butterflies and birds

Warriston 19th April

I fear I am now at risk of repeating myself and boring everyone else with more of the same so I'll just rush through these and skip all but the best pics. It is like taking your soul through the car wash to go and spend a few hours looking closely at the cemetery life. (A paradox in itself.) You forget about all the bad things and just get lost in the tiny lives peeping and fluttering about. Not worrying about bills or making good use of your lazy life, just going about from flower to tree and watching out for the sun or rain and stopping for an occasional chat. You can accidentally buy into all sorts of therapy and tree-hugging mindfulness without once purchasing a yoga mat, vegan shoes or signing up to a cult. And it's free.

Now this comma. This was a couple of weeks ago but I remember it very specifically as it totally outsmarted me twice. I haven't done a sufficient quota of commas this Spring and hoped if I didn't make an issue of it I might come across some as a reward. (Not happened yet.) I saw it a few yards away and crept slowly towards it having taken the record shot. I looked at my feet (stepping through ivy covered branches and hidden trip hazards) for the smallest half-second and when I looked up it was goney gone. Not flying nearby, not wings folded, not under a leaf, but that magic portal into another dimension thing they do. That. And I am stepping through ivy towards an empty space feeling like a turnip. A minute later it dematerialises a similar distance away and I carefully step closer thinking it won't get away this time but my foot snags on something and against my will my eyes leave the comma for a nano second and when I look back it is gone. "You're good!" I say out loud wondering how some orange coloured tissue paper either side of a hairy worm can outsmart a human. And it confirms that by staying hidden for the rest of the day. Top marks, but dammit.

chiffchaff: not quite as cunning hiding

greedy bullfinch

I came across 2 speckleds on the flowers just up from the tunnel. I waited ages for the sun to re-appear because they looked a little dark and drab under cloud cover. But I didn't quite have enough patience and hoped I could crank the contrast in post to make the primroses pop and the speckleds dance but hmmm, not really. At least they sit still for close ups when the sun isn't shining.

small white

Orange Tip females lack the titular orange...

but have similar underwing markings to the males

peacock

This male speckled made a clumsy attempt to engage the female by shoving in under her wings. She was unimpressed and eventually flew off. 

The crypt robin was delightful today. We have met before and he is really friendly. It's as if he read my intentions and tried to help out as much as possible by posing on branches and stones really close by and holding still while I fumbled with the camera adjusting the angle to get the best background. Bribes were given but he wasn't that bothered about the seeds and bread and just seemed curious and happy to hang out for a chat. Very little in my life is quite as profound as these heightened moments of trust, beauty and bonding.

4hrs well spent