Saltoun Big Wood

 

27th May

I hadn't been to Saltoun Big Wood in quite a while. I have always had great associations with the place although it doesn't always produce the lepidopteral goods. I think my reluctance to visit earlier in the year was the result of an early visit last year when I stamped around the place shouting at absent butterflies 'come out! come out! the weather is perfect! Where are you little bastards?' Which is not the best way to enjoy wildlife.

I did wonder if I was too early for the odonata which is one of the delights of the place but there was plenty of goodies and it will only have got better since. How did a month fly past since then? Oh, that's right, work! And when not working I've been running after those butterflies. Must cut back on the work somehow. Actually I've just remembered I went past Saltoun on this occasion while out en velo to see about a job in Ormiston just about 3 miles down the way from Saltoun. A job I just finished yesterday and cycled home an hour in the rain. Happy days!

I had my bike with me and was uncertain whether to padlock it and leave it or have it with me. I cycled to the first ponds and spent maybe an hour or more dicking about there before exploring other parts. It was very pleasant weather and many damselflies (and other insects) were recently emerged. Newts and tadpoles galore. You could tell the odonata were in the process of emerging as they weren't particularly bright or cautious. And so many were flying, possibly for the first time, that if you held out a hand they would land on it. The majority appeared to be large red damselflies (although there were possibly some common and blue tailed) which eventually go very red with red eyes but start off brown eyed and less red. There were groups of them sunbathing on nearby bushes. 

palmate newt (note webbed rear paddles!)

scorpion fly

I was pleased to see this scorpion fly (f) as they have the most peculiar faces. I took a couple of record shots before trying to turn it around for a portrait which was just as well as they are a bit flighty, and it disappeared into the jungle rapidly. 

micro moth party

orange tip

I had a wander round the perimeter of the ponds hoping to see larger dragonflies. The only ones likely would be four-spotted chasers and somewhere round the back on a south-facing slope one or 2 sprung into the air and flew off with determination. I followed one of them and crept up to record-shot distance. I thought it might be the only photo today but I was wrong. It didn't hang about for me to get close; but as I was returning to my bike I saw one clattering about the undergrowth and suspected it was very recently emerged. Because it didn't mind me coaxing it onto my hand. Normally they wouldn't let a human get close. However when they are brand new I think they are a bit sleepy and less flighty. And the warmth of a hand seems like a reasonable idea. I popped it onto a nearby tree where it sat warming in the sun for a minute or 2. I was absolutely stoked to get so close and took photos from different angles without having to hold my breath and keep my distance.  

It doesn't get better than that! Although it is also fun to watch the newts. You could see the males (I am assuming they are males) trying to coax the females into mating. The males had more pronounced mottled markings (esp around the head) and would position themselves in front of a female and then waft their tails back towards their bodies as if sending an underwater message (presumably hormonal) for the benefit of the female. The female I saw stared directly ahead and was unmoved by all the efforts of this guy. He didn't seem best pleased.

thousands of tadpoles

Pondskaters! You always see them skooting across the surface of ponds and I thought it might be fun to try to take their pics, now that I had a much more clever camera. They are quite nervy beasts and don't like it when tadpoles or newts swim directly below them. Quite right too, you never know when a fish is likely to rise up and eat you. Anyway I liked the subtleties of light and ripple. The new camera, by the way, (a Lumix FZ 2000) is super excellent. Having honed my skills on lesser equipment this makes most photo-adventures a joy and blessing by comparison and the results are always a few notches above what the previous would be. And although considerably larger, fits snugly into a protective case and then into my backpack and has survived the shoogle factor of many dozen miles of running and cycling. So far.

The most useful tip I have found for focussing just where you want, is using my left thumb on the fold-out touch screen to move the cross hair over the precise target before pushing the shutter-release with the right index finger (holding the camera in the right hand) which allows you to choose a butterfly's eye over, say, its wing. Although this was technically possible with a compact, there was not the same solidity of grip and balance as it can be very fiddly at full zoom. Also the flip out screen helps and gives more room to get fat fingers around each other!

I walked and cycled up to the top of butterfly alley (see map) which was noticeable short of butterflies. I padlocked my bike off the main path and hidden in the trees, and went for a ramble through the undergrowth. There was birdsong all around but I didn't see one bird. Richard had mentioned it was a good spot for birdwatching and I felt it should be, but maybe I didn't have the patience or skills for it. I presume you identify birds by their song then track them down. I would spend 5 mins looking at a tree from which loud cheeping emanated, but seeing bugger all. So I just jogged around the place, camera out and enjoyed the surroundings. I already had plenty of photos. After a bit of a circuit at the far end I returned to my bike and cycled home. I hope to get back for the main dragonfly season which will be underway anytime now. I have several ponds and wet places earmarked for dragonfly hunting to get round. And if I can get time off work maybe a trip over west. 

This was an interesting find - a wandering GVW I followed down the path. It went off into the trees, possibly to find a roost for the evening and I caught it settling down quite high up (3m?) in a conifer. Always wondered where they spent the night. 

There used to be a car park 100 yards in from the road end, however the locals have put a metal gate just near the road and discouraged all but 2 or 3 cars parking at the roadside. I believe this is to discourage the commercial dog walkers who have been using the place and not taking their waste away. So if going by car you might want to park at West Saltoun and walk up the hill. It does mean the place is quieter and nobody has been banned. So much better than the really unfortunate situation at Hopes Reservoir where a disgruntled landowner has effectively made a blanket ban on everyone by making a permit-holders-only-car-park that is nigh impossible to get permits for.