Big Wood 1

 

14-08-23 A fantastic day at Saltoun Big Wood.

Around August, life can get a bit depressing. (And not just because of the Edinburgh Festival!) All the butterfly species that emerge over the year have emerged, and it feels like the another year has come and gone with little left to look forward to. However there is one treat left and that is Saltoun Big Wood. I usually visit there 3 or 4 times in August and September and results can vary from a pleasant wander in the woods to a butterfly spectacle unequalled in Scotland.

three peacocks

always reminds me of the three tenors when I see a trio like this

Mary was up for a cycle there and so we set off (I see from the Suunto record) quite late in the day. After 1pm! (Mary was working in the morning.) Maybe the weather was iffy earlier. We have been having really quite shit weather: much of the usual August stuff which involves festival jesus hosing down the tourists twice a day for their sins.

We chose the scenic route. From Musselburgh up the Esk and onto the Pencaitland cycle path which is wonderfully traffic-lite if a bit samey. Sometimes I carry a compact camera in a bumbag for photos as we ride, but not today. At the end of the cyclepath you pop out onto tarmac half a mile before West Saltoun. We were coasting down to the village when I saw a buddleia that looked to have a few occupants and shouted to Mary to stop. On closer examination it proved fabulous. About 15 peacocks, a handful of red admirals, 3 commas, a couple of large whites and a couple of holly blues kept us entertained for 20 minutes taking photos. 

comma

RA and peacock

I noticed some of the butterflies would take a breather on the surrounding garden furniture - the hedge we were leaning over, the trees nearby etc. This admiral chose an apple and it made for a very pleasing composition.

Every time a car came past (only 3 or 4 in 20minutes) they would all leave the butterfly bush and fly around the air in a giant butterfly cloud before settling again. Sadly the video I took was glitchy on the PC and I wiped the SD card before remembering to download it to a better machine. You'll have to imagine how delightful 30 butterflies flying around our heads was!

Similarly this tree which made an excellent backdrop for the butterflies.

large white

The main buddleia bush was an excellent colour combo to compliment the butterflies - sometimes the darker pink and purple buddleias fight with the colours of the insects or are so brash, when zoomed in, you almost need to desaturate the photos in post for it not to look razzy. This one was just perfect background colouration.

the magical buddleia bush!

large white

We parked our bikes just beyond the old car park. 

Although you could cycle round the woods, it is easier to be hands-free and just walk.

We found the commas had not arrived in force just yet. There were a couple about the place and the devil's bit scabious was in flower, but it would be another couple of days before they descended from wherever to land on the lilac coloured blooms that line the paths round Saltoun. The peacocks had arrived though and there were dozens out, most looking 100% fresh and brand new. It is a delight and rather reassuring, in these times of wildlife doom and gloom, to see anywhere so lively with dozens, maybe hundreds of butterflies.

We decided to focus on butterflies first and then dragonflies afterwards. So we walked past the ponds and up towards Butterfly Alley, the trails at the far end of the woods. We did have a wee look at the woodpile just beyond the last pond. There was a black darter sunbathing on a log. They are one of my absolute favourites, especially when you get them sat on a light coloured backdrops. Sadly I hear they are one of the species most at threat (possibly due to disappearing environment) on the dragonfly red list.

we saw one or 2 vintage small skippers

just loads of peacocks

occasional green-veined whites

and a few walls

small white

wall - underside (m)

plenty of speckleds

Mary was bending over to try to encourage an interactive experience with this peacock (above), when I noticed there was another one more interested, on her back pack. Possibly because it hasn't been washed since we were last abroad, walking miles under sunny Spanish skies! 

I think this was a Silver Y moth but might not have been.
There were a few about and they were not stopping for pics.

a dead womble

After butterfly alley we decided to continue round the square back to the crossroads between the ponds. There is less in the way of butterflies, the paths not being lined with scabious, but being quieter sometimes you come across other stuff - buzzards and solitary RAs or commas.

speckled wood

I thought this was a froglet from the way it was moving (and tiny size), but looking at the photos when I got home I see its skin is more warty and less glossy which would indicate toadlet. I am not an expert. And I don't suppose it matters much either. It was a very nice specimen whatever it was.

Mary is un-squeemish about most nature that would traditionally have a lot of folk reaching for a rolled up newspaper. However this tableau of a spider surrounded by fungi made her want to reach for the flamethrower. I think if you are fascinated by the stuff you come across (especially the slightly gothic) it is easier to put your natural disinclination (or more likely learned phobias) to one side and admire the marvel of it all. 

in a week's time this scene would be repeated a hundred-fold
however on this occasion it was just a solitary comma

I saw this distant wall female and approached it cautiously as I suspected I hadn't captured a female on this site yet. I got the record shot above, but when I moved in for a close up it flew off. I watched as it settled again trying to lure me deeper and deeper into the tick infested jungle. Nope, not falling for that!

I haven't really been concentrating on my crane fly enthusiasm of late!
this one seemed to be doing a very tricky yoga pose

having a top wander!

Round the next corner was a small clump of buddleia. It had some peacocks and a red admiral aboard. And possibly a comma. I really liked the photos it yielded - the soft moss green background making a lovely backdrop for the red peacocks below.

photo: Mary!

I was unaware I had a visitor. Despite washing my backpack several times since Spain! I was recently sitting on a train with my pack nicely warmed up from the mile sprint to Waverley having left the house a little late for an early morning departure from Edinburgh. And noticed it was a bit whiffy. Right enough it gets a wet back every time I run at pace. So it finished the day out with a trip round the washing machine.

photo: Mary

photo: Mary

It must have been 5pm by the time we had a quick look round the ponds for odonata. I noticed there were the usual largest jobs - blue dots on a black background - Common Hawkers. A mundane title for such spectacular beasties. But also another large dragonfly. Nearly identical but with fluro lime green dots down most of its body (blue at tail end) and that this was a Southern Hawker. They were not deferring to the Commons but standing their ground and returning the jousts from the Commons. I was wondering if I'd be able to get an in flight shot as they seemed more curious that the Commons and would hover nearby having a close look at you. I think it helped that I shared their colour scheme with the bright blue and yellow of my pack. They would fly past and then come back and have a closer look, standing still in the air just an arms length away. Unfortunately the camera has a habit of focussing on the distant background rather than the dragonfly and I took many bad photos of them.

Then a minute or 2 later I saw one swoop out of the sky and land on a bush right beside me. I couldn't believe my luck and with shaking hands zoomed in. It had just caught a fly and had landed to eat it. I hurriedly took loads of photos and shot a bit of video. Absolutely thrilled to get a decent close up on my first encounter. I later heard they have been at Saltoun for a few years now, although I have never knowingly seen one till today. They do look nearly identical to the common hawkers so I might have not realised - there is no obvious difference from a distance (or even fairly close up.) Look for larger patches of colour on thorax.

Southern Hawker - first ever photo!

Comon Hawker for comparison (from 2018)

It was a fantastic finish to a great day out. Although it was another week till I saw the hoped-for commas at Saltoun it was a really rewarding trip - from the buddleia bush at the start of the afternoon to the Southern Hawker at the other end, a real delight! And the cycle home was tailwind assisted, so it really wasn't too bad.

34 miles cycled, 3 walked