pearls of wisdom

 

25-05-26 The annual trip to Pitlochry to see Pearl-bordered fritillaries nearly didn't happen this year. I have been going there since 2018 with mixed results. For several years I fell into the trap of travelling too early - overexcited by the prospect of a beautiful butterfly in a beautiful setting, I'd head up there as soon as they were on the wing, then find out the Linn of Tummel PBFs were a week or more behind the Glasdrum ones, despite a similar latitude. This happened on more than one occasion and I resolved it shouldn't happen again. Then last year we had a very warm and sunny Spring and everything emerged ahead of schedule. It was tricky to adjust my PBF calendar this year, but then a load of rubbish weather arrived, just after the initial PBF emergence, which had me postpone my inclinations to travel North. 

from the Pitlochry station to Linn of Tummel site (3.5miles)

I was even considering not bothering this year. Someone else posted photos of rain damaged rather scruffy PBFs and I thought they might all be a bit worn and tired. Then a weather window appeared and I checked train times and prices. It is quite an expensive ticket and I planned to take a bike as previous trips I have travelled up to 20 miles to a couple of PBF venues. Then, at the last moment, I decided to leave the bike at home. I couldn't reserve a bike spot on a return train (which involved a change at Stirling) and if I only visited the one site, it could be kept to just 7miles running. I didn't really need a bike. I was also overdue some exercise and the run/walk would do me good.

I got up unpleasantly early and forced myself up to the station to catch the 8.30ish train. It's two hours of train window scenery, although not a very large distance as the crow flies. I got through quite a bit of audiobook. Earth by John Boyne since you asked. I'm not sure why he went for 4 elemental novellas rather than one large book but it cost me 4 credits so I suppose they earned him more sales. Good, although he's not shy about employing coincidences and overlapping happenstance of people going through pivotal moments at the same time. I had also listened to The Heart's Invisible Furies again recently (possibly his best, and recommended,) as it went down very well with my book group back in the day. Always enjoyable to hold up mid-20th century Catholic hypocrisy to scrutiny.

Anyway 2 hrs later and I'm getting off the train under blue skies, walking over the bridge to platform 1 and taking the same photo I always take when I do that...

mobile phone photo

After a brief queue to use the station toilet I set off around 10.45 on a route established in 2018. Through Pitlochry (passing the overpriced wool shops and hotels) and out the other side, over the Clunie footbridge, below the giant road bridge where the A9 crosses high above the Tummel, and then on the winding tarmac of the south-riverside road to Coronation Bridge a narrow suspension bridge exactly 3 miles from the station.

DJI Pocket camera

Marked on maps both as Coronation Bridge and Garry Bridge I worried my bike handlbars might be too wide to get across here. Having dropped the cycling idea this wasn't an issue but for my future cycle-self reading this next year: the bridge is plenty wide for bike crossings but not much cycling possible beyond that point to the pylons, but at least the bike could be abandoned within sight of PBFs and not at the roadside back at the bridge. (ie heavy padlock not required.)

Mr Riach!

So after running up to the station, a 2 hour train journey and a 3.5mile run, who should I bump into but an Edinburgh neighbour! It wasn't a huge surprise to see Colin and I recognised his distant but distinctive form quickly. Last visit here it was another butterflying Colin (Wilson) who I expected to be Simon. Colin R said he considered giving me a shout about his trip here but when I heard he likes to head out of Edinburgh before the rush hour traffic (at 7am) I was debating if I'd have got on board or bottled it. It can be done in an emergency, but it would have tested my mettle.  

I suspect Colin got the best part of the day and better photos partly as a reward for the early start. His images are here and I was envious of all the two-fers, most of which I think were taken before I arrived.

looking North-West to pylon 2

The upside of Colin arriving a couple of hours ahead of myself was he had divined the best spot for PBF action. You'd think this would be the same place every year but it seems to move about depending on wind direction and bugle appearance. A few years ago it was on the slopes at pylon 1.

