greens and emperors pt 1

 

20th April

Yet again poor Spring weather kinda spoiled today. We should have been well into early green hairstreak territory, but due to shitty weather in this dull and damp country the hairstreaks had decided not to show. Last 2 years they were out by the 18th. This year we went up to Castlelaw, just beside the firing range and hoped the thin sun of the 20th would be enough to produce a few specimens. Before we had even left the house Simon was posting his first green hairstreak pics on East Scottish Butterflies about 9.30am. That had to be good news? Well yes and no. He reported about 2 or 3 individuals rather than the more usual 10~30 you'd expect. He was still there after we had driven to Flotterstone, queued to park and walked up 30 minutes to the GH spot, about 2hrs later. 

cheerful chaffinch

white-legged millipede

Simon in the gorse

Mary in the gorse

Northern eggar caterpillar

green hairstreak
small and green

Despite Simon's help it was slow going. Had Mary and I turned up without Simon there, we might well have concluded the hairstreaks were not yet there. And for the most part they weren't. We hunted high and low. Mostly high, because in previous years the best place for them was the topmost gorse just down from the field of blaeberry that is fenced off to deter the sheep. However the singletons Simon had found during his 3 hour stint seemed to be halfway down the hill perhaps sheltering from any wind and exposure. They were not easy to find and every half hour or so a shout went up and Simon had found another. I think I saw maybe 2 or 3 during the hour or 2 we spent there. It certainly wasn't up to the usual numbers or ease of discovery. And when they flew into a large clump of gorse that was it for another half hour. Not the most rewarding day out. And not the sunniest photos either when they were finally snapped.

lots of gorse shieldbugs

too many shieldbugs!

Simon eventually left
He was remarkably upbeat despite the turnout.

Of course the emperor moths waited till Simon had disappeared over the horizon. I had had the lure out for them and none showed for ages. Then in quick succession a couple turned up. I caught them in tupperware (one flew right in without coaxing!) and hid them in the coolest spot under the gorse in the dark. The idea being when I realeased them a few minutes later, they would take a minute or 2 to warm up and we'd get decent photos before they flew off. I tend to not leave them long enough to cool down and neither was around long before flying quickly off, wondering why the promise of female company quickly turned into a dark jail sentence. (Isn't that the so often the case?)

a hare watched us from the top of the field
Unfortunately I had the macro lens on and couldn't get a decent photo.

the second specimen was in much better condition

emperor moth - not as big as the spectacle it produces
the lures only attract males

And that was about that. We waited until Mary got some shots of a green hairstreak but they weren't up to much as the opportunities were thin on the ground. However it was a pleasant day to be out in the Pentlands so we decided to hike round Castlelaw by way of returning to the car. The ground was a bit soft and soggy in places but no worse than you'd expect after a long rain-soaked Winter. I think I even managed to keep my feet mostly dry.

Mary waving hello (I think)

I should have changed from macro lens to telephoto. I didn't and so I missed any decent shots of a hovering kestrel and this leaping roe deer. It was great to be walking across the Pentlands. I am more used to running but walking was perfectly acceptable and we probably saw more at the slower pace. 

Spring lambs

All in all a fine day out but I definitely felt I might return once the weather turns warmer and more settled and do a proper job of both green hairstreaks and emperors. It probably won't be near the firing range as there was a report that when Simon returned a few days later (and also Richard) they were shouted off the hill by a non-military type who was associated with the military and all that stuff at the firing range. I have been up the hairstreak hill during use of the firing range. It is technically within the area you are not supposed to be when they are firing at the range but has never been a problem as it is outwith the line of sight of the firing range, and round the corner. However the experience Richard and Simon endured did not sound pleasant and since both species co-exist in a little valley near Bonaly I shall probably try there when the sun reappears. Currently that looks to be a few days starting on Thursday depending which forecast you believe.