best part of the day: month of warriston

28th, 29th July

Having taken far too many photos along the road at Warriston Cemetery in the last few weeks I thought I'd better squash a few of them into a seasonal summer blog and clear the decks a bit. Most of it is holly blues and commas on buddleia so feel free to rush past, but there were a couple of memorable days for me (even after all this time!) so I wanted to put them down here on the record. And there's always something new, even if it is just a smallish grey moth that keeps reappearing.

I had been keeping an eye on this buddleia near the tunnel for about 3 weeks. Not one butterfly, then one day at the end of July, 3 commas. Given that was about the annual total a few years back I was pleased to see this confirmation, that it has been a bumper year for commas. I do wonder if their increased numbers are because I am here more often, looking for them, or whether there is another reason for their greater presence.

Much the same with the holly blues. I can confidently say there are several colonies around Warriston. In the spring brood a couple of outliers appeared in Warriston. This July and August they have been seen over every corner of the cemetery. They have had a fantastic year with a massive surge through the Lothians. A few years back they were super-rare and a holly blue day was a thing to celebrate. The number of Lothian gardens they have appeared in for the first time recently is monumental. They are defo on their way to world domination. On the downside this means they aren't quite the celebrities they once were. But they have a quiet beauty worth photographing anyway.

large white

cammo comma

I noticed this small white moth ^ and tried to get a photo. It had a bad habit of finding dark corners to hide and a proclivity for the underside of nettles in the centre of a large clump of nettles. When the sun backlit its wings I could see there was something interesting in the way of markings on its wings but didn't get a better shot of it than this. Nor could I find it online or in my large expensive moth book.

30th July

Someone from the council or Friends of Warriston did a great job of strimming a swathe of undergrowth to allow access along what had been a path near the East Gate. It had been pretty much off limits when in shorts, so I was very pleased about this. There was a red admiral near there that liked a bit of company and would fly round your head, close enough that you could hear the swish of its wings as it went past your ear. If you offered a sunlit hand it would sometimes stop for a chat.

Also a few holly blues would nectar on the thistles nearby. And slightly more distantly, commas lurked. But this was far from the best place to get close to them. There were lots of berries on the canes nearby and I think the bullfinches have been enjoying them. When I stood there for ages they would fly over to see if I was still there and why hadn't I gone already and left them to their berries?

he still here??!!

Well I was still there and in no small part because the evening sun, before it went behind the trees, lit that part just splendidly, and the red admirals knew this and sunbathed into the evening here among the brambles and nettles. In fact it turned into one of the most glorious evenings we've had this Summer and I lingered longer than usual, only getting home after 7pm. The whole place was bathed in a mesmerising orange light with long low shadows of gravestones and dappled trees reaching through the evening. When the sun left the admiral brambles I went over to the crypts. There wasn't much to photograph but a crow sat nearby and I gave her some peanuts and we both enjoyed the magnificent surroundings.

last of the evening by the crypts

sparrowhawk upstairs

video of sparrowhawk at top of tree (from bottom of tree!)
gives more of an idea of call than visuals, which are poor

The video was shot during a week when there was loads of calling between the adults and the offspring. Several birds were seen but I was not able to differentiate between the adults and juvenile. I suspect the mother was weaning the young bird off free meals and encouraging it to fend and hunt for itself. The video is pretty poor for visuals - it becomes clear why at the end when I zoom out to show how far away the action was. It gives an idea of the call though, similar to the high pitch and tuneless repeated "note" of a buzzard.

crow friend

4th Aug

large white again at the tunnel buddleia

great to see one of the wagtail family

and that pesky moth again hiding where I couldn't get access

Andrew and Unda had told me that atop the crypts (East side) the thistles there were good for a comma and a couple of holly blues. Sure enough in sunny weather they would all appear. There are several areas around the place where I check for admirals, blues and commas. If they are not in one place they will almost always be in the other. Although sometime about a week or 2 ago an invisible, inaudible siren went off and all the admirals that had arrived on the 12th July, disappeared. Now they might have taken wing and flown South to better weather or might have flipped through the butterfly portal, but it is increasingly difficult to find any RAs left in the cemetery.

