The Irish Naturalist

By Owen Beckett

Tag: wildlife (Page 2 of 2)

Zadar and Paklenica: July 2018 (Days 1,2 &3)

August 5, 2018 /

Anyone who knows about European butterflies will tell you that the Balkan countries are some of the most species-rich in Europe and Croatia is no exception. The port town of Zadar and the neighbouring Paklenica National Park lie half-way down the Dalmatian coast and offer a mix of Mediterranean, Continental and Alpine ecosystems: perfect for wildlife.

The area around Zadar would fit into the ‘Mediterranean’ category, with mild winters and hot summers and a landscape dominated by maquis scrub. What has enhanced its  wildlife value even more is, oddly enough, the  Serbo-Croatian War. During the early 90s, landmines were laid throughout the country and many remained there for years, allowing the wildlife there to thrive due to the lack of human disturbance. Most of the mines have since been cleared by the Croatian government, but there are plenty of ‘wild’ areas on Zadar’s outskirts that I was able to explore.

I found a track that led from the north of the town through scrub and olive groves to a small pine forest and it was here that I was able to find many different types of wildlife.  In the first few hundred metres of the track, there were numerous butterfly species such as Geranium Bronze, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Southern Small White and Spotted Fritillary, of which the latter two were new species for me. A few Scarce and Common Swallowtails were around too; both equally large and impressive species that always make me stop and stare in admiration. A solitary Great Sooty Satyr sat amicably for me on the stony path, which was also a nice sight.

Several other unfamiliar butterflies were flying further down the path, one of which was the Oriental Meadow Brown. Similar to the Meadow Brown found in Ireland, this species is found in southern Europe and has scalloped hindwings, making it distinctive. The other was the Orbed Red-underwing Skipper, a small species which flies low and fast but one which eventually settled for me, just! Tree Graylings were quite abundant around the edges of the pine forest, where they often settled on tree trunks and in shady spots, likely trying to avoid the intense midday heat. One of the most exciting species I saw was the Cardinal fritillary, the largest fritillary in Europe. Unfortunately I flushed it up from the forest floor and didn’t have time to get a photograph, as it zoomed away into the dense canopy and didn’t return! Two other new species were also seen along the edge of the woods, which were the Eastern Bath White and the Lang’s Short-tailed Blue.

Aside from the butterflies there were other species, particularly insects, that were common here. Blue-winged grasshoppers along with several other grasshoppers sat on the stony path and only flew off when I was practically on top of them! A few Lily Bush Crickets and what I believe to be Migratory Locusts also were found here. As ever in the Mediterranean, Ash Cicadas were in full song and were so numerous in the pine forest that it was almost deafening. The flock of Pheasant that I encountered didn’t seem to mind though, as they browsed through the undergrowth quite happily.  The most interesting animal I encountered whilst walking was the Hermann’s Tortoise. Being from Ireland, seeing a tortoise plodding across a country lane is something I’m not familiar with but I could very much get used to it.

The area around Zadar was just a small taste of the wildlife that the area had to offer; and the real goal was Paklenica National Park, which I will write about in the next post!

Sheskinmore: June 2018

July 16, 2018 /

Sheskinmore Lough is a nature reserve  in the northwestern corner of Ireland and is hailed as Donegal’s jewel in the crown for wildlife. Three quarters of Ireland’s butterfly species have been recorded here, as well as many moths, dragonflies, bees, birds, plants and mammals.

For me personally the reserve peaks in the months of June and July, when the air is filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers mixed with the cool freshness of the Atlantic, Sand Martins and Swallows hawk for insects over the grassland, the songs of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits surround you whilst the butterfly and bees hop from flower to flower. On a sunny day it is one of my favourite places to be and I always love getting the opportunity to travel there at this time of year.

