Page 116 - BBC Wildlife - August 2017 UK

INSIDE THE IMAGE

MAYFLIES RÁBA RIVER, HUNGARY

Ephoron virgo disappeared
from the rivers of central
Europe for decades as
a consequence of water pollution,
only returning in 2012 when water 1
quality had sufficiently improved. I
had photographed the spectacle of the
post-emerging swarm back in 2013,
and was determined to do it again. This
time, however, I wanted to capture the
Danube mayflies against a starlit sky.
My vision wouldn’t be easy to make
a reality: nobody knows exactlywhen
the insects will emerge, nor on which
stretches of river. It took me 12 nights
to find my mayflies. And, thankfully,
thesky was clear when I did.

BRIEF AND BUSY LIVES
In Hungary, Danube mayflies usually
emerge over a few days in late July
and early August. They appear after
sunset and stay close to the surface of
the water, spending their short lives
swarming, mating andlaying eggs
upstream. On thenightI got this shot,
I was standing on a low riverbank
covered in a mass of buzzing insects.
Hearing and feeling the rustling and
whirring of several thousand wings
was a fantastic and memorable feeling.
This image is important to me as it
helps to draw attention to the plight of
these spectacular invertebrates. Cleaner 5
water may have allowed populations to
recover, but they are now facing a new
threat – artificial lighting, which draws
them away from the river and disrupts
egg-laying behaviour.

DATA FILE

CAMERA Nikon D90
LENS 17-70mm
FOCAL LENGTH 17mm
DOUBLE EXPOSURE 1.3
seconds at f14 and 30
seconds at f3.2; ISO
800 (with flash)
NOTES used the
built-in flash and
abright torch

116 BBC Wildlife August 2017