8th July

Gullane Bents to Aberlady LNR

As the early summer heatwave extended into the second week of July, I must admit that part of my reasoning in deciding to opt for Gullane Bents on Sunday was the indication by the weatherman that it would be cooler in the east with broken spells of sunshine. We had our Dalkeith Morrisons’ breakfasts (disappointing 7.5/10) under grey skies but when we arrived at Gullane the sky was azure blue. We were in for another scorcher.

Gullane Bents were already filling with day trippers complete with chairs, canoes, surfboards and barbies. All this cleared the area of wildlife, but we hoped that we’d find better nature watching conditions if we walked west over the rocky shore towards Aberlady LNR. And so it turned out. Soon an offshore Eider and a wee scurrying male Pied Wagtail raised our spirits. The Wagtail was catching flies as we could see by the contents of its beak. We were cautiously watched by a Carrion Crow as we moved towards Bleaching Rocks. I snapped a 6-spot Burnet Moth as it clung to a Goat’s Beard bud, the first of many Burnets we would see.

Eider	Pied Wagtail	Carrion Crow	6 Spot Burnet

We were walking beneath grassy crags beyond which I could see banners set out on the Gullane golf course in preparation for the Scottish Open championship. It is interesting to note that Gullane is so named from the Gaelic for “shoulder”. I noticed that the grassy banks at the foot of the crags were teeming with butterflies. I got some nice shots, first of a Ringlet on Common Ragwort, then of a beautiful male Common Blue. Females are not blue though, but, brown with orange spots at the edges of their wings. We saw many orange and black-striped Cinnabar Moth caterpillars, mainly on Ragwort. I got quite excited to come across a Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly feeding on Knapweed. Although these large, powerful butterflies are predominantly orange with brown /black markings, there is a dark green tinge at the base of the underwing (see “Pictures of the Week”, below) from which it gets its name.

Ringlet	Male Common Blue Butterfly	Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar	Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly

We descended back onto the shore as John had spotted a gathering of birds just off Gullane Point. Prominent amongst these was a juvenile Cormorant standing over a large group of eclipse Eiders. As we rounded the Hummell Rocks I noticed an umbilifer with quite unusual leaves. It was Scot’s Lovage, an edible plant, with the flavour of celery. In the UK it is only found on coasts, although, since it cannot tolerate grazing, it is seldom found where sheep and birds are seen. I took a photo of a pretty little Silverweed growing neatly on the pebbles of the foreshore. I also recorded a large plant of Sea Plantain that had established itself on a raised boulder.

Cormorant Juvenile	Scot's Lovage	Silverweed	Sea Plantain

When photographing plants, to ease identification, I like to get shots from long and medium distances followed by close-ups of flowers, leaves and stem. As I examined the close-up of the Plantain I noticed one showed an infestation by tiny red mites - plant-eating spiders, Tetranychus urticae. John drew my attention to Gullane Bay where kite-boarders were having fun in the sun. We rested a bit on the grassy edges of the Point where I captured images of the Small Heath butterfly and a Plume Moth that I think is the Yellow Plume Moth, Gillmeria pallidactyla.

Spider - Tetranychus Urticae	View	Small Heath Butterfly	Yellow Plume Moth

I also watched an industrious White-tailed Bumblebee pick its way through the small flowers of Wild Thyme. A Small Skipper butterfly, aptly-named, as its wingspan is only 30mm, landed on Coltsfoot and hung around long enough for me to get some great shots. The grass at the Point was not all that tall, so there were other flowers growing there, such as the Wild Strawberry. Once we had noticed them (they were about half the size of cultivated strawberries) we realised that there were rather a lot of them hiding beneath the grass. On our return journey we took a different route after we passed the Hummell Rocks. We found a footpath that ran the length of the crags from the beach up to the car park. I found a trio of insect species busy on a Creeping Thistle. There was a Digger Wasp, Ectemnius cephalotes and a 6-spot Burnet Moth, each feeding, and a pair of copulating Red Soldier Beetles.

White-tailed Bumble Bee	Small Skipper Butterfly	Wild Strawberry	Digger Wasp-Ectemnius Cephalotes

We passed a couple of Lesser Burdock plants that were just ready to flower. Folk medicines prepared from the plant include treatments for snakebites, rabid dogs, burns, sores ulcers, sciatica and many more. I was surprised to find an Apple Tree perched precariously on the cliff side, although it would be a brave person who would try to pick them. John pointed out a red-eyed, grey-striped parisitoid fly called Nemorilla Floralis. (The final adjective refers to its habit of it laying its eggs inside certain butterflies and moths, where the fly larvae then develop).Our final shot was of a Brown-lipped Snail in what could be a “estivation” - when the atmosphere is dry it retracts into its shell and becomes inactive until the moisture in the atmosphere increases.

Lesser Burdock	Apple Tree	Fly - Nemorilla Floralis	Brown Lipped Snail

By the time we reached the car we were both fairly tired, (  I was completely and utterly......tired. ED.)  due to the rock scrambling required throughout the trip and our final trek up the hill. Time then for Almond and Custard Danish Pastries, washed down with cups of strong tea - all in the shade of the hatchback door.

