresh Blue-spot Hairstreaks were making it easy. The bed of one disused quarry held a couple of well-worn Eastern Baton Blues, and in another we encountered the Eastern Green Lizard. We did not have to wait long before the gliders put in their appearance. They were new to most of us, as we identified first the Common Glider, and then the friendly Hungarian Glider that flew ahead of us, moving on a few paces whenever we got close. Gerard pointed out the characteristic droppings of Beech Martin that were attracting clusters of Silver-washed Fritillary and smaller numbers of its less familiar relative Pallas' Fritillary. Although we had Rob's Fritillary finder factsheet, the new species were coming up too fast to dwell on the paperwork. The River Hor ran alongside the path and occasional footbridges gave a view of the Beautiful Demoiselle and the Banded Demoiselle, which seemed to have larger dark markings than its British relatives. Looking ahead along the path, we could make out shimmering white patches in the distance, where large clusters of Green-veined Whites were mud-puddling, usually with an assembly of different Fritillaries feeding in a socially segregated patch just a few feet away. Thankfully, the walk was lined with trees providing shade to moderate the heat, and when Gerard crossed the tree line he was amazed to see a Wildcat slip back across the footpath – behind the group, who were all fully engrossed with a cluster of butterflies - we estimated at 60 Whites and 80 Fritillaries. Our picnic in the shade beside the stream refreshed us for the return walk, taken at a brisker pace, yet seeing most of the species we had noted on the outbound walk - apart from the Nettle Tree butterfly, which was replaced by a Scarce Swallowtail back at the bus. A short walk into a lucerne field just outside the National Park provided entertainment as Rob and Gerard chased the fast-flying Eastern Pale Clouded Yellows. Eventually one male and one female were netted, allowing positive identification as Colias erate. A pause at Bogacs reservoir during the journey back to base allowed us to add the more familiar Clouded Yellow Colias crocea, which is normally much more common, but turned out to be the only one seen in the week. Black- tailed Skimmers, Lesser Emperors and Brown Hawkers were all flying at the edge of the reservoir, and we also saw Turtle Dove, Golden Orioles singing and then in flight, Common and Whiskered Terns. Day 4 Friday 21st June In Transit Weather: Another really hot sunny day We said our fond farewells to Barbara and the Nomad hotel, and started the transit day with an impromptu roadside stop at a fallow field just out of Nosvaj. The impressive mix of wildflowers was a reminder of the biodiversity we have lost in Britain, but the hazards of butterfly chasing were more than usual thanks to the excavations of Wild Boar. It was from one such pit that a Great Banded Grayling rose, and into another that it descended, only to come out in a hurry with an Adonis Blue in pursuit. Our next stop was at Szarvasko, where a short walk across the river and uphill across a railway line was intended to bring us to the Scarce Fritillary.