NBA!

 

22-05-25 A day of mixed results, a wander around Holyrood. While NBAs and common blues had been spotted in the park, (maybe a week+ early) they would only show in perfect conditions. Meaning they were still largely absent from sight, which was frustrating. On several occasions I went up there and failed to see them. Sometimes failed to see any butterflies. This, combined with other enthusiasts seeing excessive amounts of both these species really hacked me off. All that decent Spring weather spoiled me for when the weather began to return to what we are more used to in Scotland. 1hr of sunshine max, if lucky, on a day with low gray clouds and a wind that will discourage both the butterflies and those searching for them. It makes me stay indoors, on google maps, planning holidays to parts of the world where they get loads of sunshine and loads of wildlife. And puts me in a gloomy mood.

a small heath - the only specimen after a long search 
of the stone trap and path up to Hutton's Section

I had bumped into Ken who was also enjoying a butterfly free day. It was reassuring that I wasn't just being careless in my butterfly hunting, that another good pair of eyes was also struggling to find the recently emerged specimens. We split up to search different areas - I went high and Ken went low. While he crossed the back of the crags to the old quarry (and on to Haggis Knowe) I climbed Crow Hill in search of hilltoppers like RAs, PLs, walls and smalls. (Coppers/torts etc.) I used the footpath that is now finished construction, but still signed as closed due to the inadequacy of HES.

BTW they (Historic Environment Scotland) did get back to me about my email enquiry about their budget/accounting. They sent an end of year '23~'24 report PDF which has 116 dull-as-dishwater pages none of which details money for helicopters carrying bags of stones. However the scale of their operations is far in excess of anything I imagined and comes directly from the Scottish Govt. meaning they won't feel they have to answer to anyone. Here is a quote: Total expenditure has increased £9.4 million (8%) from £119.7 million in 2022-23 to £129.1 million in 2023-24, with increased operational and income generating activity year on year. So a few hundred thousand on making unnecessary paths with helicoptered rocks is not going to make a dent in that. And who cares if you leave the signs discouraging tourism. When some tourists saw me ascend the closed footpath they asked could they access it all the way to the bottom. I told them to ignore the signs as the work had concluded and it was just laziness on part of HES they had not been removed.

wrong

It was nearly perfect conditions atop Crow Hill. An American family from Virginia (if memory serves) were having a picnic and enjoying their holiday. There was a panhandling crow insisting they feed it and I took note it was prepared to take nuts from the hand of the daughter. This is so unusual I reckoned it had to be the same one that took food from our hands last year near to this spot. Crow wisdom says don't go within 6 feet of a human. Even my crow pals in Warriston who I've been feeding since lockdown won't break the 6' rule. This one must have grown up near to human traffic and had individual ideas of what goes. I shot some video because it is in my experience, really rare.

The girl was reluctant to allow the bird so close but I assured her it wouldn't peck her hand. 

I was also busy taking photos of the first (that I can remember) Painted Lady this year. We saw plenty last December in Tenerife, but since then I don't think I've photoed any. It was in decent nick if a little faded, but flying strongly and not terribly keen to have its picture taken. I didn't make a very good job of the photos as I was distracted; chatting to the Americans who were doing the whole of Scotland in three or four days ending in Glasgow. I commiserated and hoped they got decent weather.

first PL of the year

the view down the coast to NB Law and Bass Rock

dunnock

chaffinch

whitethroat or warbler

I descended off Crow Hill towards Dunsapie then turned right and followed the road round past the barriered off section where we used to have NBAs, small coppers, walls, common blues and flyby whites and peacocks on the rock rose and cranes bill. Now, nothing. It might just be changing habitat but last year or the year before HES pulled down a load of rock from the crags above and it really hammered all the butterfly rich roadside area. It virtually destroyed the gorse bush on which the green hairstreak appreared a few years back. I believe it was an act to secure the area from the danger of any loose rock falling subsequently. And yet the barriers are still in place and have been for many months. Since then no NBA have been seen on what we used to refer to as the layby on the high road. I saw this one wall on some ragwort passing through but nothing anywhere else. Aother success story HES?

While I was stood on the wrong side of the barrier taking photos a ranger vehicle came past. I fully expected them to stop and deliver a waggy finger telling off but happily they drove past without stopping, saving everyone the embarrassment.

ladybird factory

mother shipton moth
my first photo this year, though they've been out for a long while

On the way round the park I stopped off again at NBA corners 1 and 2 (zero still and no blues either) then went across to the ground opposite East Parkside where often small coppers lurk. No luck there either. Final check at the stone trap directly under the Cat's Nick, the notch in the skyline of the crags. Ken and I had met here at the start of the day. We had seen nothing although to preserve the dry grasses and flowers we had not climbed on the steep slope. I hiked up a few steps and saw something fly. I chased it from a safe distance and saw the first Northern Brown Argus of the year. It flew off left and to slightly higher ground which was odd as there were no flowers there, just brown grasses. Another NBA flew up from the same area. Were they here all along? They looked very fresh - like a day or 2 old at most, maybe even today fresh. I tried to follow both specimens but failed. One hid nectaring among the low yellow flowers making photos very tricky especially with the long lens. I switched to macro. One landed on a prominent grass stem and stayed there. I took some photos then texted Ken who was having less luck at Haggis Knowe. He said he'd be over shortly. I kept an eye on the perched one hoping there'd at least be something to see when Ken arrived. The other had disappeared off left and higher up. 

Above - 400mm lens. You have to stand back at least a metre with the long lens. When the butterfly is down among blades of grass and obscured by surrounding vegetation it is easier to get in close with the macro (as below).

 a carpet moth of some sort likely common or silver-ground

this one perched on top of this grass stem until Ken arrived

Ken

and opened its wings when the sun came out

And that was about that. I left Ken to it and went home happy to record a Holyrood NBA. My worry was that last year's poor weather in May might have helped wipe out the last few surviving NBA in Holyrood Park. I saw maybe 3 or 4 all season and they looked in poor condition no doubt due to the near constant rain we had in May. Great to see at least a couple survived and no doubt a few more that will be going about their business behind the scenes elsewhere, less easy to find. Long may they hold onto their tenuous residency here.

under 7miles in 6hrs