Pictures of the Week:

Ringlet Butterfly	Common Blue Butterfly
Small Skipper Butterfly	Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly

July 1st

Troon Harbour and Gailes Marsh

For the second week running we found ourselves enjoying the fine breakfasts of the Kilmarnock Asda Cafe (9.75/10 - 2 week average). Like the previous week, the weather was warm and sunny. We were heading for SWT Gailes Marsh to check out the flowers and insects. First though, while the tide was favourable, we started at Troon Harbour.

As we got out the car, a juvenile Pied Wagtail (although it may be a juvenile White Wagtail) was foraging around the car park. We decided to walk North along the shore towards some Eider we spotted. A big clump of what looked like Cranesbill decorated the approach to the shore. There was lots of Sea Mayweed and Sandwort. The daisy-like Mayweed carries a slight scent similar to Chamomile The only bird we could see on the rocks was a lone Herring Gull, which disappointed us as we had expected a few waders.

Juvenile Pied Wagtail	Cranesbill	Sea Mayweed	Herring Gull

Then as I took in the beautiful vista before us, of yachts sailing on azure sea with the Isle of Arran in the distance, some movement on the rocky shore in front of me caught my eye. It was a pair of Ringed Plovers scurrying across the shore seeking out flies, spiders, marine worms, small crustaceans and molluscs. Then, as as couple of vessels entered the Harbour, I spotted a Black Guillemot skimming the water before coming to rest on a ledge of the Harbour wall. These birds are in the Auk family (which includes the Puffin). Those in the UK are Cepphus grylle arcticus, one of 5 subspecies found world-wide. After a time it flew off into the harbour.

	Golden Plover	Black	Guillimot

After that we had a fairly close fly-past of a Gannet, probably it was on a day trip from Ailsa Craig. John pointed out a pair of Shags sitting at the end of the same ledge of the wall that the Black Guillemot was on. A lonely Oystercatcher landed by some seaweed before I managed to spook it in my clumsy attempts to get a closer picture. As we returned to the car park I snapped a shot of Sea Rocket. This plant is a member of the Mustard family.

Gannet	Shag	Oystercatcher	Sea Rocket

We next explored the south side of the shore. My eye followed an adult Starling picking its way across the rocky shore. Its plumage was very iridescent, in the strong sunlight. We startled a small group of Linnets we hadn’t noticed as they fed amid patches of long grass on the rocks. John drew my attention to a dead Jellyfish that had probably been stranded in a temporary rock pool. On our way back to the car I photographed a Small White butterfly as it rested on grass by the path. It is also called the Small Cabbage White, distinguishable from the Large White by its small spots and black tips to its forewings.

Starling	Linnet	Jellyfish	Small White Butterfly

It was a short drive North up the coast to Gailes Marsh, a Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve south of Irvine. At the very start of the walk we found the first of many Common Ragwort plants that were festooned with orange and black banded Cinnabar Moth caterpillars. I liked the look of a Wild Rose further along the path and, as I photographed it, a 6-Spot Burnet moth whizzed past my head and descended onto a Meadow Vetchling flower. So I photographed it too. We were watching out for dragonflies so we sat close to the Marsh and waited for them. I soon came across a few plants of Lesser Spearwort, a member of the family of Buttercups.

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar	Wild Rose	6 Spot Burnet Moth	Lesser Spearwort

On our walk to the marsh we had noticed the many Common Blue butterflies darting about. They didn’t land too often, and when they did they didn’t stop long enough for me to snap them. At the marsh we decided to wait for them coming to us - well, to the Birdsfoot Trefoil we had sat beside. It paid off as before too long I got a passable shot. A wee Goldfinch juvenile sat nervously in a nearby bush before its nerves got the better of at and it flew off. We came upon a sand bank where we watched the comings and goings of Sand Martins feeding their nestlings.

Common Blue Butterfly	Juvenile Goldfinch	Sand	Martin

As time was getting on, and although we had seen no dragonflies, we pressed on around the path that would lead us back to the car. John pointed out a Small Heath butterfly on some Gorse (see “Pictures of the Week”, below). Immediately after this I located a male Emerald Damselfly (also below) clinging to a reed. The final leg of our route took us past a open area of tall grasses bordered by elegant Common Valerian plants and lower, but lovely patches of Tormentil with their tiny yellow flowers. Thirty metres from the car I found two members of the same species, Common and Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil. They differ as you might expect - the Greater is taller and has bigger leaves.

Common Valerian	Tormentil	Common Birds-foot Trefoil	Greater Birds-foot Trefoil

Yet another very enjoyable outing to two very different locations, each of them yielding some interesting sightings. The accompaniment to our tea this week were jam and cream-filled muffins, a very satisfactory end to the day.

Pictures of the Week:

Linnet	6 Spot Burnet Moth
Small Heath Butterfly	Emerald Damselfly

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