I usually enter the reserve via Tramore Strand. This is a magnificent Irish surf beach which is great for a swim and produces some impressive waves at times, although there was virtually no wind about today, which was ideal for watching wildlife. Behind the embryo dunes there are numerous patches of Kidney Vetch and Bird’s-foot Trefoil, along with a smattering of Early Purple Orchids and various Marsh Orchids. It is always teeming with butterflies, particularly Small Blues which is always a nice sight. Small Heaths and Common Blues also are common here along with Common Carder and White-tailed Bumblebees.

At the far end of Tramore there is a gate into the reserve itself, where the habitat is mostly coastal heath and calcareous coastal grassland. This section of the reserve is rich with wildflowers and insects in particular. Common Centuary, Meadow Thistle, Scarlet Pimpernel, Wild Thyme and Common Butterwort all occur here. It is no exaggeration to say that every few steps I flushed out a Small Heath from the grass; they were everywhere! As always there were a few Small Coppers and the odd Dingy Skipper which is always nice to see and by mid-June the Common Blues and Six-spot Burnet moths typically start to emerge and there was a handful of both species here too. The coastline of Donegal is one of the few areas where I have seen Moss Carder and Red-shanked Carder Bees. Both of these bumblebees are quite scarce and no doubt the abundance of wildflowers and lack of agricultural activity on the reserve appeals to them.

Further along the path there are several large pools in some of the lower dune troughs which host a nice variety of dragonflies and damselflies. The Four-spotted Chaser is one of the larger species, along with the smaller Large Red Damselfly and Blue Damselfly.  I love sitting by the pools and watching Sand Martins and Swallows skim the surface for a drink as they are such fast, acrobatic birds and a real sign of Spring and Summer.

I generally walk back via Ballinreavy Strand, a wide open beach beside the Owenea and Owentocker estuary to observe some of the wildlife there. Usually there are some Sandwhich terns here along with some Curlews, Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers, combing the fringes of the water for small invertebrates. Looking into the small tributaries along the beach I saw some small Flounders, which quickly disappeared with a puff of sand when they saw my shadow.

At this time of year I always leave this place on a high and once again it did not disappoint!

 

Galicia: June 2017

July 5, 2018 /

My decision to travel to Galicia was rather last minute as my mum was heading there to do the final 120km of the Camino de Santiago and I left it until 2 weeks before we were due to leave to tell her that I wished to join her. The Camino is essentially a Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where St James’ shrine is located and the route from the Pyrenees towards Santiagio winds through the Spanish countryside for several hundred kilometres. It is incredibly popular and attracts thousands of people annually. I thought it was a good opportunity to take my camera and see what I could find as June is  a very good time to see wildlife. Despite the number of visitors to the region, there was not a lot of information I could find regarding the plants and animals found there, so I decided just to wing it!

Initially when I arrived I was surprised by the landscape; not at all like that of southern Spain as it was surprisingly lush and reminded me of Ireland, except much warmer! Its close proximity to the Atlantic was largely the reason for this but thankfully it only rained on the final day and for the first four days it was sunny and warm; perfect for finding insects. On day 1 we walked through rolling hills and wooded lanes and I managed to find a few new species for me, including the Serin, Cirl Bunting and Iberian Marbled White. House Sparrows were seen in almost every stone building we walked by which was a lovely sight. Towards the end of the walk, after about 20km there was an area of flowery meadows which was alive with insects, with swarms of butterflies, bees, moths and flies all feeding avidly on the various wildflowers which were growing in profusion.

The site was great for butterflies in particular, with the Iberian Marbled White, Brown Argus, Clouded Yellow, Small White, Small Skipper and Dark Green Fritillary all in flight. In addition I saw a few new species, including the Mallow Skipper, Marsh Fritillary and Short-tailed Blue, which I saw egg-laying on Clover. Several nice day-flying moths were also around, along with some leaf beetles, although I’m not quite sure of the species! All in all it was a great way to start my trip.

