hooters

 

I think the moral of this post is, if in doubt, go for it. There was some very mixed weather forecast for the 5th May and I did wonder if anything worthwhile was likely to come out of a short trip to Warriston. The hail and rain was forecast for early afternoon and was adamant, not in doubt. There was defo a soaking on the way. And yet between the clouds there was enough sunshine to encourage a butterfly or 2. I had the afternoon off, might as well go for it; midday start. Worst case scenario: walking a mile home in a deluge. I didn't really ask the question what was the best case, but in no time I had a pristine orange tip in the frame and there's not much better than that. 

The advantage of cloudy intervals is that OTs shut down. They go into a sort of stasis, close their wings and use their camouflage as protection rather than flight. Sometimes to the extent you can gently transfer them to other more glamorous foliage/flowers during cloudy spells, for a better background. I didn't do that in this instance as I was busy practising taking close-ups and macro mode shots. The bridge camera has a similar but different response to macro settings than the compact and a stationery butterfly is an excellent model to test them out. If you get square on to it (as above) you can get the whole butterfly in focus and pretty much everything else nicely blurred.

There is a small suntrap just left (East) of the tunnel in the riverside area. A few bluebells peak out between tons of ivy covering the floor and all the trees nearby. It can be quite good for butterflies but also nettle stings and bramble-slash. Tread carefully! It is where I got the first OT of the year on bluebells and I regularly check it out for similar. The above butterfly photos would have been taken there. It is also along from the the home of the riverside robin although I haven't seen him last 2 visits. While I was mooching round this dense jungle there was lots of bird song although it can be very tricky to spot the birds, now the leaves are growing back.

chiffchaff

wren

I said hello to the dude-with-a-pipe. He is another regular and we went from nodding passing hellos to having conversations about the wildlife. He does not sport a camera (just a pipe) so is not immediately recognisable as one of the wildlife enthusiasts. However despite claiming not to be a birder he takes great interest in much of the activity and shares info with regulars. He asked did I want to see the owl. I had heard owl hoots but never been in the area at the right time or seen the owls, except in photos posted by pals Alan and Andrew&Unda. I said YES though I did momentarily wonder as we clambered into the undergrowth if "the owl" was going to be down his trousers. Happily that was not the case and after a bit of positioning and gawping between branches I saw the broken browns and creams of the tawny plumage. It returned our stares with sleepy round eyes.

tawny owl

Moving about to get a line of sight upwards through the dense cover I got a couple of photos. I profoundly thanked dude-with-a-pipe and asked if he was in the facebook group Friends of Warriston Cemetery. He said he didn't do social media. I asked his name that I might credit him as top owl-spotter and he said he didn't do names either! It occurred to me that he may be a resident from the other side of the graveyard, a companionable spirit, happy to chat to passers-by who also haunted the place. If so, all good. Which would go some way to explaining the lack of camera, lack of online presence, the lack of name, the previous military life in foreign countries and why he spends so much time in the cemetery.

I watched the owl and repositioned myself further away but with a better view through the foliage. All of a sudden it upped and flew off to another ivy-clad high tree 80 yards North. I struggled to see where it landed, then scrambled through the undergrowth in pursuit. The smaller birds all kicked off, sounding alarm calls and fluttering about as if the sky was falling in. A couple of crows strafed the owl where it sat in the tree. I managed to find a point with a clear view and started to shoot pics and then some video. After about 12secs of video (you can hear all the alarm calls of the smaller birds and the owl hoot a few times) it rose up and flew off. I was unable to see where it went. It was quite a magical experience and one of the least seen birds I have been lucky enough to see at Warriston. Within seconds the heavens opened and impressively heavy icy hail dropped out the sky. What a strange day!

This was quite mild by comparison to the heavy hail
which I didn't dare expose my non-waterproof camera to.

I had half an idea to bolt for home as soon as the downpour eased off. But it was only 1pm and I felt there was still ample chance for the sun to come back out as the clouds cleared. I stood under trees as the hail bounced through the leaves and down the back of my neck. It was very grey for a while and I made my way towards the exit. But by the time I got there it was drying off and the sun did actually re-appear fairly quickly. The birds started singing again and I did another couple of laps of the place. Although the SD card full of owl pics was encouraging me homewards to see how the photos and video came out. I wandered about for another couple of hours during which there were several bouts of hail. Sometimes just a few handfuls swooshing through the trees, other times full-on look-for-shelter battering down.

male blackcap

female blackcap

Nothing to rival the owl, and eventually the dark clouds won out and I happily walked home. If I'd done the cowardly stay-at-home option I would have missed the downpour but also the fantastic owl experience. Surprising how even the most ordinary day can produce wonders.

This was never more the case just yesterday, 09-05-21 when the weekend weather was so crappy there was no point doing the usual Saturday East Lothian run. Lowering grey clouds blotting out any sun. We dragged our feet and eventually about midday headed out overdressed and complaining for some mild miles first round Holyrood (1.25 butterflies - not worth it mate) and then over to the Meadows and up to the castle before returning home. 

However it turned out to be a SUPERB experience. Not because of the running or the route but due to 2 of the Falconry Borders women who took 3 of their owls to a doorway up the top of the Royal Mile and for a small concession allowed folk to get close and take photos with them. I was following Mary up the road and stopped immediately when I saw the spectacle. Mary continued on up but when she saw I was no longer in tow suspected it was something of this nature. I knew she'd be returning the same way so stood with beating heart watching these magical creatures interacting with awestruck kids. Another important lesson I'd learned a long time ago: ALWAYS carry a camera. More owls! And they were outstanding specimens. 

First to catch my attention was Einstein, a White Faced (Scops?) Owl. What a delightful chap. Hadn't seen one of these close up before. There was also a chick, which looking at their website seems to be another White Faced owl.

We got chatting about owls and the other woman said to Mary to put on a glove. Then from a box we hadn't noticed she pulled out an eagle owl. It was HUGE! And although it looked ferocious, it sat on Mary's arm and cooried into her like an old friend. It was just a gobsmacking experience and not what we expected when we left the house on a very ordinary day. What an amazing experience! Falconry Borders have a website and facebook page. The birds seemed in superb condition and the owners very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended - not sure if they do this on a regular basis. We were able to contribute to their upkeep (best fiver spent ever!) as they had contactless, and have been having trouble keeping going during the pandemic when they had to close. We were totally stoked and danced down the road home. 

So the moral of the tale is, if in doubt, do it. And always carry a camera!