9th July 2009

*Good news from Caithness - a Great Yellow Bumblebee seen at a site east of Thurso, where I saw one last August*

 

A few stops to make on Tiree and then off on the once-a-week midday ferry to Barra.  The first silage was being cut and baled on Tiree, as essential winter feed for the cattle that are the mainstay of Tiree, and whose grazing helps maintain the wonderful machair habitat for bumblebees, corncrakes and wading birds.

 

A Crossbill flew over the ferry terminal, presaging perhaps a possible irruption, but the ferry crossing was quiet, with no dolphins or basking sharks, just a few shearwaters and puffins.

 

Once on Barra, I headed for Vatersay to the south, across the causeway.  The first place I stopped showed great promise for Great Yellow Bumblebee.  I met a crofter weeding his potato crop, who told me of the pattern of rotation of crops and fallows, with winter grazing by those all-important cattle.  Could there be a better habitat for Great Yellow Bumblebee, with abundant flowers of red clover among other species, and proximity to likely nesting areas.  I found five (!) queen Great Yellow Bumblebees, all of which were collecting red clover pollen, and caught one to show the crofter.  There were a few other bees here too, as well as Corn Buntings and a couple of calling Corncrakes.  Buoyed by this, I looked at Vatersay village, following a track to the dunes.  Another queen Great Yellow Bumblebee flew by here, in an area rich with Red and White Clover, and Kidney Vetch.

 

Back at my digs for the night, where an eclectic mix of media (TV and journalism), political diary manager, art historian, sailing instructors and bombologist discussed bees (of course!), a forthcoming Coast programme (on 18^th August - Hebrides and Faeroes), the length and capacity of CalMac ferries, and more.