The second part of the Camino led us up into the hills, where the landscape was reminiscent of parts of Donegal, which was rather odd to me. Once again the Iberian Marbled White was rather ubiquitous, along with Meadow Browns and the odd Small Heath. In addition there were several Marbled Fritillaries, which were great to see. These medium-sized butterflies are fast fliers and look rather like the familiar Dark Green Fritillary found at home. Their larvae feed on Bramble, which made sense as there was no shortage of it about! The path led us down from the hills and through some nice wooded margins, where I saw some White Admirals, gliding effortlessly. Other species seen that day included the Pearly Heath, Common Blue, Long-tailed Blue and Small Copper.

The route travelled on the remaining three days became increasingly less remote as we homed in on our destination, with busier roads and more buildings by the day. Still, every so often there would still be a patch of scrub or a flowery meadow which would be worth searching. I saw my first Wood White along this stretch, another species found in the UK and Ireland but prior to the trip had always managed to elude me! Long-tailed and Short-tailed Blues were seen in the scrubby areas, along with Large, Small and Essex Skippers, Pearly Heaths, Iberian Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns. I got some decent shots of the lovely Moss Carder Bee, which was seen shortly before I spotted the unusual Geranium Bronze butterfly, an invader from South Africa. Other species seen were the Brimstone, Clouded Yellow, Peacock, Beautiful Damoiselle, Silver-Washed Fritillary and Grayling.

As I approached the main cathedral in Santiago de Compostela I not only looked forward to finishing the arduous task that I had undertaken, but also reflected on what a good and rewarding trip it had been. Plenty of new species were seen and I hope this has shown that the wildlife in Galicia is just one of the many good things about doing the pilgrimage. Buen Camino!

Two-tailed Pasha, Querenca, Portugal, July 2016

The Algarve: July 2016

July 3, 2018 /

The Algarve is Portugal’s southernmost region and is well known among golfers and sun-worshippers. What it is less well known for is its rich variety of wildlife, particularly in the less touristy areas which are very often located far from the coast or in the hills.

Before I set off I had several places in mind to try for wildlife based on a Cicerone guidebook of the region, which were Fonte de Benemola and the reserve at Feiteira, as well as the area surrounding the house I was staying in outside Tavira. All three are located in the Barrocal, a limestone area between the coast and the mountains, which in general, supports the widest variety of plants and animals.

Our house was located about 6km northwest of Tavira in a hilly area filled with pine, oak, orange, fig and eucalyptus plantations which were surrounded by lavender, gum cystus and sage, hugging the hillsides in thick clumps. By July many of the flowers have gone over for the year, and much of land can appear dry and barren but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the wildlife that could be virtually seen from the doorstep. In addition the only plants still in flower were Clustered Carline Thistles, some French Lavender and the odd small Hawkweed, so finding nectaring insects wasn’t difficult. The Southern Gatekeeper was by far the commonest butterfly here and was accompanied by Meadow Browns and Small Heaths fluttering among the strands of grass. In the early morning sun, species such as the Sage, False Mallow and Red-underwing Skippers basked on the hot, stony pathways and fed avidly on the Carline Thistles. They were frequently joined by Common/Southern Blues, Small Coppers and the odd Southern Brown Argus. There were a few Clouded Yellows and Painted Ladies about and I managed to get a sighting of a Swallowtail feeding on the Lantana by the house and a Bath White resting beside the driveway. Whilst walking along the paths and dry riverbeds I frequently disturbed Blue-winged Grasshoppers, which as their name suggests, have distinctive blue wings which they keep hidden away whilst resting. The occasional Dwarf Mantis would walk across the patio by the pool which was always a pleasant sight; maybe not if I was a small grasshopper though! To top off the insects I stumbled across a Striped Hawkmoth, a large southern species which i found hiding in the shade; can’t say I’d blame it.

Bird life in the area was not particularly diverse but sill included many species I’d never seen before, such the Sardinian Warbler, Rufous Bush Robin and the Azure-winged Magpie. We were also visited by a small flock of Reg-legged Partridge, who were foraging just at the bottom of the driveway, which was another lovely sight. All in all not a bad place to be staying in!

