on yer bike!

 

07-07-25 About time for a visit to Saltoun Wood. See if the forestry work has finished. It was ongoing throughout the Winter and maybe why I've held off a bit with visits. Saltoun can be remarkable for wildlife but it can also be disappointing. It is higher than other East Lothian spots I regularly explore, and so you can end up going along and finding the flora and fauna quite a few weeks behind, which can be frustrating earlier in the season but makes the place unique towards the end of the season when everything else is faded or gone. Fingers crossed the tree removal work has not changed the mid-August to mid-September spectacle that has occurred here the last few years, when dozens of butterflies line the back trail feeding on devil's bit scabious.

Meanwhile, do I catch the bus and run up from Pencaitland or cycle? I opt for the latter feeling it will burn more calories and reduce the belly more than the 3 miles jog from the bus stop. It also means I don't have to work to a timetable and can carry more kit in pannier bags, leaving any extraneous stuff with the bike, padlocked in the trees behind the old car park while I set off on foot with a head full of thoughts of dragonflies. Before I get to the pond I am stopped in my tracks by a handsome four-banded longhorn beetle.

These beetles are regulars here and fairly common. I like them because they often sit still (or at least don't freak out and fly off like a bird or nervous butterfly) to have their photo taken. I had just taken the camera out and had the long lens on so stood back from this umbelliferous flowerhead and waited till the beetle moved round for a decent shot. The plant is likely a member of the Apiaceae family and possibly (Common) Hogweed.

I was rather confused by the word Apiaceae and I'm not sure if its a good thing or not that you pronounce the word as five of its letters but not in the order they appear: A-P-A-C-I . Perhaps better to to just say Carrot family. Or Umbellifers. If I see something that the bugs or butterflies are drawn to, I will photograph it so I can later Google lens it. Best to not have it with bugs on as google lens prioritises these and not the background plant. But I forgot in this case, I mean it is just bog-standard hogweed isn't it? But the flowers look so pretty it made me doubt myself. Anyway even if it is Hogweed (the smaller anonymous relative of the notorious Giant Hogweed) it still has huge pulling power and was entertaining hundreds of pollinators on nearly every umbel it produced. 

All this is swirling round my head along with the as-yet unknown dragonfly outcome, when I am passed by a bloke who stops to chat rather than just nodding hello. He knows my name and we have met and chatted before in these woods. He, Keith, enjoys the wildlife as well, although doesn't sport binoculars or a camera, the tell-tale signs of a nature-botherer. He was concerned about the forestry machinery and how much damage they might have done. He feels the place is already damaged and that numbers of (for instance) butterflies are down on the previous. I suggested we won't really know till the scabious comes out and whether or not the brilliant displays of August butterflies appear or not.

I believe I said end of July but when I checked back, in fact they only really get going mid-August. We'll find out then. Also, the woods do belong to someone who has invested by planting these coniferous trees. They are good enough to not fence the place off but allow the public to visit. And someone went to the trouble of digging the dragonfly ponds - as far as I'm aware they are man-made not natural although I may fact check that as it is something I suspect I heard rather than read. So if the people who own this land choose to do stuff with it, I guess we have to live with it. At least they seem to be replanting more trees (hopefully more indigenous ones?) rather than build a housing estate, or an Amazon warehouse.

A quick google search suggests Saltoun Big Wood is owned by Sir Francis Ogilvy (since 1990s) of Winton House, Pencaitland. And it may be the ponds were the result of Lime quarries, but that is less certain. Also, while doing an online search, red squirrels came up in association with Saltoun. Never seen any there in many years of visiting but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

On approaching the ponds there is a huge number of blue damselflies. Just everywhere you look, in tandems and singles, over the water and all round the sides, waves of them take off and land as you pass by. However I am looking for larger beasts. I have not made a note of when the dragonflies appear. I do know the large red damsels and four-spot chasers are the earliest, then the broad-bodied chasers, then the hawkers; Common, Southern and Migrant. Of those I eventually see a Common buzzing over the water but there are not as many as I hoped. And no Southerns as yet. Many four-spotters but I have already documented them this year and hoped to record at least a couple of the Hawkers.

