east lothian lovelies

 

9th May and some proper Springlike weather! We set off in the car towards East Lothian with cameras and wet suits. Last time we did this I wimped out of the dook and I didn't feel any more inclined this time. However first up we are off to Postman's Walk, Aberlady, a favourite haunt for the no-longer-a-rarity holly blue. They seem to be having a great year and have appeared in many more places than last year while remaining a fixture around their strongholds in Gullane and Aberlady. About 6 yards into Postman's Walk one makes itself known and a couple more fly around the trees of the first garden next to the trail. It is a good omen. 

holly blue at start of Postman's Walk

orange tip on periwinkle

Despite the great start, the Walk is less bountiful than usual. We passed a few male HBs along the way towards the corner but didn't stop to investigate or photograph as there were dog walkers ahead and behind. And we were pushing on to the corner where most of the action usually occurs. However the sun hadn't swung round to shine on the East wall and there were fewer specimens on the ivy there. 

We spent a bit of time waiting for blues to appear. Mary saw a Red Admiral but it was quite flighty and wouldn't sit still for a photo. As I approached it flew up and away strongly over the wall. Being the first RA of the year I was keen to get a photo and ran round past the ruined abbey searching for it. No sign. Curses! However I found the next field along had a sunny corner attracting OTs, a peacock, a comma and various fly-by whites; one or two looking suspiciously like Large Whites, another yet-to-be-photographed species this season. I felt I should update Mary who was back in the other field and as I returned, something suspiciously red admirally took off and flew high into the nearest tall trees. Extensive curses!

orange tip at garlic mustard

comma

sunny corner of next field

So we mooched about the place taking photos but it wasn't vintage Postman's. Strange, given the weather was near perfect. One thing blighting the holly blues: there were thousands of St Mark's flies (aka hawthorn flies) and whenever we saw a holly blue take off it had 6 or 7 of these black hairy devils flying alongside and buzzing it. I had hoped to see female HBs but there was no sign. The males tend to emerge first, then the females. It should have been right about that time but perhaps we were just a bit early. (I visited again 2 days later and the females were abundant.)

returning along the field, we saw several male HBs (near sycamores)
some of them were beginning to look a bit faded

Onwards and upwards. Back in the car we headed towards Gullane stopping by the golf course where there is often a decent amount of early season butterflies. There were the first small coppers and walls of the year which would normally be very cheering, but it was obvious from the look of them, that the small coppers had been aging quickly in the many recent downpours we had been having. A shame as when freshly emerged they look really metallic and sparkle in the sunshine. Most of the ones we saw looked like they had been out several weeks but it was probably just premature aging in the harsh weather.

small copper

wall
about 4 males fluttered about hunting females but kept their distance

While we were there Abbie M appeared. Really nice to catch up 

as we'd seen very little of Abbie during the pandemic.

small copper and wall

one of the few small coppers in better nick
(note longer, fuller, less straggly fringe)

amorous advances?

Again, not an outstanding visit despite 2 season's firsts. We probably spent more time chatting with Abbie than taking photos. However lunch was long overdue. We planned to pick up sandwiches at Gullane coop and then park down the beach car park and swim. I waved to the ice-cream van lady who was doing a good day's business then we ate some sandwiches and climbed into wet suits. 

I haven't been swimming outdoors in a year or 2 and had forgotten how hard it is to get into my wetsuit. It is a decent suit from Alpkit but the legs and arms are so tight it is a nearly impossible job to heave it on without tearing little holes. I don't think my limbs have fattened up, but I am certainly less limber and have athritic shoulders that don't want to move quite as much as they used to. It was a huge fight that left me frustrated and out of breath before I'd even got near the water. On the upside, it is so close fitting that very little water gets in and so is not hard to submerge myself in water sufficiently cold to numb my face in 10 minutes. What little water does sneak in warms up quickly. 

green veined white on way to beach

the walk to the scaffold beach

not so bad?

I have an ancient snorkel I take along swimming. If I am looking for starfish and crabs on the seabed I will forget to focus on the cold water numbing my face and hands. I may even accidentally start enjoying the process. Same with the underwater selfies although inevitably they are never flattering. The thin neoprene swim hat is a good idea (although again far from flattering!) as it stops the cold water freezing my head - I would still get an ice-cream headache (forehead) the first few times I did more than 20 strokes with my head immersed. I might look out my thicker balaclava-like headgear for next time as it covers more of my forehead and face. I don't really swim with my head above the surface although I can understand why the Wardie Bay Wild Ones and other Winter open water swim groups do.

Mary (unable to run these days) has been going to pool a fair bit and her swimming was pretty well rehearsed as a result. She did find after about 20 mins she couldn't work her mouth or face properly so we left the water. I found it quite good fun apart from getting into my wetsuit. And my right shoulder didn't enjoy the full rotational freedom it used to. There is a family history of creaky stiff shoulders so I expect it's just a part of getting older. I may look into getting a "shorty" wetsuit for ease of getting on. Although that may make getting into the cold Scottish water less delightful. I was a bit disappointed I didn't get the factory reset feeling after swimming that we always used to experience, which I probably put down to the very snug wetsuit stopping me from getting colder all over. Maybe your core temp needs to slightly drop before your brain sends out the alarm signals or whatever it is that makes you feel transformed shortly after. 

One huge improvement is the beautifully refurbed toilet block just below Gullane car park. It has a shower so you can wash the sand off your feet and the salt off the outside of your suit. Mary bought us £10 swim shoes from Decathlon online which are great for protection against sharp shells, rocks, broken glass etc underwater. I wore thin neoprene socks which stopped my feet going numb like Mary's. It always takes a couple of swims to get back into the way of it and tweaking the equipment. (For instance refining the application of sports tape I put on my ears to stop water ingress.)

shower on end of refurbed toilet block

just cold water though, which when battering down on thinning hair...

We changed out of wetsuits up at the car park. We tend to park along at the West end of the field, near to the beach path and as far away from the other cars as possible. To enable clambering into and out of rubber suits as modestly as possible. By this point it was a lovely sunny afternoon and there was only one car nearby, maybe 40 yards away. The owner, at least my age or a bit older, was returning to his car. Mary pointed this out to me as I stripped down. (Far easier to get out my suit than into it, although still requires Houdini-like skills.) I said to Mary that he had probably seen cock-au-balls in his time and if he wanted to look he was welcome. Since there was no-one else about I was fairly liberal in my skinsuit. Just as we were towelling hair and hopping about one-sock-on, he drove by and slowed his car. The passenger window went down and he shouted across to me, grinning cheekily "You have a nice bottom! Nothing to be ashamed of!" Mary and I were still laughing about it much later, as we went for a walk.

After a wander about the dunes trying to locate a grasshopper warbler and failing, I dragged Mary up the hill to see if there were any walls on the long red sandstone wall they like to sunbathe on next to the big house. There were not. It was a bit blowy so we didn't even bother visiting the holly blue bushes along the way. Instead we went back down the road and saw several HB fly-bys in and out of gardens but no decent photos. It was a delightful afternoon and although not the best day's butterfly photos, still a really enjoyable day out.

robin near St Adrian's