reds!

 

12-05-26 I get the feeling there was nearly an invasion. The elements - the time of year, the butterflies, the jet stream, were all lining up, and the front runners setting off. But then something happened. A change of wind direction or the advance guard got word back to call it off; perhaps the prospect of a Scottish Summer just too awful. Understandable! Whatever the reason, the big invasion of 2026 never happened. Or was postponed. However the advance guard did arrive and there were maybe a dozen red admirals in Warriston where previously there were a dozen fewer. I'd gone along because the sun was being partially revealed by passing clouds but not enough to justify more ambitious adventures. May was quickly turning into May not.

I did some running to get to Warriston, with camera strapped into back pack. I am trying to remember the benefits of running and almost always enjoy it afterwards. I just struggle to get the enthusiasm to go do it between meals. Hopefully Mary, my coach, will soon be back to a diet of hill reps and road miles which will inspire me to take up where I left off about 5 years ago.

Meanwhile I arrived above the catacombs and used the benches there to unpack my camera. There were crows sat on the new fence. I possibly left them some seeds and peanuts out of habit but at this time of the year there is so much food about they aren't that bothered and just seem to chum along out of habit rather than for treats. It makes me warm to them more, as it implies they see themselves as companions rather than just panhandlers. There wasn't enough sunlight for anything special in the photo dept. However it was constantly improving over the afternoon.

crow's feet

Since I had seen signs of the admiral invasion at Crow Hill I felt there might be half a chance the cemetery would be brim full of admirals. In which case there'd be one just 50 yards away on the long avenue that runs parallel to the crypts, between high trees. I had a wander over and bingo a large, fast black and orange butterfly took off from I-saw-not-where and circled me a couple of times before landing nearby.

I was really pleased with myself for predicting this exact outcome. And nailed it to within 4 metres. Definitely an 'I know Kung Fu' moment. During the Summer a solitary admiral will take up residence around this spot and behave exactly as this one was doing. I presume it had travelled long and far to get here and when it saw this combination of grass, trees and sun-warmed stones it knew it was on to a good thing. It would have settled and chased off any other interlopers from its territory. Unfortunately it was still a bit flighty from its travels (and I was unable to get a better photo). We've all been there - you land in a foreign country and keep your hands on your passport and wallet for the first 12 hrs. I thought either the place will be hopping with admirals or I'll come back and get this one later. In fact, both.

I know Kung Fu!

Next stop was the variegated holly tree not far below the crypts. Colin R had flagged this up as a hotspot for holly blues - to add to the many speckleds, orange tips and whites that fly through this part. As well as an occasional admiral and also the blackcaps must be nesting nearby as we see them regularly around here. The density of the holly tree also gives birds the confidence to sit and jeer from within its confines. I was rewarded with a singing blackcap and brief sight of the female, but no holly blues. Oddly they are often seen here later in the day and visits around 3pm can prove better than earlier.

the variegated holly tree

tricky to get far enough back to get an establishing shot with the long lens

singing backcap (m)

only shot of the female

LTT

chiffchaff

When I was over near the East Gate (now defunct and welded closed) I saw a youngish middle aged couple approach the gate from outside, and look to see if it would open. The husband was wearing a camera and I thought they might be tourists. I was about to sneak off into the undergrowth unseen but was in such a positive mood I thought I'd go over and update the couple about the ridiculous entrance/exit situation.

I told them the council in their wisdom had closed off several unofficial entrances in order to be able to control (as much as possible) movement of people into, and out of, the cemetery, and specifically to be able to close the cemetery off during high winds, to avoid being sued at a later date for falling branches maiming and killing people. It is cowardly self-preservation rather than any kind of greater good and has been unpopular with everyone everywhere outwith the small team of actual council employees.

There is now only one way to enter and exit the cemetery. And even though you can be standing with just a wall or gate between you and getting in, you have to walk about a kilometre right round to Warriston Gardens and enter there. It is really unhelpful if (like myself) you live on the South East side of the cemetery. And the only entrance is on the North West*. There are a couple of spots on the 8' high wall a gate or opening could be easily knocked through, but the council prefer making excuses to making entrances, mainly because they don't actually visit the place themselves except for Paul who drives to the front gate in a vehicle. It is a short sighted and highly unpopular solution.

*One compensation for this long dreary walk round the perimeter of the cemetery is that just near the corner where the Tesco's cyclepath bifurcates there is a robin usually sat under the bushes there. I often feed it and it recently sat happily on my hand choosing the best looking seeds and nuts before flying off!

