5th August 2009

Another day of exploration today, with a first stop at Broubster Leans, to look at the ‘Birds & Bees’ crop again.  It was still fairly breezy, but not as strong as yesterday, with a lot more sunshine and warmth.  I worked my way around the edge of the crop and after a few minutes was rewarded with a worker Great Yellow on Phacelia – success!  I took some photos and immediately called Dave with the good news.  I circumnavigated the crop and came across two more workers, the first a rather tired one, and the next busily collecting the deep blue Phacelia pollen.  There were also Broken-belted Bumblebee workers collecting pollen at both Mustard and Phacelia, but unfortunately, on this visit at least, no Moss Carder Bee.

 

A great start to the day, and I carried on taking a lop on a B road that would eventually see me at yesterday’s red clover crop.  I stopped at a few places near Scotscalder rail station, where there were good amounts of Great Yellow-friendly flowers, particularly the Marsh Woundwort again.  I had a chat with a family who were intrigued by me and my net, so I told them about the Great Yellow Bumblebee and the importance of this part of Caithness.  Shortly afterwards, I caught a Great Yellow (another worker) so nipped back up the road to show them.  Good timing, as the farmer turned up in his tractor after a morning’s busy cutting.

 

I had just made it past Westerdale, near the old mill, when I pulled in and checked my phone.  Dave Jones called, really chuffed at the Great Yellows at Broubster.  As we were chatting, I saw a bumblebee land on a spear thistle at the side of the road.  I nipped out of the car, explaining to Dave, and sure enough, it was a Great Yellow Bumblebee!  Perhaps the southernmost record in Caithness for many years?!  A quick stop to check an area rich in Lesser Knapweed and Marsh Thistle produced a small group of Broken-belted workers, but no Great Yellows, and then off to Milton to check the red clover.  Seven minutes later, I was at the farmhouse door with my prize, another Great Yellow Bumblebee worker.  This is a south-eastern extension to the known range, though admittedly small.  However, the benefit of lots of flowers and good weather means that these past few days searching have confirmed the distribution of Great Yellows across a wide area of this part of Caithness, a suspicion suggested from the scatter of previous reports, and voiced recently by Scottish bumblebee expert Murdo Macdonald.

 

A final couple of stops this evening, as I met with three of the Ranger Service staff at Achscrabster Quarry, where the Great Yellow Bumblebees performed well.  Then, on to a farm where I had recorded several Great Yellows last week, for a chat with Ian, the farmer.  Late evening now (8:30), but stopped in the field out of interest, and saw two Great Yellow workers

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