make love not warriston

 

27th April

The sun came out. Hallelujah! What a difference it makes. Lots of birds and butterflies and the photos are so much better.

It has taken a while to get decent shots of an orange tip female. I know they have been out for ages but this was the first close encounter I'd managed. The hoverfly below was quite excited by the butterfly too, perhaps mistaking it for a large white flower. It tried to land on the butterfly several times.

then a male turned up and ignored all the signs from the female
that she was not interested

he followed her to a perch where he landed on her side
and clumsily tried to instigate mating despite her obvious disinterest

elsewhere, a bee-fly

things were lively in the secret garden

another female orange tip gives the male
a clear indication of rejection

Great to see so many orange tips and speckled woods about this season. They have been widespread over all the places you would hope to see them and a good marker of a healthy population.

forget-me-not

wren

riverside robin

one legged blackbird

blackcap

I was pleased to spot the blackcap again. There are not many blackcaps in Warriston and they like to keep away from humans. You often hear their pretty song before you see them.

I spent a while in the riverside area trying to see more of the delightful wood mouse I photographed previously on top of the gravestone I bait. Andrew and Unda had managed to photograph it, later in the day. Andrew even managed a photo of 2 mice together. They are really cute so just after 4pm I primed the gravestones at the East end of the riverside area and prepared for a long wait. Patience isn't my forte. But there were a few birds and squirrels keeping me company. As I stood around growing cold - the area is in shadow - there was a rustle in the undergrowth. A large rat lumbered out and checked me out. 

I wasn't sure if this was the same one who I photo-ed a wile back. I don't think it was as it was more timid and didn't hang around but scuttled off into the ivy. It appeared from time to time and I wondered if it had an influence over the non appearance of the mice. 

The tail-less robin appeared, took some seeds and then flew off quickly. I'm surprised how well it flies given the lack of rudder. After AGES (maybe an hour in total) and no signs of mice I heard the blackcap singing nearby and was keen to move about to warm up. I stepped out of the shadows and into the warm sunlight and went for a wander to try and get some photos of the blackcap. I got the feeling it was being offered as compensation for the lack of mice. I crept slowly into the undergrowth trying not to make any sudden movements. Impossible to do this quietly, but the blackcap was so busy singing at the top of his voice that he didn't fly off. I got photos and videos - the best of the season so far. This would have been well after 5pm and long after I had felt like giving up and going home. So an excellent coda to a great day in Warriston cemetery. 

blackcap video

I'm not sure why I didn't go home directly. Maybe I was inspired by the blackcap to head through the tunnel and do a last loop round the North side. I saw a robin on the top of a stone below the Helen Miles "In Loving" mosaic there. It flew off before I could line up a photo. I cursed that I wasn't quick enough then realised the robin was watching me from a nearby tree. I put some seeds on top of the same stone and retreated. It flew back to the stone and I just had time to line up the mural and the robin and fire off a few pics. I was very pleased to recreate the scene even though it was manufactured. I mean, who's to know?

I had a last chat with Hitler's wife (who had been hunting insects)
round the way before heading off. A very fine day indeed.