As a result, youngsters and those of athletic inclination climb over at various points including the old Tesco's step over (which has been fenced off) defeating the council's ability to entirely control the area. I have done this over another of the fenced off points, but skinned a fingertip so am reluctant to do this regularly and try to look at the increased distance as health-giving - some extra steps. Also I am carrying several thousand pounds of camera equipment which shouldn't be dropped. 

I suspect if the council don't put a gate through the wall the amount of unofficial entrances will grow and once again they will lose control of their property. If they put in a handy gate fewer people will opt to climb the fences and control will be maintained. The best section to make a hole in the wall would be just West of the tunnel overpass on the cyclepath on the upper boundary wall just before it turns round the corner. There is no traffic risk from the cycle path. The council would probably say there are unmarked graves behind that section of wall - they prefer excuses to action - but the whole world is an unmarked grave and sometimes you have to break eggs to make sense. 

Anyway I told the tourist couple all this. And asked where they were from. They were from Ediniburgh. Or rather they lived in Edinburgh but hailed from the Netherlands so their English was considerably better than most locals. We chatted from either side of the gate-which-can't-be-opened because of council excuses and someone might rush out into oncoming traffic and sue the council.

The couple were going to visit the Botanics and realised if the cemetery was open they could cut through it as scenic addition. Well they could have if the council hadn't closed off all the unofficial entrances and the East Gate. They welded a missing bar from the gate back in, around 2021 because dogwalkers and nature lovers were squeezing through and fun must be stamped out quickly. The bar was removed by locals and the council replaced it a second time because they lack any humanity.

I told the local tourists to go to the Botanics first as it was sunny and it would be nice, and if they had any extra energy afterwards to then go up Inverleith Row and get into Warriston via Warriston Gardens and have a look around. I'm pretty sure they didn't because I didn't see them later. Someone in the council should chalk up another 2 points for yet another couple of folks they've managed to keep out the place. I'm pretty sure the cost of knocking a hole and hanging a gate near the tunnel overpass would have been no more than all the unnecessary fences and barriers they put in around at least 2 other areas. When a "enter at your own risk" notice would surely have covered their legal issues.

rhodie near the war memorial
(since faded)

Feeling there was much more to be found around the place I went for a wander. The rhodie near the war memorial was in flower and looking great. As were many of the oaks, horse-chestnuts and other trees which are all bursting into full leaf after a Winter of bare branches and look great against a blue sky. 

I checked out the In Loving area - Comma Corner - where there was one rather worn comma and a very smart looking admiral a short distance away. I suspect the occasional comma like this one might have come through the Winter sheltered in a wall, shed or tree neuk, since last October and be 7 or 8 months old which is about as old as any Scottish butterfly gets. I just googled to check and A.I. informs me via the Guardian and BBC websites that the Brimstone is likely the longest lived UK butterfly as it emerges in the early Summer and will overwinter to mate again in Spring making it 10+months in age. We get the occasional Brimstone flying into Southern Scotland but I have never seen one. Only similar types abroad. They are large yellow jobs and known for not stopping - similar to large whites but yellow in colour.

red horse-chestnut

aging female holly blue - riverside area

I went through the tunnel and into the jungle area. Which I call the riverside area. I almost immediately saw 2 holly blues near where the buddleia will flower later in the year. Right enough there are 2 holly trees nearby: one immediately exiting the tunnel and another behind the stream 40 yards away. Both popular with birds but I'd rarely seen holly blues around here. I got a photo of the female (above) which looked as if it had been out for a while; a bit faded. 

Not the best photo of an orange-tip on a tiny pretty flower. I wasn't sure what sort so I took a seperate photo of it so I could put that through the identifying app I use. (It is nearly impossible to ID if an insect or bird is in the same photo as the app will assume that is what you are after, so always take another photo of the solo plant or flower!) Anyway, Obsidentify (which is better at insects and birds, than plants) said it was Herb-robert, capital H small r. Hadn't even heard of that one but very pretty and delicate. 

Herb-robert!

I would have bet the bank that the hover above would be ID-ed as Eristalis Pertinax, the tapered drone fly. However the app said Batman hover, (Myathropa florea). You can (on lighter versions) see the Batman logo on the thorax of the insect. Not so much on this darker specimen. This is why I find hoverflies hard work. But nice to see one of the larger hovers out and about.

garden bumblebee

speckled wood behind blossom

While in the riverside area I checked out the sunny slope just East of the tunnel which is often good for butterflies on the bluebells there. Apart from the holly blues (which both vanished quickly) it wasn't fruitful. I saw another photographer or dogwalker 40 yards away disturb a large dark/orange butterfly which circled and landed nearby. I could hardly wait for her to get out the way before I went in search. I thought it was likely an admiral and I found it perched spectacularly, right on the end of a twig, basking in the warm sunlight. It was a stoater! And it posed there for 5minutes while I photo-ed it from every angle with a lot of different apertures, different backgrounds and in various modes. I didn't get round to slo-mo video before it took off again but tried lots of different backgrounds from all black to blurred out sycamore leaves. It didn't seem to mind my presence although I kept back a fair bit and gave it room.

