swallow makes summer

 

25~28th June

Another trip north to Monymusk to visit Mary's mum who had had another adventure into hospital but was now home. All the good weather meant the Monymusk garden (and pretty much everywhere) was burgeoning with summer flowers. Andy has planted out the garden in a most impressive fashion leaving areas of lawn unmown and planting it with rattle. And the pond was also quite changed since last visit. Dragonflies had emerged although I didn't see any. Lots of clever things planted next to the lizard wall like thyme, which attracts all the butterflies and bees. As well as looking fab. I spent a lot of time just wandering around the garden taking photos.

We drove up on Wednesday, the day after a funeral. A friend of many years whose mum had died age 95. She was something of a party person and it was only right to celebrate her life with a couple of drinks. It was not easy to call a halt to proceedings and leave the pub as it was fast becoming quite a session and I was having great fun with a couple of dear friends I hadn't sat down and chatted with in far too long. Sadly it tends to be the case I only ever catch up with folk I haven't seen in a while at funerals (and weddings) these days. I only just managed to leave in time to limit the damage done. I returned home to get dinner and narrowly avoided a travelling hangover the following day. The drive up was fine. Lots of chatting to Mary about the funeral (which she missed due to working,) passed quite a bit of the journey. We stopped at Cairn o' Mount to eat a sandwich and just missed a red kite that was circling the sky as we arrived. 

SPBF

Next day we headed to Muir of Dinnet. It has become a regular favorite spot and even if there aren't as many snakes as advertised, it always has something good to offer. Today it was butterflies again. We caught the tailend of the small pearl-bordered season. They were looking a bit faded but still around in decent numbers, but also there was a good showing near the snake wall of a meadow full of ringlets, meadow browns, common blues, and dark green fritillaries. 

redstart

DGF

ringlet

DGF

DGF video

dor (dung) beetle

On this occasion we only went as far as the snake wall. We had a search along and back (no snakes, again) but decided to go no further as we had other plans and didn't want to put too much stress on Mary's legs which haven't been working brilliantly of late. It has stopped her running but she hopes to get back to it soon. 

When speaking to Karen or Mary's mum about Muir of Dinnet they called it Burn O'Vat. This refers to a geological feature near the car park and so we decided to check it out. I believe it was carved out by water in the modest stream which runs through the rock, which seems odd as it most of the time it is just a small trickle and the sort of stream you can jump across. It doesn't look like a stream that would carve out a bowl the size of small concert hall. Anyway whatever made the large hollow in the rocks above the stream there is no denying it is an impressive space and worth stepping up the stepping stones (if the water is low enough to allow) that lead into the large bowl shaped hollow. I made a video with the DJI Pocket that gives and idea of the place. 

red kite circling nearby

note: tags on either wing

carefully stepping in the narrow entrance

Burn O'Vat video

back to the garden at Monymusk

these flowers look as if someone
has turned the saturation up too high

pitcher plants by the pond
these are carnivorous and will consume flies

exuvia of a dragonfly nymph,
left behind when it turned into a dragonfly

dragonfly exuvia - I suspect a common hawker
but saw no dragonflies while we were there

onions that had gone to seed

this yellowhammer loved to sit at the tops of these bushes 
and sing out his claim to this territory

this might be first meadow brown
I've photographed this year: seen a few but no photos till now

the pollinators love this

the pond is just full of lilies and plants, insects and bees
I should have changed cameras or lenses to get a decent photo

the first Volucella pellucens of the year
black with a white belt and quite large - hovers nicely!

lots of tiny beetles in these ox-eye daisies

Because Mary's mum was out of hospital (we would stay in her room otherwise) we were bumped to the Gemsbok Lodge - the very swish wooden cabin (with full electrics and plumbing) Andy built in the garden. We were sharing with two of the most delightful migrants from S Africa, aptly. They were nesting in the front corner of the roof and I think returning to a nest they had built in a previous year. I hoped they wouldn't be disturbed by our presence, although they seemed to be very comfortable in our proximity.