7th Aug

I was over the East side trying to locate a wren that was making a lot of noise. I got very close but never saw it, because this female kestrel flew just above my head and posed high in the tree opposite. She knew I was there and had a good look. I was struggling through the nettles to get closer when she flew off leaving me to rub my stinging legs as I tip-toed through the jungle after her. I saw her next flight to another tree but that was the last of the photos.

the crypt comma showing well!

with holly blue for company

come out come out!

I think by this point Unda had let me know the moth was a mother of pearl moth and high on her list of most wanted. Every time something white fluttered past I paid far more attention that I normally would for a smallish moth. There seemed to be quite a few of them in the cemetery, and in different states of repair, though they do not settle anywhere useful the majority of the time.

Every time I went through the tunnel I'd check the buddleia for commas and whites. On this occasion there was a comma on the flower plumes but a far better one on the ground dabbing its tongue on the dirt for minerals. I took some record shots but it was never going to be a great photo with that background. I really quietly moved forward and slow-as-a-glacier tried to coax it to move somewhere that would make a better shot. It took off like a rocket and flew high into a tree a mile away. Oh well, it will have to be the one already on the buddleia then!

Later on I was checking the vegetation in front of the crypts. All the berries there - and there are tons - attract commas. I was rather surprised to see one perfectly perched on a berry and within easy reach. The angles weren't quite right so I spent some time slowly edging into the brambly nettle hell. The sun wasn't out and so it lacked a certain pop. But I felt I 'd been granted a free wish. Excellent comma asleep on top of ripening berries!

zebedee says time for bed

9th Aug

special thanks to this one for flagging up a new site

This turned out great fun. Mary and I going for the usual wander as the sun was out. We are most of the way to Warriston when a small tort, that small tort ^ above, flew over to the buddleia at the end of the footpath that goes across the cyclepath and on towards Warriston crematorium from St Marks. Instead of heading down the road and through the gap in the wall, we pop over the bridge to check the buddleia for other contenders. At first nothing much other than the small tort. And maybe a peacock on the railing, enjoying the warm painted metal. And a comma over on the leaves of the bush below. It is quite a drop to the cyclepath and we are high enough to be close to the canopy of bushes and trees. Round which quite a few butterflies are appearing. Holly blues buzz each other and fly over to the snowberry bushes on the other side. The bushes this side back onto alotments. All good butterfly country.

holly blue warming up

So Mary, always one to enjoy a close encounter, puts her hand on the railing next to the peacock. It maybe senses that she had fruit for her lunch pudding, an orange chopped with banana and raisins. It puts one foot then another on, as a smile broadens on Mary's face. I am so zoomed into the progress of the peacock I don't notice a small tort (possibly the small tort) just landed on her arm. I quickly zoom out to get the photo. Neither stay as long as the comma that is next on. It doesn't seem to want to leave and unwinds its proboscis doing a search in all the nooks and crannies of her hand for residue. She wonders will she have to go round the rest of the afternoon with a pet comma.

licky lick!

The holly blues are fun but frustrating as few come near enough for a close up.

Eventually the comma leaves Mary's hand but doesn't stray far and soon it is coaxed onto my hand. The peacock is back on the railing and I wonder if I can get a double act onto my hand. It nearly works as Mary has shown them both the joys of a warm hand on a not-overly-hot day. But the peacock maybe misses the orange smells and flies off. It does stay in the locale though and buzzes us a couple of times. Eventually after a long time enjoying this new spot and our new friends we pull ourselves away and go along to Warriston, though it is going to be hard to compete with those interactive butterflies earlier.

juv dunnock

One of the best moments was a troop of long tailed tits that came over to the tree we were standing near. I couldn't discern the difference between adults and young but I think the ones sitting still and allowing us to take their photos were youngsters. The adults are fun but almost always moving like crazy through the trees and very difficult to photograph. This felt like a real treat to have these flighty birds sit still for photos. Although the results were a bit disappointing. They were at full zoom and there was something about the lighting and where they were sitting, that didn't make for the best smooth images. Mary got similar results. Delightful all the same, even if the photos were not 100%.

Mary by the crypts

common darter (m) by the crypts

This may well be the same comma that was sleeping on a berry last trip. We could see it near the East end of the crypts but it was behind a load of impenetrable bramble foliage. I took a long straw of grass and went to tickle it out. Never a good idea. Before the grass got near, it flew off up to the buddleia at the West end of the crypts as if in protest. Okay, you win. By way of compensation we came across this fresh speckled getting drunk on berry juice.