they're back!

 

18th May

We put off this trip to Saltoun Big Wood for a day and it might have made all the difference. We left Edinburgh cycling through the haar of Portobello but a couple of miles inland and the sun was belting down. It made the cycle, often a bit of a chore, a delight. And I realised the fun today would come from the travelling there as well as the excitement of what we would find.

bikes padlocked behind old car park

large red damselfly

There was a huge sense of anticipation approaching the pond. We had heard from George there were no damselflies on Thursday. As soon as we arrived 2 days later it was apparent there were plenty damselflies and even four-spotted chaser dragonflies. The 2 days of sunny weather had given them reason to appear by the dozen and they were going about dragonfly business. It was great to see and the place just looked marvelous. 

pond full of tadpoles and newts

I thought this newt was dead and floating like a corpse. 

However it was just sunbathing and swam off happily.

four-spotted chaser

These can look a bit shabby later in the season but when newly out their exuvias, they are perfect golden flying machines.

most of the damselflies were large reds, the first to appear,
but if you looked carefully there were a few blues and commons

We had a scout round the usual square - up past the logpile to butterfly alley then down the back way. In truth I was in a hurry to be back on the bikes and off to Coulstoun Wood but Mary was interested to see if there many butterflies round the usual walk. There were not. No sign of the peacocks and commas there last trip. Nothing! It is as if everything has been cleared away for the next presentation which will be on the other side of the Summer. Nice stroll but I was keen to head to Coulstoun, there was just half a chance of the most glorious dragonfly all season. 

large red matings at the second pond up the road

bee-fly female
probably doing terrible things to other insects offspring

large red

orange tip female

four-spotted chaser

It wasn't as far as I remembered to cycle to Gifford. We bought a sandwich and drink at the small shop next to the great cyclists cafe (Lanterne Rouge) as were in a hurry to be off. We would eat at Coulstoun, the next pond, just South of Haddington. 

On the cycle along the path to the pond by Coulstoun Wood, I was so busy trying to work my DJI Pocket camera I missed the photo of the day when a deer and 2 squirrels appeared and then sauntered across our path like something Disney might think too dewy-eyed for reality. Dammit! However that sentimental scene at least warmed Mary to the venue, she couldn't believe the animals behaving like cartoons. 

the pond was rather drab looking by comparison to Saltoun

It seemed when we arrived the pond was desolate and nothing was there. I wasn't sure if we had arrived too late in the day or too early in the month. It was 10 days earlier than the day they were flagged up last year. However I thought the warm weather might have triggered an emergance. We decided to eat our lunch and have a moment here anyway. I checked round the edge of the pond, which, with the high water level and flourishing gorse, was less easily accessed than last year. Then I saw a blue shape fly off a perch. Aha! It flew round the pond and then back to where I stood waiting. I saw it was a broad-bodied chaser, a mature male with the blue pruinescence (dusty white powder you get on plums) that marks them out from the females. Unfortunately it seemed to check me out then headed off up into the trees. I asked Mary for a little time and she went for a wander while I waited to see if it would return. Meanwhile I noticed there were damselflies in this corner I'd not previously noticed. Not as many as at Saltoun, but a few. I took some pics but new the star of the show was not here. Nor did he return. 

I was watching this pair of large reds get together and taking their pics. The female could not engage her tail end properly with the male. They tried again and again and I have no idea what the problem was or who didn't fit whom. After 5 mins of trying and failing the male had a moment of introspection then without so much as 'it's been lovely' unhooked the female from his claspers and let her fall into the grass. Then flew off. Wow! Cold!

when Mary returned we packed up and headed off

Seeing the solitary mature male pondside, gave me hope there were others out and about. I had first heard of them when they were spotted in the woods at the top of the road. I asked ary if we might check them out. There was a logpile in previous years seemed to be a focal point among some bracken where the females and immature males would emerge away from the pond before maybe visiting there later to meet a mate. We parked our bikes against the long metal gate at the brow of the hill. Mary was keen to start the cycle home and we were both fairly tired. I said I'd just run 150yards along to the logpile, check it out and if nothing there we'd cycle home together. I came sprinting back in seconds.

I was there 1.5 seconds and saw a large golden insect like a giant yellow wasp buzzing the bracken. FANTASTIC! Of course Mary was free to cycle back herself but I think she caught a whiff of my enthusiasm and wanted to see for herself what the fuss was about. As she saw these magnificent beasties hovering and landing in the bracken she went from tired, jaded and pessimistic to mildly impressed. She could see how excitable I was. I had launched myself wholeheartedly into the bracken and tussocky swamp. (On previous visits I had worn oilskin trousers to fend off the ticks, and brambles and difficulties. The uneven ground is waist deep in jaggies, biters and scratchers but I was just so pleased to see these dragonflies again. I was squatting down and trying to ninja the hell out of the situation. At points, 3 or 4 large yellow dragonflies would take off and buzz around before landing close by. It was impossible to say how many were there but I felt like maybe 15 wasn't too large a number.

immature male
they will turn a powder blue colour

in his element!

female
slightly different shape, colour and appendages at tail end

imm. male

female

female

female

There were so many insects about I realised that in about 20 minutes I was just taking the same photos again and again. I also realised I shouldn't push my luck with Mary who was keen to get on with the cycle home but being very patient. I think she was almost surprised when I said I was done and we should head. She hadn't ventured into the rough herself but a few broad-bodied chasers had landed close enough to where she stood that she had got some photos. 

I like these dragonflies so much not just because they are visually fantastic and fly superbly, but because unlike the hawkers who have a bad habit of rarely landing for photos, these B-BCs regularly take a breather giving the chance for great close-up photos. I will certainly be returning soon to get photos of the mature males in blue pruinescence. As well as to chase the three hawker species we now get in the Lothians. There are also supposed to be emperors as well but I've never knowingly seen one outside of Spain and Tenerife.

Fantastic day out! 44miles on bikes, 4 walking.