Especially after watching far too many How the Photograph Dragonflies in Flight videos on youTube. Often by people with less good kit than myself taking poorer photos but no doubt fancying themselves for an influencer. Perhaps one of the worst words of the modern world. You have to have at least three things: 1/ knowledge of the subject (odonata), 2/ technical ability with a camera and 3/ a certain charm or watchability while conveying one and two. Many of the photos they take are less good than my own. And I would never dream of having the neck to make a how-to video. I am far more interested in honing (or at least doing) the activity than passing on words of wisdom to a simpering public. Although maybe a lot of this blog could be considered to be such. I doubt influencers write though - because their public is largely illiterate - I would imagine you have to make instructional videos because the great unwashed, the influencees, prefer small portion videos (maybe with a catchy soundtrack) to, godforbid, an instruction manual. I may flag up a few favourites if I can find them. I am drawn to modest performers who seem to be enjoying themselves rather than slick professionals wielding £20k kit. 

While over the far side of the first pond I noticed this blackbird hop down and pick up something. It looked a little like a dragonfly so I zoomed in with my camera and saw it was indeed a hawker. Mostly I stand back and observe nature but this was just too much: there were precious few hawkers and here was one being played with by a blackbird who wasn't sure which end to start with. Without thinking it through, I responded entirely instinctively and clapped loudly (and might have shouted!) so that the blackbird jumped up and flew into the nearest shrub. I think it dropped the dragonfly and I hoped to get round the pond to see it. I didn't really mean to deprive the bird of a living pepperoni but it didn't even seem sure how to tackle the unexpected meal.

By the time I got there (quite a tricky, slippery shoreline of wet mud under moss) there was no sign of bird nor hawker. I had been thinking it was my best chance of getting a close-up or 2. The only way a blackbird could catch a hawker was when the dragonfly initially emerged from the nymph exuvia and are a bit bewildered and easily caught. Half an hour later you won't get near them. And being superb fliers I doubt a blackbird could catch one. I have no idea if the blackbird quickly returned and snatched its lunchtime feast of this giant colourful worm or not but I certainly didn't get any close-ups. And I had a good old search about the area. Maybe it escaped into the undergrowth. 

common hawker
not many about and those that were, weren't hanging around!

4-spotted chaser

I wasn't happy about the in-flight shots I got. Maybe I didn't watch enough of those videos! The hawkers weren't landing, there weren't many and they weren't coming past and hovering nearby. While these photos were okay and at least in focus I was disappointed the insect wasn't facing me when it came close. I took loads more shots but there wasn't a very good hit rate. I reassured myself that a pal who was here recently didn't get any shots. So it could have been worse. It will be easier later, when more hawkers turn up and start searching the corners of the pond for females. I was very pleased to catch a female (something none of the male hawkers seemed to achieve while I was there). She snuck in low and possibly laid a few eggs before sneaking off again. Happily she decided to do this near to where I was standing. It was one of the luckier moments of the day.

There was also this female four-spotted chaser who was flying just over the surface then dipping her tail, no doubt egglaying.

very pleased to come across this large skipper 
maybe the first I've photo-ed at Saltoun

This was a particularly attractive GVW which I shot taking off and was pleased with the result, particularly the middle shot below which shows the attractive wing markings to good effect on the downbeat. Possibly the shot of the day.

Similarly I tried the same again (also using the pre-burst mode which allows you to shoot the lift off after it has happened) with this small white. The good light on the day really helped to get crisp photos.

This speckled longhorn beetle seemed to be flying from one bloom to another so I tried the same with it and caught it as it opened its elytra and wings (very much like the soldier beetles) and launched itself from the flower. I really enjoyed the results and it made up for the lack of dragonflies. If fate gives you lemons etc. Although I returned home feeling a little deflated (mainly due to the awful cycle home) the photo results were varied and interesting enough to feel the day was well worth it and I feel stoked about returning soon for a rematch. Last year I had 7 trips between July and September to Saltoun as it slowly becomes the best show in town. (Out of town.)

I should mention the wasps. I don't know if they are signifiers of the eco health of the area as butterflies are supposed to be, but there were tons of them. Possibly the most numerous species in the wood. On most of the hundreds of hogweed umbels. The one below is a top example of a dozen (count them!) creatures on just the one umbel, and a third of them wasps. I don't have any great love of wasps but I don't dislike them either and was happy to see so many. It has to be a good sign, right?

The long lens is not the right tool for wide shots and scenery. I couldn't be bothered changing lenses just for establishing shots, or getting out my mobile phone which doesn't give the best results, or the DJI Pocket which I was also carrying. But these 2 (long lens) photos give an idea of how pleasant the place was looking. The deep muddy churn from heavy Winter machinery has been tamped down to an acceptable smooth trail and the verges are recovering from being hacked back. Hopefully the stage is set for the late Summer displays of butterflies. 

