big wood

 

18-05-23 About time for another trip to Saltoun Big Wood. Instead of cycling the 16 miles I chose running - not the whole way but from where the Pencaitland bus dropped me less than 3 miles from the woods. It is a pleasant run up the cycle path and then briefly on quiet roads to West Saltoun. Rather than go all the way into West Saltoun and then up to the front entrance I had checked the map and knew I could take a back entrance via a grassy trail that saved half a mile of unpavemented road. 

Pencaitland bus reflected in the Wallyford bus with my bag on the front seat.

top deck vista heading through Ormiston

knapweed on the cyclepath

tree sparrow
(as opposed to normal urban house sparrows)

dunnock

This ^ looked to be the best method of going from the bus stop in Pencaitland to Saltoun Big Wood: getting onto the cyclepath then at the far end a left turn down to the river, cross the river then take the small grassy trail up towards a couple of houses and veer left up the hill and into the woods. Handy traffic free route with good wildlife spotting opportunities!

end of the cyclepath

This tortoiseshell spotted along the road.
If I'd known it was to be the only one of the day I would have taken more shots.

pied wagtail

spring lambs

grey wagtail along the river marked on map

As you can see on the map there is a river to the west of Saltoun woods. The path I took skirts along near it and it looked absolutely the sort of place you'd get kingfishers, dippers and otters. I had a bit of look on the way in and more of a look on the way out. A reluctant dipper and a pair of grey wagtails was all I came across as well as a sign discouraging the public from going along it. Which made it even more tempting! However I was in a hurry to get to the dragonfly ponds so left it and headed up the curving, rising path into the woods.

tit box in full occupation

large red damselflies

The first pond was busy but not height-of-season bustling. Lots of damselflies and four-spotted chasers perched around the edges and in pairs but not many, if any, flying low over the surface. No hawkers as yet, or black darters which appear later.

4-spotter - possibly newly emerged and drying wings

if I'd known this was going to be the only small copper of the day...

The (main) pond was looking lovely and serene and it was an absolute pleasure to slowly walk and clamber round the perimeter a couple of times. Lots of brambles trying to snag my legs, and a few nettles as well. Even more ticks, some of which I found and removed at the time, some only much later! I disturbed a couple of 4-spotters which flew 40 yards up into higher trees. I failed to get near enough for really decent close-ups and made a note to try harder on my return. I would go and check butterfly alley and the tree stump and have another circuit of the pond on the return journey.

found an exuvia near the water's edge

almost certainly a 4-spotter emerged from this

the white threads - ripcords pulled as it leaves its skin,
are to change its breathing apparatus from water to air

silver Y moth

newt

speckled wood

small spider

bramble damage

mating crane-flies

male - no black dots on wing casing

I stopped by the funny tree stump and was pleased to find green tiger beetles. Always a challenge to photograph as they do not hold still for long and aren't that keen on being approached by humans. But great colours and design and worth the effort. You can get a sense of scale from the daisy one stood beside briefly. They tend to be about 15~17mm.

a jumping spider or similar (small) catching a fly

the female has those black spots on the wing covers,
males, (as further above) don't

another silver Y moth

Just after the second main pond (the one on the right hand side of the path) there is a logpile on the left. It proved good for peacock butterflies last trip but this trip the bushes had stopped blossoming and there were no butterflies. There was a fresh 4-spotter but it only allowed a couple of pics before it had had enough and flew off.

speckled wood

large floppy peacock on the path at butterfly alley

Although there were a few peacocks the butterfly count was really low. It is hard to know why as the day was sunny and there wasn't much wind. There was nobody around and I just about caught a hare on the path before it bounced into the undergrowth...

didn't notice the weevil till much later

I had hoped to see admirals, commas and large whites but there was only an occasional peacock and orange tip. Inevitably I was drawn back to the first pond where there was no shortage of stuff to hunt in the undergrowth.

ichneuman type wasp?

As I went round the pond I found this 4-spotter. It was newly emerged - the wings when fresh have a really glassy look to them - and also it is the only time they will sit on your hand. This one enjoyed the warmth and relative safety while it dried itself out. I carried it to a plant and put it where I could take photos and it only left my fingers with great reluctance.

managed to self-harm both legs

the pond was really busy with tadpoles

I felt very pleased to have had such a good encounter with the 4-spotter and got the photos I failed to capture first time round. So thought I'd leave the way I arrived and maybe check out the private river for birds. A short distance along I came upon this cage trap. Initially I thought it might be to catch foxes but it wasn't that big and split into 2 halves, to catch an animal, one in either side. Baited with hens eggs. It looked like a fox (or badger) might not wholey fit into the cage before triggering the door catch so I think it is more likely trying to catch mink which are an unpopular invasive species. 

It also gave me the feeling the land-owners may not be super warm and friendly and maybe I shouldn't push my luck. I retreated after checking out the next stretch of river. It was a lovely place but it was time to head back into Pencaitland and catch the bus. I heard a cheeping sound and thought it may be something interesting. Turned out to be just a Shandwick.

Mary said a short while back, that every time her brain dipped into the black mystery word bag to pull out the word Chaffinch, it instead pulled out the word Shandwick. I found this tremendously entertaining and have been calling chaffinches shandwicks ever since. Although sometimes I can't remember her word and have to think of Shandwick Place and a half pint of shandwick. They are regularly behind the unusual bird calls you hear, thinking you are about to discover something quite rare and exotic. While being a delightful bird they are so ubiquitous that they rarely stir the heart.

Shandwick!

farmyard hen

kitty cat

memorial on the cyclepath 

speckleds

last OT of the day

another tree sparrow

blue tit parent taking caterpillar to feed young

teased by a flighty blue

Just as I reached Pencaitland, but still on the cyclepath I saw what looked really like a holly blue flit by. It didn't land but I was nearly positive it was a holly blue. (Too early for common blues - so the only medium sized blue, flying mid-May is a holly blue.) I walked back and forth the same area to wait for confirmation. I checked the bus times. I'd miss the one I was heading for, but there was another in half an hour. Another silvery blue shape whizzed by. Definitely an HB but I want a decent photo in case it is a new site for HBs. It took another 10 minutes for one to settle and I was super stealthy as it was flighty as hell. Photo taken, I felt rather pleased to maybe be the first person to have come across this potential colony.

Before I could make enquires on East Sottish Butterflies fb group I was beaten to it by Brian Robertson who lives nearby and reported Holly Blues on his daily dog walk on the cyclepath. I think this is the first time they have been officially recorded here and I put the sighting on the iRecord app. I should really put all my sightings on iRecord but I find the PC version clunky and not at all user-friendly. It is slightly easier to use the mobile app version so I suppose I should do that more often. Many times I don't actually take my mobile with me on adventures because I don't wish to be contacted/interrupted. And there is always too much to do afterwards in terms of tweaking photos and writing everything up on my blog etc. That is my contribution to citizen science and iRecords may have to wait until they make the experience slicker and easier to use.

HB on Periwinkle near the Huntlaw Pit marker

I put this photo of flowers here for Iain who said he liked them. Indeed they look a bit like exotic butterflies. I wasn't sure if they were pansies or violas. How do you tell the difference? Easy: if they have four petals pointing upwards and one pointing down they are pansies. If they sit between the second violins and the cellos they are violas.
I'll get my coat.

why is this person sitting on the fence
and not making their enthusiasms more public?