b i g w o o d !

OK I'm now 2 weeks behind on blogs. So I'm going to skip quickly through the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd June. The sun wasn't really out but it was warm and pleasant enough. So on Saturday we went for the usual Gullane / Aberlady run. The damselflies were buzzing at Marl Loch but not a lot else was happening. I seem to remember some ill advised sprints on the sand at Aberlady beach and there was a brief swim in the sea at Gullane as well, though not long or far as I'd forgotten my goggles, and that impeded progress. 

Scorpion Fly - big hooter and stingy looking tail
although that is actually the male's genitals

Moving quickly on, Sunday was a really fun cycle to.....

Derek P had recommended Saltoun Big Wood as a potential spot for dragonflies. (Huge thanks - it is now one of my favourite places.) It is a square mile of mature trees and diverse wildlife, South of Pencaitland. Since it wasn't sunny the dragonflies were absent (they need the sun to warm and fuel thorax flying muscles) but there were damselflies, newts and tadpoles in the man-made ponds (3 of them) and the air was filled with insects and birdsong. I think we had done about 18 miles via Cousland by the time we padlocked our bikes near the car park.

hate this pair of barking-like-mental dogs
they do that every time - only consolation, the raised restraints

beautiful East Lothian!

turn off between East and West Saltoun

About 200 yards along the main path there are 2 ponds

It had been raining and all the dandelions had wet feathers

little godzillas

Palmate Newt (male)
(tail and webbed rear feet let you know this isn't a Smooth Newt)

Brown Silver-line moth

there were bugs and beasties wherever you looked
quite a few eluded detection until getting photos onto computer

I fished this lacewing out the spider's web
as I felt a bit guilty that I might have chased it in there

Lacewing! 

lots of pretty wildflowers

Silver Y Moth

Orange Tip

great spotted woodpecker
we saw this fly from high up one tree to the top of the tallest nearby

Palmate Newt

collective noun: a cloud of tadpoles

We took over 2hrs to cover 3 miles of much of the perimeter of the woods. Just walking and taking pics. It was really great and hoaching with wildlife. I planned to return the first sunny day I could. Unfortunately we left it a bit late to find a cafe (cafe first, next time, said Mary) and after getting turned away at Falko's, Haddington, cycled home on sports bars alone.

44+ cycled, 3 miles walked