best part of the day: Big Wood 2

21st August

Number 2 trip to Saltoun Big Wood and a cracker. The trick is to choose the right day; has to be sunny for the dragonflies to be out and warm if not sunny for the butterflies. Monday the 21st was looking like shaping up, so I caught the bus from Waterloo Place; a rural hour listening to tunes or books on the mp3 player as the 113 speeds through East Lothian countryside, before depositing me at the centre of Pencaitland. Up Lempockwells Road then first right and up the side of the bridge onto the cyclepath. At 1.5 miles you go under another bridge, about 2 miles the cyclepath ends and you head into West Saltoun stopping to check the buddleia bush for butterflies. It was windy so although there were a few likely candidates, they were sitting low and hunkering down, holding on with their teeth as the plumes whipped back and forth. I suspected there would be better in the woods so didn't linger.

red admiral

comma on buddleia plume

wall and peacock

three peacocks and incoming RA

room for one more!

fiercesome kitty guarding the path into the woods

holding the scabious stem to stop the wind moving it

Last visit there were a handful of commas only, while the peacocks were out in huge numbers. This trip (exactly a week later) the scabious lined paths were equally busy with commas and RAs with the peacocks still just ahead in numbers.

a stiff breeze was blowing the trees about

I took a slightly different line into the woods. Normally I turn left at the earliest opportunity arriving North of the crossroads. This time I took second left and went in via the buddleia just down from the crossroads. It didn't have anything of outstanding interest although there was a wall as well as the RAs and peacocks. And it was shifting in the breeze. I carried on and went down to the first pond. Notably there were a huge number of butterflies attending the 2 clumps of teasels set back from the pond. Including the only small skipper I saw all day. (Possibly the last one of the year!) Mostly RAs. There is only a short time between teasels flowering and their flowers dropping at which point the butterflies lose interest.

wall (f)

common darter pondside

spider transporting eggsack across the water

teasels with butterflies on board including only skipper of the day

At the pond I bumped into and chatted to Alan B, He is very well versed in the local odonata, possibly the most knowledgeable person I have met on the subject. Alan told me how he has numbered the various different ponds and since it was a good system I have adopted it myself. Main pond is number 1. Number 2 is across the path (and has new bench next to it.) Number 3 is the couple of rising ponds above number 1. Number 4 is the smallest at the crossroads. Number 5 is the other large one on the right of the path. The woodpile is just beyond on the opposite side of the path and in a hundred yards you come to the T junction and butterfly alley.

very flat peacock

I went up to the woodpile to eat a sandwich. There was a peacock also enjoying the sun, flattened down against a log to save from blowing away! It remained most of the time I was there eating. Often there are darters and butterflies around the woodpile - always worth checking it out.

Butterfly alley was in full swing with one every few yards and groups of 6~10 in some sunny spots. It was splendid to see so many out at what can be a threadbare time of the year for them as the summer begins to fade. There are far more commas here at this time than I ever see at any time throughout the year - making a final impressive firework display before they disappear for the Autumn and Winter.

small white

speckled wood - lots of these still

I returned to number one pond. I had deliberately given Alan space to enjoy the place on his own. We had both agreed about how often our best days here were solitary and undisturbed by dogwalkers and the like. I was pleased to see a few black darters. They are favourites - I always think of them as sleek and elegant - the milk-try man dressed in all black, and it helps that they will return repeatedly to a favourite perch or leaf which makes taking their photo easier. I was saddened to notice that along with emerald damselflies and common hawkers, they are the most at risk of declining occupancy. All three seem to be doing well here and I imagine the numbers are (as usual) based on stats primarily from England.

black darter

emerald damselfly

While I was at the pond I got a message from Mary. She had finished her work for the day and since it was such a beautiful day she decided to drive to Saltoun and meet up. I told her I was at the first pond and would wait for her there. She didn't get the last message, walked right past where I was crouched in communion with nature, and then texted she was up at butterfly alley and couldn't see me.

I ran up the hill and couldn't stay annoyed for long since she had not only brought the means of my return to the city, but also a couple of flasks of tea. Now that is proper service! The tea was delicious, and although it was a warm day seemed just right to prop up flagging spirits. It is easy to enjoy the butterflies and dragonflies and to forget to actually take some decent photos of them. It seems as easy as shooting fish in a barrel but you still have to work to get the best angle and background and keep an eye on the light and which of the 200 specimens is fresher than the others and worth pointing the camera at. And being out all day in the heat is tiring. The tea was excellent and restorative. And it came in a bright orange Sainsbury's carrier which seemed to attract the butterflies. Several came over to check it out.

butterfly alley - just hoaching with butterfles

large white

peacocks still in the majority
with RAs and commas just behind

I had already covered much of this area so told Mary I was going back to hunt dragonflies at the pond. She decided to do the circuit round the back of the woods and meet me there in due course. On the way back I spotted a common hawker resting up in a tree. They are much easier to photograph if you can find them at rest but they are also very well camouflaged and tricky to spot. They will often land on silver birch but on this occasion it had chosen a pine tree. I didn't notice the interesting colours on the trunk until much later. I shot some photos and video.

common hawker in the breeze

emerald damselflies

By this time Malcolm had also arrived and was chatting to Alan. I said hello and edged round the back of the pond. While there they told me I had just missed a Southern Hawker female egglaying on the surface shallows right beside them. Curses! Several visits later I still haven't seen a female Southern.