Eventually it flew off but landed on the syacamore leaves of the tree next door, allowing more photos. Every now and then it would scoot off after a speckled wood or another admiral, before returning to its perch, sometimes the same leaf, sometimes another.

chasing another admiral

seen from below: admiral topside, fly underneath

After being an excellent model for a hundred photos, it landed too high to photo so I moved on to the next willing subjects which were another couple of RAs further along the riverside area. There seemed to be one every 30 yards. Most just sunbathing in warm spots. There were also orange-tips visiting garlic mustard and I stood enjoying both the reds and oranges for a while. It was a rare treat to have so many subjects in the cemetery all at once.

orange tip female

Afterwards I went back through the tunnel to return to the holly (blue) tree. Mary was on her way and the holly tree was a good place to stand waiting for her arrival. On the way I found another comma in slightly better shape at Comma Corner, along with another spectacular RA and a female orange tip which, sensing the sun fading as clouds crossed it, shut up shop after landing on a bramble.

OT in flight

female OT goes into shut down mode

Unfortunately I wasn't quite close enough and there were some flesh-eating brambles and leg-rashing nettles stopping me edging any closer. (I was wearing shorts.) Not worth getting the macro lens out for this. And of course with the sun gone, so the light becomes a bit crappy. I struggled to get square on and as a result the wing isn't crisply in focus although at least the antennae are. The camera is programmed to hunt for, and focus on, animals' eyes, and for the large part succeeds. Noteable exceptions are Speckled Woods, where the camera sees eyespots on wings and the focus jumps there.

just beyond the war memorial, I heard a commotion:
the sparrowhawk was being teased by a corvid and eventually
lost the plot, chasing the crow round the treetops

meanwhile

Colin had found a male orange tip which had also gone into energy-saving standby mode. (I think he must have arrived while I was through the tunnel.) He had it (on its perch) on his hand and was trying to take photos with his compact camera; not easy as he is left handed. He was a picture of concentration as I approached. In a moment or 2, the sun threatened to come back out and the orange tips returned to full consciousness.

red admiral at the holly tree

We returned to the variegated holly tree where several holly blues flew, mostly males checking out the leaves for females, before landing high up, and out of sight. Quite a frustrating process. However eventually one would explore lower regions and the crowd (which now included Mary) would ooh and ahhh as the butterflies pretended to land right beside us, then take off again and fly back up to the heights. Mary suggested we use our powers of telephathy and concentration to invite the powder blue butterflies down to land beside us. It may have worked as first a male then a female came over towards where we were standing, with held breath and cameras raised.

male HB, induced over to where we stood

this female was the pick of the bunch
and fairly obliging as holly blues go

a male then landed beside her
and she didn't do the tail-raising discouraging thing

but she did fly off with the male in tow
hopefully to fall in love and start a family!
(That's how it works isn't it?)

Feeling it wouldn't get any better, Mary and I went for a wander, leaving Colin at the holly tree. Unfortunately the sunlight had moved round and was no longer lighting the riverside area as before, and so there was now no sign of the many admirals. It was pleasant, but a bit empty of wildlife.  

female bullfinch gathering nesting material

blackbird doing opera - widest gape ever!

backlit grey squirrel

green-veined white

roosting orange tip male
(see video)

sunshine and blue skies!

On the way home I suggested we check out the I know kung fu admiral. We found it quickly, now on one of the gravestones which would have warmed up all afternoon in the sunshine. It still kept its guard up though, and flipped shut as we approached. Okay, fair enough, and we left it there.

video clips, click twice

4miles in 4hrs

1/ welded closed East gate where tourists were declined entry
2/ where proposed entrance gate would allow access from cycle path
and also where corner robin handfeeds

3/ riverside area where holly blues were seen plus trail to red admirals

4/ kingfisher viewpoint and previously water rail hang out
5/ I know Kung Fu
6/ prior access via St Marks Bridge before council fences
7/ prior access via "tesco" stepover wall before council fences
8/ instead of accessing cemetery at point 6 or 7 you now have to go from 6 to 2
and then to 8 to entrance at white square in black circle = inconvenient!
9/ war memorial and In Loving / comma corner
10 the variegated holly (blue) tree