suboptimal saltoun

 

07-08-26 Five days after my last visit to Saltoun Big Wood I returned. I realised it wasn't the best forecast on Friday, but set off anyway as the 32mile cycle would do me good. We have had a number of overcast days, I was bored, and there was nothing very sunshiny on the horizon so I made some tasty sandwiches, a flask of cold juice and pedalled off into the best looking mixed-sunshine-and-cloud day's forecast of the week. Unfortunately it proved yet again that the sun is absolutely necessary for the best dragonfly and butterfly days. This was NOT one of those.

The forecast also promised a tailwind there (and headwind back.) There was a stiff breeze but it was more swirling crosswind than solidly West to East, so was a bit annoying in either direction. As I approached the destination in a competent time I decided to add a wee diversion. Just West of West Saltoun there is a garden with buddleia trees. The garden is below the level of the road and the butterflies all flock round the top of the shrubs, which are at eye level from the road, presenting a rewarding spectacle and great photo-vantage point.

I had noticed this years ago when running into Saltoun after getting the 113 to Pencaitland and following the cyclepath to where it pops out near W Saltoun. Due to the unfortunate disappearance of the 113 earlier this year (I have since seen them operating as normal) I had preferred to put my faith in pedalpower. Otherwise I would have bussed here rather than face a blustery bike ride. 

However this required an extra mile-plus turn-off near West Saltoun within just a quarter mile of my destination and so far I had resisted the call of the Barley Mill Buddleias. However my highly competitive fomo painted visions of a hundred butterflies all nectaring round those buddleias and lifting off as passing cars drove by, then settling again; commas, walls, admirals, large whites, peacocks, small torts and speckleds. Such a glorious scenario did occur a few years back when Mary and I (on bikes) first discovered the spot.

However, today, with its lack of decent sunshine, was a little more subdued. Possibly towards ten peacocks, maybe three admirals and a speckled or two with a fly-by no-photo large white. They were mostly in good condition and the chest-high hedge between the buddleia and the road seems to give them the confidence to sit very close to the camera. On a sunny day there'd likely be walls, whites and commas as well, and triple the numbers. After ten minutes I got back on the bike and cycled the mile to the usual parking spot. I considered taking my bike in the Barley Mill back trail entrance but it is steep ground to be pushing a heavily loaded bike full of camera gear, padlock and lunch, both upwards and downwards. I wimped out and cycled round to the usual entrance.

peacock on disembarking tree

after the buddleias, I parked the bike in the usual spot

I saw a Mercedes parked at the road entrance and wondered dogwalker or wildlifer? It didn't take long to find out as a gent with a camera was exiting the woods. He had a macro flash diffuser attached to a camera (didn't see the brand but I'd guess Olympus.) So I had to stop and question a fellow camera enthusiast. He was polite but I could tell also slightly frustrated by the lack of sunshine and clearly hadn't had the best day's photos.

He said there were some insects about but you had to go looking for them. Had he been a tad more buoyant I would have asked for specifics - species seen and lens type used? Is this a regular venue and where else does he rate? The equipment suggested flies and smaller stuff because butterflies and dragonflies aren't suitable for macro gear like that. I was very curious to ask a hundred questions as I don't get many opportunities to discuss macro kit and insect photography with other enthusiasts, but he was clearly in retreat after a disappointing morning and not super-keen to stand discussing it with a random dude on a bike with no visible camera gear.

Things started quite well. As I was locking up my bike and getting my camera out the sun appeared briefly in a cloud-jammed sky. Walking up the trail to the first pond the place was coming alive with butterflies, and common darters sprung up from the warm stones on the path where they'd been sunbathing. I ninja-ed up to a couple and took a few pics in case it was the first and last I saw of them today. (Not far off it either. 😥 ) A few white butterflies flitted about and I felt I was going to have a much better day than Mercedes Macro guy.

female darter

male darter

hairy shieldbug

There wasn't much doing at the first pond so I wandered over to the teasel mound where a couple of shieldbugs, an admiral and a peacock all tried to evade the camera. No problem, the best stuff would be up the path at the back trail. I'll go have a look there.

I stopped off at the logpile where this comma was sat very tight winged on the teasel there. When I moved in for a close up it huffily flew up into a high tree next door. No problem the best stuff will be up the back trail. See you later!

Now there were moments when the sun came out and a few perfect butterflies (and a common hawker) flew through the afternoon air but generally there wasn't that much going on and the Macro guy was right. You really had to go looking for the photos today, they weren't landing in front of me as I'd hoped. It was disappointing but you know, I didn't have to work in an office looking out at the moments of sunshine and butterflies; cursing I wasn't out a nice bike ride to a favourite spot on a Friday afternoon with fantastic sandwiches, a huge appetite and cold juice in a new duck-egg blue flask. So, you know, it wasn't torture! 

I flip-flopped between cursing the mediocre Scottish summer and enjoying the beautiful surroundings and not another human all afternoon. I was almost sorry the same cyclist I'd hello-ed the last 2 visits didn't zip by.

