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control at all times, take your litter away with you and leave wildflowers wildflowers leave and you with away litter your take times, all at control

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whereas bumblebees with shorter tongues like the the like tongues shorter with bumblebees whereas help us to protect these important, sensitive habitats by remembering the the remembering by habitats sensitive important, these protect to us help

species, including the Great yellow bumblebee. When visiting, please please visiting, When bumblebee. yellow Great the including species,

the nectar from long-tubed flowers like dead nettles, nettles, dead like flowers long-tubed from nectar the

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such as the Great yellow bumblebee easily feed on on feed easily bumblebee yellow Great the as such

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Caithness

wildflowers such as dandelion, cowslip and clover. clover. and cowslip dandelion, as such wildflowers

particularly favour the nectar-rich flowers of common common of flowers nectar-rich the favour particularly

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Caithness. Uncut road-side verges often provide provide often verges road-side Uncut Caithness.

find in the grasslands, meadows and wetlands of of wetlands and meadows grasslands, the in find

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Welcome to Caithness! The Great Yellow Star of Caithness Identifying Bumblebees Caithness is a historic county bordered by In Caithness you can find 13 out of the 24 UK species, Sutherland and the North Sea, in the very north- including the ultra-rare Great yellow bumblebee. Use east corner of Scotland. Like the rest of the Scottish the ID chart below for the main species of the area. Highlands, it is home to some truly wild places. The First check the colour of the bee’s tail end and narrow variety of protected habitats from blanket bogs to down the options from there. Next count the number, coastal landscapes mean that this county has much colour and positioning of the other coloured bands. to offer wildlife and visitors alike. Hunt high and low for the UK’s rarest bumblebee! Identify other species of bumblebee and wildflowers too Q W M Q W M Explore Sibster’s newest woodland Caithness and Sutherland hold the last remaining Common carder bee Great yellow bumblebee Learn about Caithness’ historical mainland Great yellow bumblebee populations. This flagstone industry in Castlehill guide highlights some of key sites in Caithness where you might be lucky enough to spot one of the UK’s Look out for whales and dolphins from rarest bumblebees. the clifftops in Scrabster Visit the castle ruins of Thurso and Keiss Q W M Q W M There are a great many places to see wildlife in Moss carder bee Garden bumblebee Caithness. This guide will take you on a journey to just a few of the best places in Caithness to see not only wildflowers and bumblebees, but also rare birds, cetaceans and timeworn architecture. (left) Distribution Map 1900–50. (right) Recorded sightings of the Great yellow bumblebee, 2010. Source: © NBN Gateway Q W M Q W M (left) Keiss Castle; The Great yellow bumblebee (Bombus Buff-tailed bumblebee White-tailed bumblebee (below) Coastal area near distinguendus Castletown; ) was once widespread across the UK, (bottom right) Old mill at Ham. but over the last century intensive farming methods and the loss of wildflower rich habitats have caused its distribution to decline by 80%. Now this bee can only be found on the very north coast of Scotland and a few of the outlying islands, where traditional crofting practices protect the machair landscape that Q W M Q M it needs to survive. Heath bumblebee Gypsy cuckoo bumblebee Queens emerge from hibernation from late May, later than most other species of bumblebee. They nest underground in abandoned mouse or rabbit holes. Throughout the remainder of summer the 20–50 workers in each nest will forage for pollen and nectar to support the growing young bumblebees. Favourite foraging Q W M Q W M plants include Red clover, Knapweed and vetches. Early bumblebee Bilberry bumblebee Caithness Thurso Castle Castlehill Harbour Facilities Accessibility Bumblebee Trail In 2015, Thurso was declared the UK’s first ‘Great yellow The stone harbour at Castlehill was built bumblebee town’ and made home to a Heritage Lottery funded by James Bremner in 1820 to facilitate the from Thurso & Wick Bumblebee Conservation Trust project entitled Thurso: Gateway Caithness flagstone quarrying business. Stone Key to the Great Yellow. from Castlehill quarry can be seen in the field