April 12. Olkhovaya Ravine
An evening trip by car. We were heading to Dobraya Ravine but ended up (against our will) in Olkhovaya. On the upside, we caught the mass spawning of moor frogs.
[IMG_1] From the north, the Kharkiv River flows into the city of Kharkiv. Here it is in its entirety (the opposite bank is visible through the reeds). Nevertheless, it flows through a wide floodplain. [IMG_2] Here it is — the floodplain of the Kharkiv River. The western, right bank (looking downstream) of the bedrock shore is elevated, with a wonderful oak forest on it. The elevation is cut by ravines. The most famous of them is Olkhovaya, which stretches (approximately) from Russkaya Lozovaya to Cherkasskie Tishki. A chain of 7 ponds extends along it. A little further south, closer to the city, Dobraya Ravine opens into the Kharkiv floodplain. There is one pond there. The entire northern massif of forests approaching Kharkiv was devoid of common toads. In 1994, a kind person released, at my request, a batch of common toads into the uppermost pond in Olkhovaya Ravine. I had collected this sample of toads for him at Iskovy Pond. Flowing water dispersed the toads all the way to the lowest pond, and now there are enormous numbers of them in Olkhovaya Ravine. Several years ago, we observed these toads beginning to colonize the pond in Dobraya Ravine. This is a rare opportunity to observe early phases of population development. [IMG_3] The surface of the backwaters of the Kharkiv River is covered with midges. It seems they are emerging here. It will be lively here soon. [IMG_4] We drove along the elevation north of Olkhovaya Ravine and descended into it along a narrow little road (almost a footpath) through thickets of blackthorn. I took this photograph when we were deciding whether to descend or not — whether we would make it through or get stuck. We made it through. But because that descent was truly harsh, we tried to return via the lower road. You will see what came of that. [IMG_5] Down below — beauty. [IMG_6] [IMG_7] The ponds are beautiful too. This is a spawning aggregation of moor frogs. The water surface is covered with males in breeding coloration. They sing in chorus. I tried to record their singing while standing in waders chest-deep in the pond, but the result was not very good: I was breathing like a steam engine, and those sounds were recorded on the video. Therefore, to create the right impression, I will attach a different recording made from the bank. [IMG_8] In the recording, bird calls are clearly audible, and further in — the chorus of moor frogs, resembling boiling water. And in the foreground — the "croaking" of spadefoot toads. [IMG_9] The spawning aggregation can only be photographed from a distance. When a person approaches, the frogs dive to the bottom with a characteristic gurgling sound and swim away. To catch them, you need to stand carefully at the very spawning site and wait for the frogs to slowly begin surfacing. [IMG_10] Common toads, however, are much less cautious. [IMG_11] A male moor frog has grabbed the leg of a male common toad (who is holding a "proper" female in amplexus). [IMG_12] The egg masses of moor frogs protrude slightly above the water surface. [IMG_13] A pair of common toads in amplexus... [IMG_14] ... and males waiting for females. [IMG_15] A general view of the moor frog spawning site. [IMG_16] This male employs a different strategy. He sings not at the spawning aggregation but off to the side, alone. But it is precisely from this direction that females may come. [IMG_17] This appears to be a crucian carp. [IMG_18] It is not only amphibians that are breeding at this time. [IMG_19] We heard spadefoot toads in the thickets but did not see them. Fire-bellied toads were quieter, but we encountered a few. [IMG_20] And here I simply flipped a fire-bellied toad upside down. [IMG_21] How well the cryptic coloration of the fire-bellied toad's dorsum harmonizes with the general background of its habitat! [IMG_22] And this is the stretch between the very last, seventh from the top, pond and the sixth, where we were catching moor frogs. [IMG_23] [IMG_24] Having seen what was happening in Olkhovaya Ravine, we set off for Dobraya. Via the lower road. And then, unexpectedly, the super-driver made a mistake. The Niva got stuck on both axles. What followed was a prolonged struggle in the mud with a jack and logs. Alas, to no avail. [IMG_25] For the most part, the road was passable, but in some places there were deep holes in the ruts. This is the trace of a dried-up puddle on this rut. We drove into a section where the holes were filled with water. [IMG_26] For some time we tried to raise the car by shoving logs underneath it. What amused me greatly during this time was that while hauling logs, I was technically in the hospital (well, to be precise, I was an outpatient at the cardiology hospital, in the arterial hypertension ward). After a while, it became clear that we could not manage on our own. We had to call for "emergency assistance" from Kharkiv. [IMG_27] Fortunately, we had something to keep us occupied while waiting for the vehicle we had summoned. [IMG_28] The funniest part was when this monster started spinning its wheels trying to get out of the rut. But fortunately, it did not spin for long. [IMG_29] We pulled the Niva out when it was already getting dark. We had to abandon the trip to Dobraya Ravine.