I took a record shot of this speckled to remind myself
some were there - I'll pass on the numbers to Nick, the E. Lothian recorder.

haring off

I had wondered if I could be bothered walking the square of the top South-East corner as we usually do, following on from buttefly alley. I didn't imagine there'd be much in the way of butterflies, but I carried on round as you never know what you'll come across and it was a really pleasant day to be out in the woods. If I ever start taking such days out for granted or finding them in some way disappointing, I remind myseslf of all the people slogging away at their day jobs and that my situation is really not at all bad! My reward was seeing 2 leverets. Might have been just one but it would have had to double back and then pop out for a second interaction which seemed unlikely. The first hare of the day was a roadkill a hundred metres before the main road entrance to the woods. A beautiful golden creature mown down by a car no doubt going too fast to avoid the accident. Or maybe the young-ish hare sat still until the last fatal minute before dashing out and under the wheels? 

It was awful to see. However the second leveret of the day walked out onto the main trail just 50 yards from where I was standing. An adult hare would never behave in such a trusting manner. I don't think it saw me before I saw it. We watched each other for a moment before it lolloped off. I had been raising my camera gradually (no sudden movements) but it was almost entirely gone before I got the first shot. Oh well, a delight to see. Quarter of a mile later I turned a corner of the trail to see another youngster dash off, and again I tried to get the camera up to take a shot before it disappeared. It stopped at the edge of the trail to see if I was following at speed. It had a good look and I got the shot above. It seemed fairly relaxed and didn't hurry off into the woods. It is rare to encounter these magical creatures. The joy of seeing the two live ones outweighed the tragedy of the first dead one.

I went back past number one pond. I felt I had not really done enough about the thousands of damselflies (most seemed to be common and azure) and made a token effort to record a few more. There were also loads of small skippers but again I couldn't get that excited by these small butterflies. A small tort came over to say hello, but it was time to head home. I still had 16 miles to cycle home and judging by the ease of the cycle there, the wind would be in my face on the return.

Speckled longhorns; Pachytodes cerambyciformis

Before I left I noticed this couple of speckled longhorn beetles. They were quite lively and not much bothered by my presence. Later, when trying to ID them I came across a couple of odd things. Google lens correctly suggests they are Pachytodes while also suggesting they may be one of several types. At this point I dive into the giant book of Britains Insects (Brock 2021) where it describes Pachytodes cerambyciformis (catchy!) as "unmistakable" with no Similar Species. Handy name: Speckled Longhorn Beetle. And yet if you google that, it tries to direct you towards spotted longhorns. Except for the Scottish Longhorn Beetle Guide pdf which is a wealth of all you need to know about these fab beetles and others. They get an amber dot meaning records scarce which might account for the lack of google awareness. Not sure, but I loved the photos which, due to the bright flower they were on, have exposed with a black background that adds to the drama. 

While wandering about the flowers one of the pair climbed onto the back of the other. This seemed more like a habit than a serious attempt at reproduction as they didn't really coordinate appropriate parts. Going through the motions rather than mating? Perhaps it was like a cuddle? I know that is anthropomorphic, but without any way to understand behaviour other than observation, we are left to watch and wonder.

fresh small skipper

more love-hearts by the pond

4-spot

female Hawker

Very pleased to capture this female Common Hawker - something the few male hawkers about the place failed to do! She snuck in, had a mooch about the shallows in the one corner near me and then hoofed it before she was grabbed and taken off by a marauding male. They don't really concern themselves with consent.

I tried to take a photo of all the blue damselflies on or just above the water. It doesn't really convey the large numbers. Perhaps a video would have shown it better. Especially when the breeze picked up and about 50~60 were swept over to the edge of the pond. At this point the breeze in the woods was noticeable but I hadn't really taken on board how much it would add to the journey home. If I had, I might have cycled to North Berwick or Longniddry and got the train home. Talk about blissfully unaware.

small skip

common spotted orchid

Sparganium emersum

This bur-reed is "monoecious, the individual plants bearing both male and female inflorescences. These are spherical, the male inflorescence a ball of stamens and the female inflorescence a ball of developing fruits growing beneath the male spheres." 

I spent a further 20mins or so at the ponds just above the number one pond. There are a couple of feeder ponds going up the hill which aren't usually as useful for dragonflies. However they are small and were being patrolled by 2 hawkers which gave me (I thought) more of a shooting-fish-in-a-barrel chance of in-flight photos. Or at least that's what I hoped. 2 distant pics in around 20mins is not spectacular. 

