duck

 

27-03-23

I had heard there was a Mandarin Drake on the North Esk near Penicuik. If you are unaware of what they look like google it or click here. Let's just say they are decorative. There was one for a while in Figgate Park a few years ago. They are not that rare but they are sufficiently exotic-looking for me to catch a bus to Penicuik and go see if I could find it. And if there was no eastern promise fulfilled, then running down the riverside trails for a few miles might throw up a few butterflies or birds on a sunny day. Sandwiches packed; let's do this!

I love using my free bus pass. I have also downloaded the Lothian Buses app and while sitting on a 37 bus can watch the blue dot move along the red route and count off the stops as it nears a destination. Presumably the app also tells you when the next bus is due to arrive, but one step at a time folks.

And before you say I am some sort of genius at tech, the worst mistake I made on this occasion was not to plot the route and drop the gpx file into my Suunto. I meant to, but forgot. After all I have run this river so many times. Mainly as part of the Eskapade; a Carnethy run done in the Winter, starting at the Esk estuary in Musselburgh and running up to the source near Carlops. So why would I need a map to help me back downstream? Well, one reason was to guide me to places like Valleyfield Pond just outside Penicuik for a wee shufty to assess for dragonfly potential for later in the season. And see if there were any exotic looking ducks there. However without a gpx to follow I ran past it and didn't see any signs to divert me. Oh well, lesson learned. And while there are a few definite riverside trails I remembered there is more than one way to skin this cateract and sometimes trails on either side of the river. This became more apparent as things progressed.

deer; too busy to pose for photo

dipper; too busy to pose for photo

Quite early on there is what looks like a memorial to a dead teenager; the grief spilling over into a collection of artifacts, fly tipped in memoriam. However this seemed to be dedicated to Celtic, the football team. I am not a football fan so I couldn't tell you if they have died recently.

first section of route leaving Penicuik

The light was exquisite for much of the day. It's just a pity there was so little wildlife to photograph. I realised pretty quickly if I wanted to see the Mandarin Drake I'd have to retrace my steps and go back to Penicuik. If it was there still. Do they move around? Was it a totally reliable sighting? Maybe it was further upstream? All questions I had no answers for. Quickly I realised there was almost certainly going to be no fancy duck and I should just enjoy a run downstream for a few miles and when I got scunnered with the process, jump on a free bus (like a chauffeur driven limo really) and cruise back into town. A good, if duck-less day. It occurred the word duck also meant zero. As in breaking your duck. 

I stopped at this bridge. It could be near Auchendinny but equally might not be. It was a nice sunny spot for a sandwich and I had noticed it was one of the places, a bend in the river, where wildlife gathers. A wren, a dipper, bees and flies. No butterflies but it felt like there could be. I took quite a few photos while eating stuff and very few were good enough to publish here. 

dark dipper on bicycle tyre

recalcitrant goldcrest

slightly more obliging treecreeper

airy pano

treetop view

Every now and then there would be a willow with flowering catkins. These would have lots of bees in attendance but hard as I looked, not a single butterfly. I took some bee photos as practice so I'd be prepped for a butterfly, should one turn up.

So the cyclepath I was on goes to Eskbank and Dalkeith. Bert used to have us run up and down this fairly soulless journey as some sort of training (or punishment). I believe Doug Runner described it as dogturd strewn. This was slowly becoming apparent but just then there was the turn off to Roslyn Glen just above the gunpowder factory. I had a faint memory of Willie G (Carnethy) on the Eskapade describing Roslyn Castle (though if my life depended upon it, I couldn't tell you one word of the text) and realised I should go that way. It is probably the prettiest part of the route. Like a dream I could remember aspects as they went by but not enough to always know what was around the next corner.

up the hill

I got the feeling the end of Roslyn Glen was just down the path. It did seem to be the most attractive part of the route I'd been on and in order to enjoy it more I left the track and headed up a thin trail into the trees. It was the sort of weather that encouraged exploration. I could hear birds all around and hoped I might bump into woodpeckers or birds of prey if I went a bit off-road. What's the worst that could happen? (Break a leg, not have a phone signal, die.)

