best of 2025 pt 2

 

Continuing with my favourite shots of 2025.

Into SPBF territory and the second week of June I travelled to Tentsmuir. Previously it had proved far more successful than local sites in the Pentlands for small pearl-bordereds. There is a boardwalk (the Fife Coastal Path) over the swamp, although much of the swamp was dry enough this year to get off the boardwalk and lie on the ground right among these orange beauties, shooting video and stills. 

small pearl-bordered fritillary
a cracking butterfly

I hadn't got around to adding music to videos yet, but this is one
of my favourites, mainly due to the POV of a butterfly

same day; Morton Lochs and drainage ditch for 4-spot chaser

common blue

downlooker snipe fly

I always find this pair (in an East Linton window)
put a smile on my face

small tortoiseshell

I had gone to Preston Mill on the Tyne to find Banded Demoiselles but on the way stopped by this field to photo a small tort I saw there. Just in case Scotland goes the way of much of England and starts to lose small torts, I relish every one. This one was flying from flower to flower so I tried to get a sequence of it taking off. It is very difficult to estimate accurately where a butterfly will go so these are always hit-or-miss. This one was a hit.

composite photo of 5 individual shots

banded demoiselles

It is always a consideration: stay on dry land or step into a fast flowing river onto slippy green rocks carrying several thousand pounds of electronic equipment that doesn't do well underwater. On this occasion it turned out well and although I was very anxious, the best shots of the day were taken standing knee deep in the Tyne.

red admiral

common blue

large skipper - now regularly seen in or near Midlothian

roe deer

juv stonechat

adult male feeding juv stonechat
Aberlady

I think these are ringed plover and sanderling

6 spotted burnet moth

emperor at Gosford House pond

stonechat chick

DGF

frame extracted from video

painted lady

narrow-bordered five-spot burnet moth

bullfinch (m)

DGF! on 19th June

Right in the middle of the year the Dark Green Fritillaries appear. The photos and video were from Aberlady/Gullane and the purple-blue flowers, Viper's Bugloss, were the flower of choice. Attracting burnet moths, blues, fritillaries and painted ladies - find a good clump of these flowers on a sunny day and there'll be something along shortly. Also with everything emerging early, the large purple spear thistles weren't flowering yet - often the primary target of the DGFs.

20th June - second day in a row there

The video above was put together from a number of clips I'd taken of several DGFs visiting the viper's bugloss beside the golf course between Aberlady and Gullane. Unusually they were so distracted by the nectar that they didn't seem to mind me moving really quite close to the action. And this, right at the beginning of the DGF season when A/ they are in superb condition and B/ normally they fly past and away at 90mph and are never this obliging. It was an uncanny interlude and so weird that I returned the following day with Mary. Surprisingly, we had a similar experience. It will be high on my places to visit, second half of June 2026. Although experience has taught me these incidents aren't always repeated the following year. The Chinese Privet (one-time DGF magnet) at the propeller-cone monument is a prime example.

roe buck

meadow pipit

very unhappy about my presence!

During the best Summer in decades, there were still occasional days when the traditional weather appeared. I noticed these goosander chicks huddling with mum under a tree to avoid the rain, on the Water of Leith. 

marmalade hoverfly between showers

red kite - must be Aberdeenshire again

dragonfly exuvia rescued from Andy's pond

Volucella pellucens - one of the largest hoverflies

swallow nesting in Andy's cabin

four-spotted chaser at Saltoun

green-veined white

nice to see a hare at Saltoun Big Wood

4-banded longhorn beetles

emperor (prob the same one)
at Gosford House pond again

GVW

female common blue
I spent a long time this Summer looking for females
and was mostly unsuccessful

End of a great day at Gullane
common blues mating

female common blue on viper's bugloss

stonechat (m)

between NB and Gullane

12th July - Grayling, Holyrood Pk.

I spent a while with graylings trying to get take-off shots in order to show their wing uppers. As with green hairstreaks, small heaths and clouded yellows, they sit with closed wings when they are stationary. This was the second best effort of the year.

composite photo

small skipper

large white

The 16th July was interesting. When the forecast sunshine failed to appear at Colstoun dragonfly pond (South of Haddington) and with it, the dragonflies, I noticed there was an unusually high amount of large white butterflies on nearby thistles. While I waited for the sun to come out I did some take-off shots of the whites. The place was heaving with smaller insects (and a few small skippers too) which I only really took in watching back the animations when I ran the stills into a little video.