The first site I travelled to was Fonte de Benemola, a small spring in the hills outside Loule. With so much of the Algarve being so dry whilst I was there, seeing the running water of the Fonte was almost a strange sight for me but a welcome refuge for many birds, insects and amphibians. The spring lay at the bottom of a v-shaped valley and the hillsides were mostly covered in Maquis, a Mediterranean scrub consisting of a wide variety of small trees and shrubs, such as Strawberry Tree, Oleander, Cork Oak, Mediterranean Buckthorn and Almond. Bramble and some Umbellifers grew along the hedgerows whilst parts of the spring were flanked by giant reeds, which the locals use for basket-making. This site was by far the best for insects on the trip, especially butterflies. Mediterranean Thyme grew prolifically and attracted a whole host of species, especially Small Copper, Common Blue, Brown Argus and the Skippers. Small Whites, Clouded Yellows and one or two Swallowtails were also seen feeding on the thyme.

The site also presented a few new species for me which were seen further along the trail such as the Cleopatra, which was constantly patrolling along the hedgerow. Two Irish species, the Wall Brown and Purple Hairstreak were seen here too and were two more first-timers. The icing on the cake was the sighting of the magnificent Two-tailed Pasha, a huge butterfly by European standards with a very powerful flight. I initially saw it feeding on a pile of dung; a common activity for this species!

As I walked down towards the spring itself there were dozens of Copper Damoiselles; beautiful, dainty dragonflies with distinct dark wings.  I also disturbed a small terrapin by on of the pools, possibly a Spanish Terrapin, which was another nice surprise. As I made my way back towards the entrance, I spotted a large black flying insect which turned out to be a Violet Carpenter Bee; the largest species I’ve seen. All in all it was a very enjoyable walk with plenty of wildlife to see. A must for anyone travelling to the Algarve.

The third location of note was situated deep into the hills and was rather remote. A small hilly valley which surrounded a dry riverbed with abundant Oak trees, it was entitled ‘The Reserve’ and was located in Feiteira. I remember it being a very hot day; over 35 Celsius and being rather hard to find but after a detour lasting about an hour we eventually found it. It was interesting to watch the locals nearby harvesting the cork, which they do by slicing into the thick bark and removing it in deep rings. I must admit I was very glad of the shade provided by the trees, as walking on the hot stony ground in the blazing sun was rather uncomfortable at times.

The shade was also attractive to butterflies it seemed, with several new species for me seen at the reserve. These included the Dusky Heath, Woodland Grayling and the rather impressive Striped Grayling. As I wandered down towards the dry riverbed, there were some clumps of Bramble growing which attracted Common/Southern Blues and Small Coppers, as well as some Honeybees. One new species which I would have been happy not to have gotten close to was the Dark Giant Horsefly, a bumblebee-sized biting fly with a low humming flight which was circling my legs whilst I was trying to photograph butterflies! I didn’t fancy getting bitten so I returned to the trail and continued to follow it as it ascended through the woodland. I found it interesting the the tiny flowers of the Cork Oak were being mobbed by wasps and bees, as they were so small and didn’t carry much scent. I was keen to see if any hairstreaks were basking among the oak leaves and proceeded to shake the branches of several of the smaller trees to try and flush them out, which must have looked rather odd to the local cork harvesters! I managed to glimpse a few but none of them hung around long enough for me to identify them, never mind photograph them. Having said that I was happy with seeing three new species of butterfly as well as a Golden Oriole and a Nightingale, which was fantastic.

Despite the fact that I made the journey during a time when the Algarve was not at its peak, I was chuffed with the wildlife I managed to see, especially the butterflies and birds. I am excited to return someday in the spring, when many of the rare Orchids and beautiful flowers are in bloom and hopefully I get the chance soon. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the natural world and indeed to anyone who enjoys a bit of travelling.

Newer posts »

© 2024 The Irish Naturalist

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