I climbed enthusiastically up the steep hill on what started as single track but was not really an official path or trail. My lungs reminded me I am no longer doing hill work these days. Trees felled by the wind straddled the path. I could hear chiffchaffs and a buzzard soared in long slow circles overhead. No woodpeckers or sparrowhawks. No owls. No jays, no nuthatches, okay enough already I get the picture. Not much here.

middle section map showing Roslyn Glen
and diversion up hill and back then near miss onto road

chiffchaff

I got into rough ground and although I reckoned I could continue and eventually come out somewhere in the right direction I wasn't in the mood for climbing fences and trespassing. I was looking for a mandarin duck your honour. So I retreated back down to the path where I had started. I bumped into a dog-walker up the hill doing exactly the same as I had done ('oooh that looks interesting!') and he asked if I knew a through way. I told him I didn't and left him to bushwack off the hill the difficult way. Looking at a map afterwards I think I did the right thing to exit Roslyn Glen by the official path.

back down the hill

I had very little notion of where exactly I was, so when I saw a sign saying Roslyn Chapel I followed it. It climbed up a load of steps and I realised it was leaving the riverside path, so I went back down. There was a pleasant car parky area I recognised from past runs but I didn't pay attention to the high bridge crossing that goes towards Roslyn Castle etc. I got distracted by a grey wagtail which was looking spectacular in the sun, and, despite dozens of photos, I have mostly failed to capture. I exited by the main road which I ran up for a hundred yards then thought NOPE! and went back and crossed the high bridge. Had I continued by the main road I would have found a trail back to the wrong side of the river and followed it for a long way before it got me into a lot of housing estate and backtrack. Disaster averted but more luck and distant hazy memories than any kind of intelligent navigation going on. 

buzzard overhead - note open beak: calling

greenfinch

grey wagtail

high bridge over the river

There was a sign saying riverside trail closed. It looked like it had been there for ages and not a recent sign suggesting dangerous rockfall or slippage. I did swither for a while. Surely it was there to discourage grannies in high heels and not young blades in trail shoes? I wimped out and went the other way. There's only so much disaster you should invite into your life and I was in an unusually unrebellious mood. When I got round past the castle I remembered doing a bit of the riverside trail with a couple of Carnethies and it involved a bit of canyoning and rockhopping on very green and slippery rock at water-level. Best not done solo. There are also cliffs marked on the riverside trail map there, which might have been problematic. It may be do-able or I might have dodged a bullet.

I was beginning to feel I might finish the day's adventure soon and catch a bus home, if only I recognised where I was. 

can you see it?

After another muddy mile I began to get to familiar ground - Nick had run us around here a while back after moving to Bonnyrigg. So we were near Bonnyrigg although how I got to a bus stop was anyone's guess. I was very pleased with the duckboards someone had thoughtfully pegged out as the ground underneath them was liberally covered in mud. And then I saw a small orange shape up ahead to the right of one of the duckboards. Photo above.

first contender (puncture rear nearside)

I approached the comma with maximum stealth as it was the only butterfly all day. As I got close (having already taken a dozen photos) it flew off. And in doing so, disturbed another comma nearby. Excellent! Having had a slow day for wildlife, my heart was now racing! I watched as they danced in circles and then landed near where they took off. The second one was a better specimen than the first and I shamelessly dropped the first one to follow it. It had all wings intact and was spanky orange. I was under the impression there might have been a third comma, although it might have been the first one doubling back to noise up the second again. The second one took off and landed 15 yards away. I didn't spot it at first and nearly walked past while checking low foliage. It beautifully contrasted with the lichen on the head-height branch it had settled on and I went into super stealth mode in order not to disturb it.

good but can do better

that's perfect - hold it there!

oh my effing g!!!

I had to get down on the ground and scuttle about to get this underwing shot. I didn't even check for mud: trousers can be washed but you don't get a chance like this often.

perfection!

the magical comma clearing
(or a muddy path between some scrubby bushes with mossy logs)

The experience really made the day. Although there was no sign of the Mandarin I had some quality shots and was enjoying clocking up a few miles of running and walking. I would jog or run for a bit then if I saw something promising, slow or stop to photograph it and then maybe walk for a while. 

Loved the raised planks to keep mud off shoes.

nuthatch

mistle thrush

wren

love this bit of ridge walk near Polton

The sun stayed out all day which really helped.

The butterfly incident was around 4.20pm. And around 5pm I decided to leave the riverside trails and try to find Lasswade or Bonnyrigg. You can see on the third map how I chose entirely the wrong turn off and then took a long-cut back into the bottom of Lasswade by the Laird and Dog pub where there was a bus stop. My luck was still in and I waited less than 7 minutes for a bus to appear. It took me into town and I ran the last mile home. I started from the bus (around the Pleasance) with slightly stiff legs but raced the 31 bus down the High Street and along Abbeyhill (initially trying to catch it, then realising I was going faster than it and think I may have beaten it down the last stretch). Probably the most vigorous running of the day. About 12 miles covered in total. 

I have seen no photos of the awol duck in Lothian Birdwatch, the facebook group where it was mentioned. It may have left the area. If I hear differently and can find some more precise info I'll have another go. One of these birds it is worth travelling to see. (I think, although I've never seen one. Yet!)

last few miles