It is a fond memory of a happy day which also included a very frisky brand new painted lady which I chased round the field for a while until I eventually got a photo. In the last handful of clips of the large whites, you can see the sun come out and the video warms up and increases in contrast and sharpness. It is a perfect example of why I prefer sunshine and decent light for photography.

large whites taking off (click twice)

cracker of a painted lady
who refused to perch on anything photogenic

emerald damselflies

common hawker - taken within 10mins arriving at Saltoun

In case you're wondering about settings for a ^ tack-sharp hawker where you can see all the veins on its wings, I went back and pulled the file outta archives to find it was top speed 1/8000 shutterspeed, f/4.5 at 100mm ie shortest position on zoom lens and ISO 2000. (Noise only begins to creep in around 3200) A small crop to lose the edges but nearly full size. 28-07-25

one of my better shots of 2025,
of a wall on some characterful timber

Helina reversio (perhaps)

red admiral

bronze shieldbug instar

short and sweet: take-off shots
video of 4-banded longhorn going airborne

red admiral surrounded by autumnal fruits

one of the few half-decent holly blue shots this year
at Postman's Walk - both butterflies and photos in short supply

marmalade hover

Obsidentify says Coenosia tigrina with confidence

typical - you hold out your hand and
a comma lands on someone else's shoulder

painted lady at New Calton Burial Ground
(my second favourite cemetery!)

my best grayling open wing shot this year
Holyrood Pk.

a first ever shot of a very obliging spotted flycatcher
- thrilled! and I wasn't even anticipating it. Near West Saltoun.

more large whites (on fading buddleia)

sunbathing comma at Saltoun

wall

peacock

comma photobombing admiral

Any worries that Saltoun's annual scabious display either side of the back trail had been destroyed by forestry machinery were allayed. They appeared as usual, (perhaps missing or dented in places,) or enough appeared to produce the annual spectacular show of butterflies. Masses of Peacocks first, then overlapping with admirals. The commas were maybe fewer in number than previously, but there were still plenty about.

admiral

I tried several times to video the spectacle while walking along the most butter-busy sections of the back trail at Saltoun, but it didn't really show the quantity of butterflies. I haven't experienced this concentration of numbers of several species (with assorted dragonflies too) anywhere else. Eventually I took a video of a friendly dogwalking local and this proved more effective as the butterflies responded to her (and her doggos) presence by lifting off and showing themselves, at least in part...

best viewed on big screen

peacock

common darters

common darter

Up close and getting incredible detail (macro lens) of head and body connection which allows lots of movement for those massive eyes.

common hawkers hovering

I was really pleased with the detail of the slo-mo hawkers video (above) but felt I could do better with more footage of the insects actually facing the camera. Also I hoped I could try out the technique with other species. I ended up going to Saltoun weekly for about 8 weeks of August and September although the end results were maybe better than I hoped. The power of persistence, although it wasn't easy. As anyone who has stood at the side of a pond trying to photograph the insects will tell you.

 

Eristalis tenax
drone fly

common hawker

a few days after the last Hawker slo-mo video
and I managed to hit the jackpot - albeit only briefly

I had watched loads of youTube videos of How to video & photograph dragonflies in flight (best by far, by UK Wildlife,*) but the most important aspects (other than a modern high-end camera) are patience and luck. Be prepared to sit pondside for a long while waiting for THAT moment, sometimes hours can pass. Sometimes, as above, it happens in the first five minutes after arriving pondside!

*Neil Phillips is one of the best wildlife camera-persons in the country and has had material on Springwatch. He is one of the few who regularly posts footage better than my own (although not always!) and seems like a really warm, kind and modest person, appearing in front of the camera in his videos. He uses Olympus/OM Systems micro four thirds kit, although has a Panasonic GH7 and GH5 and both my 100~400 zoom lens and OM 90mm macro lens. (I chose Micro four thirds before I knew he used it.)

