saltoun big wood

 

27-07-22 I had heard Saltoun Big Wood was teeming with odonata and thought it worth a visit. Often you don't get what you're specifically after (Black Darters) but there's always something you hadn't planned on seeing. (Alan, Carolyn and a few new large whites and peacocks.) And the 35 miles cycle is a good work out. I really don't think I'd cycle that distance if there wasn't the reward of the dragonfly ponds at the far end. Makes it all worthwhile.

One of the first things I saw before I'd even parked my bike properly was Alan B. He really knows his stuff about dragonflies and I'm pleased to say he recorgnised me before I had clocked him. He doesn't always look as taciturn as that photo above. We discussed various things including the arrival of broad-bodied chasers. I knew he would be a reliable source of information about whether they had been spotted here or anywhere other than North of Haddington (nope) and had they been around for a while? (Nobody can say, although they seem to have bred last year leaving nymphs in the ponds.) Were there really emperors at Saltoun? (Unlikely.) He was also looking for black darters but I think it was another few days before they appeared.

Alan was going to have his lunch around the best pond, so I let him do that in peace and cycled off to the far end of the woods to see if there were any outlier commas emerged. Nope! No sign of the devils bit scabious lining the trail which is what makes them appear in dozens. Well, handfuls. Although last year it seemed like maybe as few as ten. Or fewer.

I also checked out the upper pond which had a newt that was behaving weirdly. I have never worked out when newts appear and if they stay all season. Sometimes they were there, sometimes not. This one (above) had obviously left the water and then returned but failed to break the surface and was sat high on the meniscus. It was enjoying the view (under the water's surface) and half running, half swimming along the top. At first I couldn't work out what it was.   

it is difficult not to misinterpret the smile on an emerald damselfly as a smile.

four-spotted chaser

common darters

upper pond - fairly busy with hawkers, 4-spotters, darters and damselflies

gvw

large white

There were a few large whites and peacocks up the back trail but no commas. Or red admirals. A bit early but I knew that might be the case. The large whites were fresh, and surprisingly let me get close enough for pics a few times. It was a very peaceful place to be and I didn't see anyone else till I went back to the ponds. There were also a couple of hawkers flying up and down, no doubt males looking for females.

darter (f)(I think) - love the colours

loads of small skippers

There were a few very new peacocks about but they weren't stopping for photos. This one parked on the main path and I had to stand way back not to chase it. It flew off and didn't stop until it was a long way gone. I went back to the ponds where I bumped into Carolyn. She had been sitting, taking photos at the second or third pond and I hadn't wanted to disturb her. However we got talking and both ended up chatting for ages about wildlife and photography and the challenges of dragonflies in flight and reading the manual. 

large red damselfly

poor photo of hawker in flight

ditto

number one pond

common darter

While I was chatting to Carolyn we could hear that cellophane rattle in the reeds and thought it would be another male hawker searching out a female. When they find one they grab it (with tail end claspers) and fly off like a Chinook helicopter to the nearest tree. There is no foreplay or seeking of consent. However it seemed to be a female hawker in the process of emerging from the nymph casing (exuvia) and slowly climbing up the reeds beside us. Not something you see very often despite there being large numbers of odonata all around us.  

newly emerging hawker (f) and exuvia on right

I reckoned female from the lack of antehumeral stripes

exuvia - note white threads - they are the rip cords
that change the breathing apparatus from water to air

I presume the washed out colour helps the dragonfly get past the transition stage when it is vulnerable. The final colour will be a dark brown with either bright yellow, blue or green spots. Similar to as is, but deeper and more striking in tone and colour. (see below)

I was saying to Carolyn a proper enthusiast would have got in the water beside it for a better close-up. But I had a long cycle home and dry shoes. Carolyn was also reluctant. After a short while it took its maiden flight and headed for the nearest trees. Females tend to avoid the watering hole unless they are looking for love. The chance of getting grabbed is just too high (and doesn't seem optional) so they will stay away most of the time. A bit like going down the disco.

here's one I made earlier - female hawker egg laying

As we are stood there at the edge of the pond we heard a low rumbling, like an aeroplane taking off. It turned out to be 3 Police quad bikers. Whether they were patrolling or having fun, or both was not revealed but we got a nice smile and hello from the leader of the pack.

Carolyn went off to find a buddliea that often had attendant butterflies while I tried to circumnavigate the pond, hoping to stir black darters and commas out the interminable undergrowth round the back. Neither made themselves known and I had to settle for strafing my legs with bramble thorns and nettle stings. And a couple of 4-spotters glinting in the sun.

hawker chinook

A couple of times I saw a hawker find a female, grab her and fly off. I was really annoyed one was hauled off a bunch of reeds I had just walked past, and I missed it there. The whole would-you-care-to-dance request and hook up took less than a second and they were flying across the pond and towards the nearest trees before I could do anything more than point and shoot from the hip. The photo (above) was sadly fairly shite. It all happens too quickly. And they don't listen when I ask them to come back and do that again. 

marmalade on butter

water boatman

meadow brown on my wheel (not a rimlet)

new small tortoiseshell

GVWs in cop

I was pleased with the haul of photos and had had a very pleasant afternoon. I thought it best to head home as I still had probably 2 hrs of cycling ahead of me. I left by heading down to W Saltoun, through it and up the hill to the end of the dirt trail that is the Pencaitland Railway cyclePath. It is slightly slower than bombing back through Tranent but there is less traffic to kill cyclists (which can spoil an afternoon out.) I thought it was disappointing not to see a comma at Saltoun and if butterfly jesus was feeling kind he might make one happen on the cyclepath. 

He was and he did. I can't remember now whether I saw the comma and stopped or stopped at a likely spot and saw the comma. There were a couple of areas where the cyclepath crossed old bridges and you find yourself at the tops of the trees coming up from the roadside below. A good point to check for purple hairstreaks in the higher tops of oak trees. They are a pain because they mainly stay up high in oak canopies and don't come down to have their photos taken often. Also they are mostly seen in early evening, around 5pm. It was 4 something and sunny so I parked the bike and had a long 2 minutes looking at the canopy. That is about all I can manage before I get terminally bored. Instead of a purple thingybob a red admiral floated down like a falling leaf and landed right beside me. Well thank you again butterfly jesus that is very kind. It worked its glossy wings in the sunshine making a very nice video and some stills. Perfect end to the day. 

yellowhammer

36 miles cycled, 1 maybe 2 walked