Conservation work and monitoring
An unusual site
The Small Quarry SSSI is a very unusual site as it really is three dimensional ! This also means that butterflies can escape vertically when a camera appears - not only horizontally! There is a pathway around the lip of the site, but special care must be taken as there is no safety fencing in place, and there is a drop of about 10 metres to the bottom!
For the summer months, the site is usually very dry, but once several days of heavy rainfall arrive, the Bowl is transformed into a lake. Provided water is retained inside the Bowl for most of the summer, an incredible number of species come there to breed, feed, and shelter.
Apart from the flora and fauna, the actual fabric of the site is also very interesting, as it was formed by volcanic action. Much of the site can be awkward for walking as there are so many loose rocks scattered about, but, of course, this is a wild place, not a town park!
The Small Quarry SSSI is a very unusual site as it really is three dimensional ! This also means that butterflies can escape vertically when a camera appears - not only horizontally! There is a pathway around the lip of the site, but special care must be taken as there is no safety fencing in place, and there is a drop of about 10 metres to the bottom!
For the summer months, the site is usually very dry, but once several days of heavy rainfall arrive, the Bowl is transformed into a lake. Provided water is retained inside the Bowl for most of the summer, an incredible number of species come there to breed, feed, and shelter.
Apart from the flora and fauna, the actual fabric of the site is also very interesting, as it was formed by volcanic action. Much of the site can be awkward for walking as there are so many loose rocks scattered about, but, of course, this is a wild place, not a town park!
Irrigating the site ..... our methods are simple, but very effective!
The Fish problem: unwanted guests!
In October 2010 we disovered that some local 'clever people' had introduced thousands of small fish into the SQ Bowl. On 28th October 2010, we went there to investigate which species they were, as seen in the following photos. After catching one, we found that they were Carp - Cyprinus carpio – Ponty. Why someone thought they could make a fishing lake out of a site that traditionally dries-up in the Summer time, I don't know! This misguided introduction was a disaster for our amphibian breeding programme (including that for the PROTECTED Great
Crested Newt – Triturus cristatus – Tarajos gőte) as these fish ate almost all of the young in Spring 2011. Eventually, in the hot Summer of 2011, the Bowl of the SQ dried out completely, and almost all of the fish died, apart from about 70 which I rescued and took to the lake at Sás-tó, just up from Mátrafüred.
The message is: dont do it again!
The message is: dont do it again!
'Operation Oil Slick' ...... yet another lovely gift from the locals!
'Operation Clean-up' ..... clearing dumped rubbish from the site!
Saving lives .... our first big amphibian rescue operation of 2013!
Breaking News: 700 LIVES SAVED IN HUNGARY ! Yes .. today (8th July 2013) was our big rescue operation for amphibians that were heading for an awful death in the SQ. The photos are fairly explanatory: we 'scooped' the muddy water and transferred our 'catch' to a sieve, and then tipped the amphs into holding bowls of clean water. Then the 'amphs' were transferred to buckets for the 'careful' journey home. Upon arrival, they were transferred to the 'holding bowls' again, and had clean, fresh water added so that they could cool down. This was an unusual sight in our hall ! Later in the afternoon, they were moved to the buckets again, and transported to their new home: the forest school pond in Mátrafüred. This pond already hosts these 3 species, and there is no evidence of the amph disease, either at the SQ or the school pond. I was looking rather enviously at the water level in this pond ... if only we had that at the SQ now ! So .... mission accomplished! Obviously, we couldn't save everyone, but we have saved the vast majority. The small Fire-bellied Toads were not moved, as, although small, they are fully formed and independent. They will move to local shady places, such as the regularly-watered gardens and orchard areas, when the SQ finally dries-up completely.
Big rescue No. 2 ..... saving lives AND educating children about nature!
I visited the SQ late afternoon on 9th July 2013, and although we said that we'd rescue no more tadpoles, I was met with a heart-breaking sight: just one small pool (about 1 square metre) was left, and there were hundreds of small heads, which were reminiscent of the dying fishes from 3 years ago. So, I came home, had a cup of tea, and then returned with Teréz for our final rescue operation. When we arrived at the school with our 'catch' we were met by a party of school children from the Budapest area, and were able to show them our tadpoles, and educate them about how important it is to conserve such species.