He has a couple of advantages over myself, one being a £6.5k Olympus 150~400 Pro lens (TC 1.5). And another being he shoots in England where there is a lot more wildlife. I know there might be a reluctance to admit this among patriotic Scots, however you only have to compare butterfly species: approx 34+ vs 59+ to realise there is no comparison. His 2025 showreel is frankly so amazing that I am not putting a link to it here, but you should check it out after finishing reading this page. 

mating common hawkers

admiral

I love the rhythm of the composition here

comma

wall

painted lady

again

another well blurred out background and tack sharp foreground
painted lady

peacock

butterflies of Saltoun Wood

comma

painted lady

comma

comma and wall

large white

black darter

At last the black darters appeared. Much later than sightings elsewhere. I did wonder was this part of the mass decline of black darters, or is that more an English thing where habitat loss is much worse? Anyway somewhat late in the day (17th August) I shot them at Saltoun. The males, who start mottled black and yellow, were black, rather than seeing any immature ones. So maybe they had been out for a while? I was pleased to get some flight and landing shots as they often return to a favourite spot to perch. 

my favourite shot of a black darter taken this year

black darters, slo-mo in flight and landing

common blue

female common blue

If I am lucky I see a stoat about once a year
but rarely get a photo - this was a beaut! Luffness.

a wasp gall - a rare and fascinating thing

wagtail on pantiles of Gullane's finest

swallow

the volcano erupts

damage done

some of the wildlife survived

the only meadow brown to make the grade: Aberlady

terns of endearment - Aberlady / Gullane coast

painted lady showing iridescence, Saltoun again!

the admirals becoming the most numerous

painted lady

small tortoiseshell

Southern hawker (video still)

Southern hawker

slo-mo southern hawker
(unfinished business)

volucella pellucens again
macro lens time again

Helina Sp.

Melanostoma scalare (f) - Long-winged duskyface (1/2000 of a second)

An unexpected joy to find asters and rudbeckias attracting bees, hovers and butterflies at Cammo's Walled Garden on the 13th September. Quick! Get the macro lens out.

extreme macro and red admirals at Cammo

humming-bird hawk-moth

Another trip North to Aberdeenshire. Another visit to Castle Fraser and more humming-bird hawk-moths. Couldn't believe our luck. Same plants (valerian) and no doubt relatives of the same hummers although we kinda bookended the Summer with them, first in June and then in September.

I had my Macro Lens on, can't remember why, but kept it on as the hummers arrived without warning. I was able to get amazingly close to these normally shy and flighty insects as they flew about the flowers right in front of us, unfased by our presence. Perhaps the passing traffic had inured them to human company. I got loads of slo-mo footage and put it into a much longer video than I've been making all year. The experience was utterly compelling and so extraordinary it seemed removed from any kind of normal encounter. I've had to post the youTube version as it was far too large to post here otherwise. One of my best videos. One of the most satisfying encounters.

wren

robin

common hawker (Saltoun again!)

tandem egglaying from common darters

another favourite video
the most commonplace dragonfly, but a pleasure to watch and film

where the magic happens - the back trail at Saltoun Big Wood
I waved a fond farewell thinking it may well be Spring before we meet again

Mary!
shooting me.

It was great to have Mary along on so many adventures this year. I have never insisted she share my enthusiasms for wildlife but a certain proximity to all the butterfly hunts and outdoors stuff may have influenced and she is now a reliable butterfly expert. (If she says she saw species X while out running then I believe her.) Also, as she would be quick to point out to anyone foolhardy enough to accuse her of blindly following in my footsteps, she has always carried a camera (inherited from her mum's enthusiasms if anyone) and was taking photos before we met.

It is far better to have 2 sets of eyes scanning for delights, and often Mary will see the rarity before I do. Plus, me being too lazy to get a driver's licence, it can help to have a driver on the team. Although I take a perverse pleasure in being able to get around more than adequately using a just a bike, shanks' pony and public transport.

a memorable day of sunshine and banter with Andrew and Unda
and this comma at the Botanics. 28-09-25

Autumnal leaves at the Botanics

ladybird take-offs 11th October

Second week of October and the sun being out caused the ladybirds also to appear in large numbers around the cemetery, collecting on warm gravestones and presumably discussing plans for the Winter huddles that form around certain stones in the graveyard, but not others. They were flying between venues and walking about double-busy! Inevitably some were landing on myself as I stood near to the stones taking photos - I could feel them alight on my legs and hands (still wearing shorts) (me, not the ladybirds.)

