Due to a backlog of news items, I have chosen this time for a combination of two trips to the now well-known Biebrza area in the north-eastern corner of Poland. Especially since the next trip there is already planned in two months.
There is not much news to write about compared to the many previous trips. The Lepidoptera remain an important item in both periods and the goal is to get an increasingly complete picture of the species present there. And that requires a lot of visits due to the relatively limited time that I spend there. I therefore dare not make a statement about how diverse the butterfly world is in the area. And since no one is active in this region (as far as I know), I can hardly find any information about it. However, I do see a whole series of species via local friend Jan that he collects in the periods that I am not present. And that is quite a lot, since it comes down to holidays that often fall in the same periods. The disadvantage of nature-related work that I am bound to (ecological green management). I send the observations I make to a database of various collaborating national institutes in the field of nature. The University of Warsaw is leading in this, if I understand correctly. It is true that up until now I mainly send in those species that I know (think) are not very common in Poland. I then get that information from another, public database, where many enthusiasts share their observations.
Many of the finds are made by my friend Jan. His search drive is enormous and I regularly have to make an effort to keep up with it photographically. A photo book is made for each year and as a thank you for his many searches, a copy is always included. The series now covers eight “years”.
In the dark evening hours, a UV lamp is also used for searching. This often produces completely different species that hide during the day.
As I wrote earlier, the next trip is already on the calendar. Due to circumstances, I am now leaving considerably earlier in the year and I hope to encounter a high water level again. If this is the case, attention will also be paid to bird life. Waterfowl and waders in particular can occur then in high numbers. The only thing that has to cooperate is the weather in the form of a lot of precipitation. The air currents in Europe this winter do show a special pattern and the area has seen little winter weather so far. Perhaps the coming Polar Vortex can bring some change here? And if not, the other subjects are already on the agenda.