There were butterflies about. Not the huge numbers I'd been telling anyone who'd listen there'd be. But a few. They were freshly emerged but subdued rather than zooming around in the sun. Also where was the scabious? I was slowly realising that the thousands of stems of devil's bit scabious, normally profuse along either side of the trail might not be materialising this year. Had it been too dry in the lead up? We'd had a few nights of rain this last week but maybe that was too little, too late?

Had the forestry machinery caused a delayed impact on it? Last year was nearly normal, so that seemed unlikely. It was either late in appearing or maybe it just wasn't going to be a good year for it this year which would mean fewer butterflies gathering trail side. Happily the knapweed was flourishing and doing a very good job of standing in for the normally abundant scabious.

admiral on knapweed flower

A short way up the back trail is a log the butterflies like to sunbath on. Just a solitary peacock at the first pass, but there were up to 4 at a time subsequently. Also painted ladies sat on the trail. Last visit I saw one painted lady, and while it was a cracker, I was not expecting to see many more this visit. Only 5 days later and none of them very sunny. I counted more than 10 in quarter of a mile. Mostly sat on the hardpack trail. Presumably the stony ground holds a good deal more heat than grass or plants and the butterflies find the warmest spots on a breezy cool day. (I had a jumper on for the first day in a month or more.) Anyway I mostly waited till they flew up onto something more interesting as ground-based photos are never going to make the grade.

ground littered with painted ladies!

nice specimen but useless background

a few meadow browns about
but no sign of small coppers and only 1 unhelpful wall

up at the far end a silver Y on the ragwort tree

Tachina fera/magnicornis
(what I have called hairy arsed fly in the past)

sadly not many flies of interest about - you had to go looking for them

Eristalis tenax - drone fly

I nearly changed from telephoto lens to macro. Only there weren't many small things of interest about and if I came across an interesting dragonfly or whatever I'd have the wrong lens on. I decided to stick with the butterflying business and shoot some take-off shots, as there wasn't much else going down. During brief sunny splashes I had fun with a large white that was going from flower to flower and I'd lie down in the long grass and turf (no ticks today and no anti-tick spray on legs either) and try to get pre-burst shots of it leaving flowers. It wasn't a perfect specimen but it was behaving very nicely and ignoring my presence, so what the heck.

large white take-off

how can he be complaining about spending time here?

rag admiral

I found a spectacular painted lady. I had counted 10 on the way up the trail and thought (for recorder accuracy) not to count the same ones on the return leg However I sent 11 in on my score card to Nick as I was sure I hadn't seen this one on the way up, such was its unique beauty. It might have been freshly out that same day and did me the solid of not flying off when I got a litte closer for photos. I tried to get so low I was shooting through the surrounding plant stems, to get a butterfly's point of view. Possibly the best photos today. At least the sun was shining.

Usually the best way to get the sun and butterflies to come out is to start my lunch sandwich. As soon as the backpack comes off and I have taken the second bite into my sandwich, the sun notices and pops out to taunt me, by now greasy-handed, and has a great beauty land right in front. I combat this reverse-jinx by packing each piece in its own ziplock sandwich baggie and holding the polythene not the smeary sandwich, ensuring camera and salad-sauce never meet. When the inevitable lunchtime lovely appears I merely slip the croque-monsieur back into its baggy and pocket it while retrieving the camera from chest harness. Voilà!

BTW I could be the only person in the world washing, drying and re-using ziplock sandwich bags at least a couple of times before they are discarded and turned into ocean going micro-plastics.

Lunch and this painted lady was about the high point of the day. The sun spluttered then went out pretty much for the rest of the afternoon. There were a few stragglers but little to keep me from making my way back to my bike for around 4pm.  

one of the few small whites,
most were GVWs and looking a bit worn

some d-b scabious was out and blooming but not as much as previous years

four-fer - 3 admirals and a peacock
and none of them in focus!

Eristalis pertinax - tapered drone fly

I more carefully checked out the oak past the logpile and top pond. Last visit several admirals and speckleds had flown up from around it. Clearly a favourite spot to perch. This time fewer of everything though a few of the same. This speckled seemed to show an interest in what might be a resin crack. Wasps and flies also in attendance. Maybe that is the reason for its popularity? It occurred to me I could (if I brought tools along) increase the flow of resin here. But would I have the heartlessness to chisel a groove in a defenceless tree? Probably not.

lots of these thistles having gone over to fluff

Again, as last time, I took a detour down to see if there was anything much on the buddleia stems. Not much. A couple of nervous peacocks and an admiral. No darters this time - not enough sun in the sky. And nothing much at the pond either. A poor day for dragonflies.

I thought about all the common hawkers I'd seen last visit. Loads! And that they must all be out there in the high trees around the pond. Couldn't see them and didn't hang about. If I got on the bike I could be home for a cup of tea before 5.30pm. I nearly went home via the Pencaitland cyclepath which would have been more sheltered from the wind than the main road to Tranent. But longer and with distractions. Better just stomp on the pedals and get home the quickest route. More crosswinds but not too bad. Around 80mins. Not so painful having done this regularly. Forecast looking better for the final heatwave of the summer this week. Fingers crossed. As Arnie says, I will be back!

marmalade hover

walk: 2.3miles in 2hrs26

cycle home: 16miles in 80mins