When we opened the cabin door, which was quite a lot as the place got very warm in the sunny weather we had, they would perch on the top of it, a couple of metres from the nest. I stood just the other side of the patio and took photos and video of them swooping in and out adding straw to the nest and shuffling about in the nest to make the inside smooth. It was just lovely to have a couple of beautiful birds so close and hear the flutter of their wings as they came and went. I felt we established a relationship and they really didn't seem bothered by us coming and going. Andy reckoned they had one or 2 nests about the place. I have no idea where they spent the night but it didn't seem to be at this nest.

the nest - which seems quite shallow
but what do I know?!

they seemed to enjoy perching on the door
which gave an easy hop into the nest

swallow video

close up of beetle in daisy

This frog was sunbathing by the pond but when I moved closer it jumped onto the grasses and then into the water. When Andy saw this photo (above) he said it was a toad as they don't have webbed feet. However the photo below shows webbed feet more clearly. Although I am still not 100% sure it is a frog. Previously I judged the F or T question on warty dry skin (toad) or smoother glossy skin (frog) and that frogs jump, whereas toads crawl. This was more of a jumper (does have webbed hind feet) although it does seem to have non-smooth dry skin. I'm betting frog, mainly based on the way it moved.

The last time I was here I didn't really bother to photo and video the bees. They are honey bees from hives maybe a quarter mile away and they love a shallow place to drink like the mossy edges of the pond. So there is always a good number of them coming and going. Last visit there were butterflies and other distractions and I lost interest a little in the bees. I had swapped to my macro lens for shooting insects around the garden and once down at their level became engrossed and quite lost taking photos and video trying to get close to those weirdly hairy eyes! It was quite mesmerising getting lost in the bee zone and watching those antennae dance.

honeybee video

I have used the same music backing track for a couple of the videos, mainly laziness because I was making  them at the same time and it was there. It is Udsigten by Danish pair Svaneborg Kardyb and I really like their music. I must get round to making my own soundtrack either by playing music and recording it, or doing better in-the-field recordings of ambient noise and birdsong in situ. Note to self - buy quality mic for camera.

Friday and although not a great forecast or weather we headed to Castle Fraser, prompted by hearing the dragonfly pond was busy with odonata. I think it was a fiver to use the car park but you could wander round the grounds for free. Although I did later see a list of entrance fees; but I think that was just to get into the Castle itself, which neither of us were interested in. 

wren

emerald damselfly

I could see that on a hot day there might be lots of dragonflies about. There were the usual damselflies and four spot chasers and later there would be common hawkers and black and common darters. Pretty much the same variety as Saltoun, and I wondered had Southern Hawkers and Migrant Hawkers made it here yet, as well. Since it wasn't very sunny, there wasn't much about and so after we had some fun with some baby frogs we went back to the walled garden.

the walled garden (with sundial)

It was almost a formal garden so I joked that we should sit for formal portraits which is why Mary is looking like this. Somewhere there is a picture of me looking equally daft (since looked it out and posted below) and as formal as possible. It didn't make the hilarious photos I thought it might at the time. Just a bit weird. 

photo, Mary

The garden wasn't that big (compared to the botanics for instance) but it was very pleasingly laid out and had quite a few benches and chairs for resting or enjoying the view. Loads of spectacular plants and most of them flowering. Really very pleasant for a walkabout although I suspect I enjoyed this much more in my 60s than I might have in my 30s. One of these things you appreciate more as you age, maybe. 

I get excited about flowers partly because of the aesthetic but also because they attract insects and an insect on a pretty flower makes a better photo than just about anything else! Anyway as we were walking around I saw either a humming-bird hawk-moth or something that was flying exactly like one buzzing round some flowers. I called Mary over but when I turned back to the flowers it had gone. I think it must have been a hummer as there is nothing easily confused with them* and they fly in a very distinctive manner. It had seemed too bright and more highly coloured than these rather brown individuals although they can be quite bright, with orange wings, when fresh.
*The only other likely candidate was a narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth. Which is possible as it wasn't on the valerian, the preference of the h-b h-m.

