going large

 

The 16th July was an interesting day out. I approached it with caution. I wanted to visit the dragonfly pond between Haddington and Gifford and the bike seemed the best way to do this, since public transport would involve 2 bus companies, or a bus to Haddington and a three mile run (and same back) on pavementless roads. Not great. However the thought of a 40mile cycle did not fill me with joy. The thirty to Saltoun and back recently was more of an ordeal than a happy jaunt. However that can mostly be blamed on a very stiff headwind on the return trip. The (less strong) wind today was against me on the outward trip this time, meaning a favourable wind on the return which is preferable.

The 20miles there were bearable. The last three climb steeply out of Haddington and would be more enjoyable done on a bus listening to audio books, but a bike gives you the freedom to operate on your own schedule. A bigger concern was that the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud. That could be insurmountable, and threatened to ruin the day. The forecast had said Haddington would be fairly decent sunshine from 2pm. It was 1.30 when I arrived at the top of the hill. It looked like it might brighten but also looked like it could also cloud over and rain like a bastard. It also felt a little chilly in just a t-shirt that was now quite well soaked through from the 20miles. 

I checked out the logpile at the top of the hill for any late season broad-bodied chasers. There was no sign of any. (Although it wasn't sunny at all and there could have been some hiding locally.) They are early season beasts and I wondered if I would encounter any today. Whether they would increase the length of their season, or, as seemed to be the case, since they started a bit earlier than usual, if they would also finish earlier as well. None at the top of the hill so I jumped back on my bike and rolled another 100yards to the bottom of the hill where I took the farm track along the side of the woods to a small anonymous pond that is only visited by a very few people, looking for dragonflies.

I met nobody else and saw not even a stray dogwalker in the next three hours and ten minutes. It was bliss! There are no trees to lean a bike against so it lay flopped over on the long grass. A quick circuit of the pond revealed a few damselflies but nothing much of interest. I had noticed quite a lot of white butterflies, and mostly large whites, in the surrounding thistle patches, in among the deep grass and up the field edge. The field was filled with a thigh high crop of warm sandy coloured cereal and I wasn't going anywhere near that. But maybe the butterflies would entertain me while I waited for the clouds to disperse or the rain to start. I cursed not taking a waterproof as it could be a long drizzly cycle home. 

A large white (Pieris brassicae, old school: Cabbage White,) is head-and-shoulders superior to all the whites (except maybe a really fresh orange-tip male.) They have a bad habit of flying past at 90mph on the hunt for a mate, which makes an obliging one a rare treat. Most of these large whites were so preoccupied with the thistles that I was able to get quite close. Certainly close enough to do a preburst series of images of them taking off. They were regularly taking off and landing, making that process less painful as I had rarely more than 20seconds before they flapped those impressively large sails and took to the air. And when one flew off there were another 2 nearby just about to take off again. It is impossible to know just how many were new specimens and how many were ones I'd already photographed, as they were almost all in great condition and without the notches and missing wing tips that would identify individuals. There was a good mix of female (2 wingspots on upper forewing) and males (less than 2 spots on forewing uppers.) Very tricky to send figures to Nick the East Lothian recorder. But very compelling to stand among them taking photos. So much so, I nearly didn't notice the sun coming out, and the dragonflies!

quite a lot of small skippers about as well
I only bothered with fresh ones on good perches

I must have had a quick look at the pond
and decided I was having more fun with the butterflies.

male

female

It does make you wonder about motives when you see a large hoverfly zoom in and land all over this female large white. The place has several hundred thistle heads and most of them unattended. Did the hoverfly just not see the butterfly? Was it some sort of human emotion like FOMO and it HAD to have the only thistlehead being visited already? I have no idea but they have pretty decent eyesight, the hoverflies, so I think it was well aware of the butterfly and chose to bombard it, possibly knowing it would retreat. An elegant reverse movement no less, which I was unaware of at the time but delighted to catch in detail using the pre-burst mode.