Last year it was under pylon 2 where Colin W enjoyed the company of a bumper crop of butterflies. I think he said he felt that day's count was in the region of fifty in the area, particularly around the dirt path that climbs the slope to pylon number 2 being lined with bugle and attendant butterflies. (As well as green tiger beetles. Or was that the previous year? No tiger beetles this year, which was disappointing.) As always, with butterflies that scoot about the place and never sit still in a large group to be counted, impossible to know an accurate total.

Colin R this year guestimated maybe 30 individuals seen here over the whole day, with no doubt some doublers being counted more than once. But again impossible to know accurately and I didn't even attempt to arrive at a total for the couple of hours I was there. What I did think though, was that it was a really good move to hold off until peak numbers rather than hurry to see the first specimens out and spend all day seeing fewer than 3 fritillaries. (Which has happened several times.) The conditions of the individuals were middling to excellent, which suggests a staggered emergence.

The optimum spot today was a scrappy patch of bugle plumes nosing their way through the dead bracken on the flat ground between the pylons; slightly nearer number 1. I had a wander round to see if things had changed since Colin established base camp there, but they hadn't and although there were a handful of passing PBFs in flight across the landscape, the only real spot where they were loitering was around this small group of purple flowers. Solid fieldcraft Colin! Which saved me much timewasting!

looking South-East to pylon 1

Colin at the best spot (seen from Pylon 2)

two-banded longhorn beetle, Rhagium bifasciatum

With the butterflies being so active, constantly moving from place to place, they seemed a good candidate for take-off shots using the pre-burst mode. Well yes and no. It worked on occasion (as below) and easy to get a super-high shutter speed in sunny conditions, but they are tricky so-and-sos and prefer to dodge around in the undergrowth rather than taking off from an isolated high spot and flying clear of debris and bracken. So not ideal.

On the rare occasion one actually landed on a slightly prominent flower (although it doesn't really look like that here) I rushed across and got a quick photo before it moved to the next spot. It was an afternoon of many small frustrations with enough occasional successes to keep spirits up. You had to be quick to get the shot.

I took this photo of the best spot
to show how otherwise underwhelming it was

As we chatted it became apparent Colin would be heading home in time to miss the worst of the Edinburgh rush-hour. He offered me a lift which was excellent and a great alternative to returning by rail with a change at Stirling. (I was v pleased I didn't have a bike in tow!) This meant leaving slightly ahead of my plans, however I have found things tail off after 2pm and shut down entirely at 3pm for the PBFs. 

In summary a lovely butterfly - one of the highlights of the year, to come here and see them. But not easy to photograph, or get close to. The slow motion video makes them look sedate and relaxed but they are (mostly) anything but. Constantly on the move and reluctant to sit still. The day ended with one doing just that. It doesn't happen often so after those shots we called it and set off home.

One of the most successful Pitlochry trips I've done over the years - leaving it later meant far more butterflies, meant better photos. I didn't feel I had absolutely nailed the still photos - they are mostly quite samey with not enough different atmospheres and plants - but I felt the slo-mo video (below) does a good job of showing off the butterfly in its shiny orange loveliness. 

The journey home passed in a flash with plenty of wildlife and camera chat. Far better than sitting on a train dawdling through Central Scotland. And I arrived home before 5pm with enough energy to cook a large pot of dinner while Mary finished her working day. (A standard Pitlochry PBF adventure sees me arrive home in tatters (having run between 10 and 20 miles in blistering heat) at around 8pm.) Colin refused to take any petrol money so I made sure to discover his refreshment preferences for next time because bottles are harder to refuse than cash. It seemed very likely there would be a next time. Indeed there was and it arrived sooner than anticipated just five days later!

showing the well examined midsection
where most of the pics were taken, just North of the first pylon. 

slo-mo video

soundtrack: Fredag by Søndag Søndag