Okay time to go! However in the last 100 yards I was stopped by a pair of 4-banded longhorns, just as I had been by the singular specimen on the way in, nearly 4 hrs ago. My slight dissatisfaction with the day's outcomes encouraged me to swap to the macro lens, put the flash and diffuser on, and give those 2 the full-gas paparazzi treatment. They appeared to be indifferent to me making a porno, although I didn't actually shoot any video. There wasn't any kind of movement other than them slowly grazing the tops of the umbellifrous flower-head. I had tried to capture the scene without the flash initially however the flowers were so white and the beetles so black I had to use the flash to light the beetles, otherwise anything other than top surfaces went dead black. 

Initially I had thought that maybe like those last speckled beetles they weren't actually mating. Because their hind parts weren't aligned. Maybe they were just having a nice hug. However when I got home I noticed somehting I'd missed on location. The transparent tube going from his hind quarters to hers. Well I never! That is fascinating! (And slightly yucky!) Not sure why this condom-like accessory makes me a bit squeamish but it does.

However the happy couple could not have been more helpful. They did not complain or scamper off when I put the camera right up near them. They just kept munching on the flowers. It made for any number of great photos. I have posted just a small fraction of the number shot at the time. Eventually I left Mr and Mrs Longhorn to carry on with their blissful existance. I returned to my bike which was where I left it in the woods, both tyres still hard (always a worry after pushing it through 60 yards of jaggy undergrowth and brambles to where it waits on my return).

no shortage of soldier beetles as well

and wasps

oh and a last one of those speckled longhorns too
- may as well, while the macro lens is out!

and isn't that a striking blue?!

and these tiny fruit flies have brilliant eyes
possibly Xyphosia miliaria

2.49miles in 3hrs41m

And that was about that. Except little did I know what horrors lay ahead. I should have known when it took just 74minutes to do the 16+miles from home to the gate at Saltoun. However I slightly flattered myself that I was in not bad shape. With hindsight it was the wind that was doing the heavy lifting. Which became apparent on the return journey.

By now tired and very ready for a cup of tea I was faced with 16 miles of what felt at times like a 30mph headwind. Using what little sense remained I took the Pencaitland cyclepath from the other side of West Saltoun. Longer, but more sheltered. It was still really quite windy despite being a tree-lined track. Exiting it at Crossgatehall things deteriorated rapidly, as the descents to Musselburgh were done at speeds normally achieved on a flat road. The final 6 or 7 miles were just a slow torture. I tried to put my mind elsewhere and just get on with it. My arse was in tatters from not having done anything on the bike in ages and I was going at a speed more like jogging than cycling. Looking at the gps output I am surprised it was only 2hrs to cover the 17 miles as it felt longer. However an average of 8.3mph for what is quite a long descent with no significant uphills is disgraceful. I'd normally expect to cover this in about the same time as I'd done the first leg. And I don't think the 2hrs includes a couple of stops to catch large whites.

The first time I passed a large white and a handful of other (RAs and whites) on the cyclepath my camera had to be got out its case in the back pack which was tightly packed into the pannier bag. This took so long the butterflies were miles away and laughing by the time I was ready to shoot. Sensing this might happen every time, I put on my harness and clipped the camera into that. Of course there was nothing worth a photo for the next 5 miles. Then, just as I was giving up hope there was a section of bramble flowers in sunshine and admirals and a large white. My bike was cast to the ground and I was ready this time. Although the large white was super frisky and not settling much, I fluked a couple of shots, and then to increase the tarriff even further found a comma on the same sunlit section. It had lost a fair chunk of rear wing but looked fresh otherwise. It did a lot to cheer up the otherwise awful cycle.

I had seen loads of full-speed large whites blow through
but these were the only photos I got today.

handsome admiral

damaged comma

perfect GVW

bike tossed to the ground!

The remainder of the day was a horrible grind. A cycling pal Michael, saw my journey on strava and made a comment about it being windy. I took this as very helpful confirmation it wasn't just me being a pussy. I hope I can quickly forget the return leg cycle which was really just the wind being a bastard. Although I am quite out of shape as I no longer cycle across town daily with panniers full of paint. 

Later, much later, after a long hot shower and several meals (I got home absolutely starving and low blood sugar) I was pleased with the variety of insects and photos taken that day. Despite feeling a little frustrated with the dragonflies, it had gone really quite well. I look forward to the next installment at Saltoun, although I may scrutinise the windspeed and direction more carefully next trip. There's always the bus!