I should probably have shot more slo-mo video but to my knowledge I can't use the anticipatory pre-burst mode in video. Which is a shame as it allows you to catch stuff after it has happened and not rely on guessing when something of interest is about to happen.

butterfly slides out in reverse gear

the small skippers didn't look as dynamic taking off
and fewer of their sequences work as well as the large whites

animated stills to Don't Go by GoGo Penguin

There was a small tortoiseshell. It was a bit knackered and although I took some photos they didn't make the grade. Sometime later I saw it again, and wandered over to see if it was defo the same aged specimen. It was not! In fact it was a brand new painted lady and quite lively. I had to chase it for 10minutes up and down the field perimeter hoping it would land and I could get a photo. For ages it landed only on the dirt floor of the field. As I would approach it would fly off again and we played this game long after I was bored with it. Eventually it flew up onto some vegetation and I got a few photos. It was spectacular and likely the best specimen I had seen this year. Shortly after these photos it flew way over into the field of crops as if to say enough!. I was very glad to have got at least a few decent shots. It was the only painted lady I saw all day.

what a beauty!

Having been made aware of stuff other than just large whites, I had another circuit of the pond. I was glad it was a slightly lower waterlevel than last visit when circumnavigation of the perimeter was only possible if you turned your back on the gorse bushes hugging the edges and pushed through, leaving weals like Mr Christian's. (Ha! I am telling porkies. Fletcher Christian was not given the lash. Google says he was treated badly but not lashed.)

This visit, the water was lower leaving a smidge more room to squeeze past those gorse bushes, however it was neither easy nor pain free and you can probably still see where my shoe treads were losing ground on the slippery pondside clay. I wouldn't really have minded a damp shoe but there was a very real possibility that a lost footing on the steep muddy shore would have you skite into kneedeep water with a LOT of gloop underneath that would colour the whole day.

Lots of emerald damselflies in tandem on the reeds and rushes. Also plenty of common darters, some posing on nearby vegetation, most keeping well clear of the guy pointing a camera at them.

crane fly makes the grade
due to particularly pleasant background

This darter couple were busy egglaying in tandem. Not sure she really needed his help but he was keen to see his offspring being delivered to some choice destinations. They flew in short stabbing scoops, whipping the water surface with her tail then rising.

an extra azure male comes in to advise
where it is not really required

four-spotted chaser
most of them were showing signs of aging

emerald damselfly

shredded wings of another 4-spotter

I spent a long time trying to get photos of common hawkers as they came close. Although I got a few distant photos none of them were really sharp; they just were too flighty today and not hovering close by, for more than a quarter of a second. So when I saw one catch a female and fly over to a gorse bush I stealthily snuck round the perimeter, hoping they wouldn't fly up to higher tree. I managed to get within a few metres and got these shots and some video before the male, who had been watching me, flew directly at me (with his mate in tandem) in an aggressive manner before flying up into the trees. Message received! He was not a happy bunny about my proximity.

common hawkers

common darter (m)

emerald damselflies in tandem

I had a little wander round the perimeter to see if there were any dragonflies a little bit back from the water, before I left. I also had a last shot or 2 with the large whites and then reluctantly packed up. I knew as soon as I put the camera away (in its case, in my backpack, in the pannier bag) that dragonflies would land all round me and dance in a circle. While that didn't quite happen there were a few late-comers landed close by or appeared to hover near me which they'd avoided the whole time I had my camera to hand. I refused to be taunted as I was now focussing on the twenty mile cycle home. Starting with a nice big uphill to get warmed up.

yet another brand new darter
you can tell from the glossy wings

goodbye to you too!

The cycle home wasn't that bad. The wind was now being helpful and I reduced the 100minutes it took to get there to 87 on the return. The gradient (as well as the wind direction) was easier on the way home. I got home without the shredded arse I suffered from last trip, although it wasn't entirely pain free. The big road from Gladsmuir through Macmerry towards Tranent was done at full stomp and mostly averaging 20+mph. Last trip I was tearfully tortoising home at an average of 8mph over similar ground. I still need a few more trips on the bike to regain any kind of cycle fitness but I can almost say I enjoyed the cycle, at least the second leg of today. Maybe hold off ordering the electric bike for another year or two?

Not quite the day of dragonflies I had hoped for but all the butterfly action was an unexpected bonus. Perhaps I will stick to Saltoun and ponds around Aberlady and Port Seton/Levenhall for the remainder of the dragonfly season although I am always on the lookout for new venues and new species. I may go over to the West coast as well, as they get several species we don't. 

40+miles