Odonata at Ultima Frontiera (Romania)

Four species of Lestes were on the wing at Ultima Frontiera this week. Lestes barbarus were rather localised but could be found with a little patience.

A full list of species recorded in Romania between 15th and 19th of June appears at the end of the page.

I do not see many Lestes parvidens, so it was nice to bump into this species in the more shaded riparian wetlands bordering the Danube.

 Much more familiar though were the Lestes dryas that popped up in similar habitat.

The big Lestes here though is Lestes macrostigma, always a special odo. I found just two males whilst my colleagues worked a lovely shallow lagoon for waterbirds.

I found just two newly-minted Sympecma fusca on the property.

After the excitement of adding Selysiothemis nigra to the Romanian odofauna on the first day we went on to find another five or so in the drier, sandier areas of the property. A lifer for me.

My other lifer of the trip was Orthetrum albistylum, reasonably common amongst the cancellatums.

Anax parthenope outnumbered imperator by a large margin and together they were the only aeshnids we could find.

-->

Banded demoiselle	Calopteryx splendens	Along the banks of the Danube and it’s larger backwaters. ancilla?
Robust spreadwing	Lestes dryas	Rather localised at UF, found at one pond.
Migrant spreadwing	Lestes barbarus	Small numbers daily at UF.
Dark spreadwing	Lestes macrostigma	Just two males noted at one spot in UF.
Eastern willow spreadwing	Lestes parvidens	Small numbers around the periphery of UF.
Common winter damsel	Sympecma fusca	Two fresh individuals encountered at UF.
Common bluetail	Ischnura elegans	Abundant.
Small bluetail	Ischnura pumilio	One male at the wetland site before we had lunch en route to the delta.
Common bluet	Enallagma cyathigerum	A few at the wetland site before we had lunch en route to the delta.
Variable bluet	Coenagrion pulchellum	Scarce in the delta?
Small red-eye	Erythromma viridulum	Common and widespread.
Blue featherleg	Platycnemis pennipes	Common in the delta.
Emperor	Anax imperator	Present in the delta in good numbers.
Lesser emperor	Anax parthenope	Quite common at the wetland before lunch en route to the delta.
Black-tailed skimmer	Orthetrum cancellatum	Widespread.
White-tailed skimmer	Orthetrum albistylum	One male at the wetland en route to the delta.
Ruddy darter	Sympetrum sanguineum	Small numbers around the periphery at UF.
Red-veined darter	Sympetrum fonscolombii	Single male at the lake en route to the delta.
Common darter	Sympetrum striolatum	A few at UF.
Southern darter	Sympetrum meridionale	The commonest Sympetrum.
Broad scarlet	Crocothemis erythraea	Abundant in the delta and a few elsewhere.
Black pennant	Selysiothemis nigra	Five individuals, all female, recorded in the drier, sandier areas of UF. First record for Romania?

wild cat in Romania

Not one of mine, but taken by Pablo Serrano at Ultima Frontiera in the northern part of the Danube delta where I have spent the best part of the week

The easy highlight of a FAM trip to Romania's Danube Delta was a brief, but oh-so-sweet, night encounter with a genuine wild cat at the splendid Ultima Frontiera. This must be one of the top spots for trying to see wild cat in Europe I reckon. We found our male close to the edge of a track on a night-drive on an overcast and slightly damp evening which also produced an obvious hybrid. Another two drives on much clearer nights failed to produce another sighting but others did see one right by the hotel during our four night stay.

A poor image but a great encounter with a jackal pup that was found snoozing in the sun near an active burrow before waking abruptly upon discovery and hiding. Ultima Frontiera produced multiple sightings (day and night) of the impressive European moreoticus sub-species of golden jackal.

I am hoping to come back with groups in the future and am already looking forward to it!

Odonata first for Romania?

Had a great first day in the Danube Delta, the easy highlight though was a single female Selysiothemis nigra on the Ultima Frontiera property where we are staying. There are just two observations from the Black Sea coast of Ukraine that I could find in a short internet search, otherwise the nearest records are coastal Bulgaria. I think I may have bagged a country first?

an hour in Bucharest

Arrived in Bucharest mid-afternoon on a recce trip to the Danube delta, highlights of a short walk around an open-air village architecture museum were two species of woodpecker, this poorly-imaged middle-spotted and a Syrian.

A rather unpleasant looking lake supported both European pond terrapin (above) and the introduced red-eared slider (below)

The first odo of the trip was Orthetrum cancellatum...