When I gently lifted them off they would travel to a highest point (fingertip) then spread their wings and take off. Opportunity to photo using pre-burst mode and macro lens. Many bad results, some great. I later ran them into an animation.

ladybirds taking off - a gentle joy

Helina sp again

ginkgo biloba

Autumn '25 featuring admirals, rats and hand-held hoverflies

Hoverflies will patrol a sunbeam between the trees. If you gently offer a hand as a helipad, just below, they will sometimes take a breather and sit (for photos). Mary went from reluctant perch to fascinated viewer in a moment. Wow, look at the detail!

short depth of field macro squirrel

my favourite duckie at Inverleith Pond
a mallard domestic hybrid

ambient ducks in the golden hour
(featuring duck-sneezes at 9secs)

black-headed gull, winter plumage

glad my hobbies are not this
although I'm sure there are fun aspects

sanderlings sprinting on Aberlady beach
are about as good as it gets!

even better in slo-mo

When there is little else to play with in Warriston cemetery I sometimes feed and photo the magpies. Not a favourite bird, however when they spread their wings they can look spectacular.

LTT

blackbird (m)

The goldcrest is the smallest Scottish bird. Has a bad habit of hopping about at great speed towards the tops of coniferous trees and so isn't the photographer's friend, despite the cute grumpy frown and cheerful yellow mohican.

On the 17th November, while feeding the birds at the tunnel stream in Warriston, this tiny goldcrest flew right to where I was standing and had a paddle in the water. I was gobsmacked by its proximity but managed to capture the moment in slo-mo which came out far better than the still images I was taking of the other birds in the always crappy light there. I felt blessed by the random nature of it. A superb piece of luck to mark the end of the second year with such a fabulous camera.

extracted video still

I haven't really discussed the workings of the camera and how I use it. I have it set in Aperture priority for almost all the time, (and AF-C), which allows me to change the shutterspeed, ISO and aperture easily. In poor light I crank the ISO between 1000 and 8000 (camera is excellent for low noise at higher ISOs) which allows a faster shutterspeed. 1/1300~1/8000 for active subjects, essential for freezing fast moving subjects in motion. For fine tuning, the aperture lives between widest and f/13. Although for macro the aperture can close down further to give a wider depth of field.

It catches me out much less than it used to. Experience has taught me where to check for unusual behaviour and unexpected operations and which button was leant on accidentally, and how to rectify that. It took a while to get used to, and is part of having a tool that is capable of far more than I need. I might have to change the (focus) Bracketing option which I assigned to the AF (back focus) button to make stacking mode quick to access. I rarely use it except by accident when wearing gloves or clumsy fingers and I can spend an hour in bracketed exposure mode, the first of three modes that are adopted if I touch it accidentally. First world problem.

Although I experimented successfully with stacking I have not renewed the Helicon licence for a second year. Nor missed it. I think because most of the tiny things I photo and video are moving there is little opportunity to use stacking which requires subjects hold still for a second or 2 as the camera (and sync-ed flash) takes multiple shots at different focal distances. I know some folk use this process with amazing results but I think they get out of bed earlier than I do and catch insects still sleeping. Which doesn't suit this night owl. Lol. 

PB with G9 and 100~400mm Pana-Leica, my go-to lens,
walking back from La Oratava, Tenerife - shorts, butterflies, cold beers, bliss!

In summary the second year was even better than the first. It was the right camera to get for the stuff I love and I am still honing how to improve results. While it is heavier than the previous cameras I used, the quality of image is worth the extra weight and I'm still very glad I opted for M43rds rather than full frame. Although if full frame came with a car and chauffeur, and I just had to walk 50 yards from the car park to the wildlife and back, I might consider full frame.

The reality is I love catching a train to, say, Longniddry and jog/walking to Gullane or North Berwick searching out wildlife to record. I did that very 10 miler just a couple of days ago and had an excellent 4hrs which would not be (as) feasible with a larger, heavier set up.

Even with the small M43rds, I felt carrying it in one arm lop-sided my posture, contributing to sciatica problems. The camera harness that I now wear helps carry the weight on my shoulders and the sciatica rarely makes an appearance.

The video capabilities of the G9mk2 are brilliant and the slow-motion mode wonderful. I have used slo-mo video far more in the second year and am super impressed with the results. I was so busy just learning the camera in year one, I often forgot about video. The rest is about knowledge of where to track down subjects and find the birds, bugs and butterflies (and images) that get me out of bed. I'm already excited about what 2026 might bring.