Even as Mary was coming over, a light drizzle was falling and the moth would be heading home or at least to go shelter somewhere. Frustratingly that was all I saw of it and we went to the cafe for a bowl of soup to get over the disappointment. The soup was excellent btw although if you go, get the (large) cheese scone as Mary did and NOT the tiny roll and butter which was the size of a marshmallow. 😥

more formal posing - and hilarity

After the soup, the rain was swithering between stopping or falling more consistently. We went on the other walk. Having done the Alton Brae Trail past the dragonfly pond, we now did Miss Bristow's Trail which covered the South side of the estate. It was all very attractive and fairly easy to follow although not overly signposted. 

Near the toilets/walled garden there were a couple of birdfeeders where I took photos while Mary used the facilities. The general ambience of the place was really relaxed and friendly and that went for the cattle and the birds and butterflies we saw as well. I knew the forecast for the following day (and our drive home) was fairly sunny and I hatched a plan to return to Castle Fraser on our way home for a walk round the walled garden to see if we could see anything of the mystery hovering insect. Mary put up no objections which I was very pleased about.

siskin

There were lots of good photo-ops over the few days we were there but this lizard might be among my favourite images. There was a wall in K&A's garden where I was told lizards sunbathed. I didn't see many there but on one occasion saw one scurry off into a gap between rocks. I waited for it to return but it took hours and still no sign. Every garden stroll after that I tip-toed over to the wall, rather than just the usual plod around the garden, and sure enough I saw a lizard but it zipped off as I raised the camera. I scanned the wall and saw another lizard, smaller but still there, and watching me like a hawk. I only got a couple of shots before it too disappeared, and at great speed. And it was even in focus, although I feel next time I want to get a few better shots, and if possible using the macro lens. Not gonna be easy.

square-headed wasp?

Trollius chinensis

Trifolium repens

our friends the swallows building up their nest

Not a great photo ^ but the only way I could get both of the swallows in the same photo; one on the top of our door and one sitting up on the nest behind. As you can see in the video they would sit happily on the door watching us, watching them. And just a few yards away. Or sit on the door while we were in the room behind just 4 or 5 metres away, going about our day, them watching with interest but no sign of panic or fear. An absolute treat! I was waiting for one of them to fly a lap of the room we were in but if they did, it wasn't while we were in.

several small torts on the thyme

probably Africa art - K&A spent many years in S. Africa

Mary's mum - glad to be home from hospital!
I asked could I take this photo of her and she said no, so I took it anyway. 😎

As reported in previous Monymusk blogs the food and drink is always of a remarkable standard and Mary and I have taken to doing fruit-and-yoghurt desserts by way of thanks for being treated like kings at mealtimes. There is also nearly always more wine and beer than we have at home, which makes it feel like a holiday rather than any kind of obligation.  

So after another fabulous meal and a great night's sleep we packed up and headed home via Castle Fraser. The weather was much improved and I thought we best check out the walled garden flowers while the sun was shining.

a bear in the woods

wagtail

scruffy bluetit

I think I took this same photo the day before!
Fantastic blooms. Peruvian Lily 'Orange King' Alstroemeria aurea

small tortoiseshell

ahem, the sundial
(I presume this is the one in question)

Mary's mum had made mention of 'the interesting sundial'. We hadn't noticed it, as it was hidden in plain sight right in the centre of the walled garden where we had been taking photos of it and walking around it, of course. There were red admirals and small torts about the place. Not in abundance but two or three of each. Just as we were noticing a meadow brown nectaring and sitting rather nicely on some valerian, not one but 2 humming-bird hawk-moths appeared rapidly around the same valerian. Bingo!

