January 2015
4th January 2015
My first visit to the SQ in 2015. I had to go as we'd had about 10 cms of snow overnight, and I was determined to get some 'snow pix' and also blow my flu away ! It was very much a 'bird day', as I recorded: Blackbird, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Marsh Tit, and a flock of about 8 Rock Bunting. The SQ always looks magical when it has a covering of snow.
15th January 2015
Hmmm .... only my second visit of 2015, but I haven't been lazy ... promise ! While still getting back to some sort of fitness after my dose of flu I've been working all hours, updating the SQ official web site, turning it into more of an on-line species list, rather than just a collection of pretty pictures. Teréz accompanied me today, but it was more of a site-checking visit rather than a species recording trip. A honey bee was seen, and some Wood Ant workers were starting to build a new nest near the top rim of the site. There was a reasonable amount of water in The Bowl, albeit frozen.
23rd January 2015
A 20-minute afternoon visit on our way home from Gyöngyös. It was quite cold and a few rain spots started to fall as we walked around the site. We didn't notice any bird life, or any other life, but the recent rain had topped-up the SQ quite nicely. All 3 Rock Baths had water, especially RB 1. While Teréz was studying the mossy walls on the eastern side, she discovered a new Black Spleenwort plant – Asplenium adiantum-nigrum – Fekete Fodorka .... in a new location that was quite a distance from the established colony.
27th January 2015
On this afternoon's visit, I was pleasantly surpised to find a strong water flow running down the airfield road, and into the SQ. We'd had quite a lot of rain recently, but not for about 24 hours - hence my surprise ! The vigorous waterfall had brought a pleasing amount of water into The Bowl, and although the markings on the water surface seemed to show that raindrops were falling, it was actually only patterned ice. I found some nice little clusters of a fungus species on an old tree branch. I saw some movement in Rock Bath 2, which I assume was an Agile Frog, diving for cover as I approached. As an extra gift for all our 'Friends of the Small Quarry', I shot a short video of the waterfall in action ! :)
30th January 2015
As we'd had about 10 cms of snow overnight, I just HAD to visit the SQ to get some more nice snow photos ! I actually ended-up paying 2 visits, the first on my way into town, and the second on my return. On visit No. 1, snow covered the water flow down the airfield road, but, 2 hours later, on the 2nd visit, the temperature had risen, and the snow was melting quite quickly. This meant the the waterfall was much more active than it had been 2 hours earlier. I should also say that, on both visits, it was raining quite steadily, which is why there are so many rain spots in my photos !