We both began shooting stills and video. Some of the best results we got during the Hummer of Love at the valerian under Samson's Ribs was using video. I even remembered to use the S&Q button (Slow and Quick mode) for some slo-mo videos which came out better than I hoped. I didn't have the time to check it while shooting because H-B H-Ms do not hang about or pose readily, but zoom off just as you think they are coming over to the nearest flower. They do not seek out the company of humans and usually visit the least convenient flower. 

However the plants here were flowering around eye level making them perfect for getting the insects with a reasonable background. The hummers were behaving very well and did a couple of circuits of loads of flowers right in front of us before disappearing out the magic portal. It was quite unlike previous encounters which tend to be brief and fairly frustrating. We were both thrilled. 

I later found out that the slo-mo setting shoots such rapid-fire frames that it was possible to extract them as stills. I could go through them one at a time until the wings were in the best position and turn that into a still photo. I shouldn't be telling you this and giving away my secrets! I should just report they behaved as badly as ever and that only using extreme camera skillz was I able to get so many photos and a bit of video. 😜

I normally keep videos to under a minute which will be under 100mb and postable here or on facebook. However since I had so much material - the slo-mo produced minutes from what only took seconds to shoot - that even throwing a lot away I still had 199mb of video. So it had to go up on youTube and then be embedded here. I also spent a while choosing a suitable soundtrack which I wanted to be minimal, ambient, not take the attention away from the subject but quietly echo the feeling of the insects flying - something drone-like. Not a tune with a verse and chorus. It took quite a while to find something which I felt was apt. As I said earlier I should get a decent mic and just add the ambient birdsong and wind-in-the-trees noise. Anyway a work in progress. But I feel it is as good as any other humming-bird hawk-moth video I have seen online. And a superb end to our few days away.

more high saturation flowers

Since the hummers disappeared with no sign of returning we did the dragonfly pond walk to get our steps up for the day - the rest of which was probably going to be spent in the car.

emerald damselfly

large reds in tandem

large red damselfly

meadow brown

ringlet

The castle had something of a medieval festival day thing going on. It seemed to be reasonably attended and looked quite fun if you like that sort of thing. We got close enough to hear the clash of swords but not much closer. 

from a distance without wearing specs
this was reminiscent of the bear on Bo Selecta

a look of shame?

We went back through the walled garden and had another brief session
 with a hummer which had returned for lunch. 

thanks to the meadow brown who drew our eyes toward the valerian
and the hummers

Mary had a plan to return to Edinburgh not using the usual roads. That it might be more scenic to go inland to the hills of the Lecht before heading South. Since she had been completely agreeable about the return trip to Castle Fraser I was duty-bound to concede to whatever she wanted. However we didn't really have a solid plan or map or idea of where certain stuff was and we may have got a bit mixed up about the Lecht and Glenshee, one of which Mary cycled through many years ago on the way to visit her mum. The sat-nav, sensing it had the upper hand for a change, made light work of getting us to drive in circles and it's probably best to gloss over the rest of that journey without accusations or blame. It was just a little unfortunate. And not, I suspect, a route we are likely to take regularly in the future. I think we added 90minutes and 50 miles to the normal route. Although the longest miles were sitting behind three German vintage motorbikes all with sidecars, driving at a sedate pace on windy roads but at a distance apart that defied overtaking. 

Achtung! 

It didn't ruin the day, a day full of delights, but it made it feel quite a bit longer than required. Anyway we got home before dark and some of the scenery was very scenic. BTW the cafe at the Lecht ski centre: I got the vegetarian sausage sandwich. I just assumed they'd use Richmond veggy sausages or Quorn, both of which are excellent, but they must have had some 1980s veggy sausages at the back of the freezer, which consisted of peas and sweetcorn in a brown paste, rolled into sausage shapes and fried. Edible, but only just. 

The best thing about the Lecht ski centre was possibly these house martins which were nesting and feeding young, under the eves. Interesting to see their nests much more closed up with smaller entrances than the swallows'.

the open road!
(Mary re-programming the sat nav to stop taking the piss.)

Humming-bird Hawk-moth Video posted on youTube
works best in HD with volume up