Wildflower areas around the ruins of 19th century Thurso Castle walls of Caithness but was also exported woodland trail picnic site by foot as far afield as Sydney and Mumbai. offer a lovely walk along the coastline with the chance to see the Activities: Castlehill Heritage Centre and Flagstone Now, the harbour is home to Castlehill Dunnet Forest and dunes elusive Great yellow bumblebee that has become an emblem of Trail offer an insight into the history of the area coastal walk café by car Heritage Centre & Flagstone Trail and this harbour town. and the Caithness flag-stone industry. The trail Part of Dunnet Links SSSI, Dunnet Forest is accented with a series of informative, is owned and managed by a local charitable public toilets shops by train Activities: Visit the museum and exhibition gallery Caithness combines a small sculpture trail through woodland detailed signposts. trust for the benefit of the whole community. Horizons to learn more about the rich history and current events with a coastal walk quarry. The area is awash with Explore the forest with its rich wildlife and car park by bus in Thurso and the surrounding areas. Thurso is the perfect base wildflowers and has become one of the key places varied habitats. Opposite the car park is a for exploring the county of Caithness. in Caithness to see the Great yellow bumblebee. Sandy beaches and views of Dunnet Bay make this path through the dunes that will lead you through an area full of kidney vetch towards Accessibility an essential stop on your tour. Facilities the white sands of Dunnet Bay. from Thurso & Wick Activities: A network of paths and bridleways lets you explore the whole forest, with a few Holborn Head, Scrabster surprises to find along the way – look out for The grassy topped cliffs of Holborn Head provide a Holborn Head the sculptures, a huge wooden xylophone, promising habitat for bumblebees, as well as popular look and a log cabin in the heart of the forest. out point for whale-watchers! Thurso Castle John O’Groats Activities: The coastal footpaths provide an easy 7.5km Dunnet Facilities Accessibility circular walk along the cliffs with views over Thurso and Scrabster the Orkney Islands, passing interesting geological features Dunnet Forest such as the Devil’s Bridge blow hole. Visit the Holborn and dunes Stagecoach 80 Head lighthouse and look out for bumblebees in the sandy Castletown grasslands. If you have the time, venture out to Orkney by Thurso Castlehill Heritage ferry from Scrabster harbour. Trail Keiss Harbour Accessibility Once a favourite landing spot for Norwegian pirates Facilities and raiders, now a thriving fishing village. Keiss from Thurso + Keiss Harbour Harbour was built by James Bremner in 1831 and Scrabster is used by whelk, crab and herring boats. This part Keiss of the coast line is particularly rich in wildflowers including knapweed and clover but also has plenty of nectar rich wild comfrey – a favourite foraging Broubster Leans RSPB Reserve plant of long-tongued bumblebees such as the Great yellow bumblebee. The RSPB manage this 300ha site, Broubster Halkirk formed on the floodplains of the River Forss, Broubster Leans RSPB Reserve Activities: A footpath track will lead you through in collaboration with local farmers and crofters. Sibster Watten wildflower rich coastline between Keiss Harbour and The reserve is a fantastic mosaic of different habitat types, the sandy beach of Sinclair’s Bay, taking in the 16th including wet grassland, transition mires, pools, rush pasture, century castle ruins along the way. farmland and protected blanket bogs. Facilities The herd of cattle that graze in the area are a vital part of the Accessibility management plan of this reserve; keeping the vegetation short Sibster Forestry Commission Scotland and allowing many species of wader to breed here. In fact, this In 2010, Forestry Commission Scotland planted 350,000 oak, birch, The Rowan Trail (1.3km) will take you on a short site is home to nationally important populations of Greenland beech, alder and rowan trees on the 213ha site of an old farm in journey through the growing trees to a perfect picnicking Wick Stagecoach 77 white-fronted geese in the winter and has been accredited as a Caithness, creating this young broadleaf woodland. spot beside the waterfall. Special Conservation Area (SCA), Special Protection Area (SPA) The Bee Trail Activities: Sibster has two, short circular walks on site. Both are (3.2km) will lead you through a protected and a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI). gravel paths suitable for wheelchair access although be aware that bumblebee conservation area – the burn-side wildflower Activities: There are no designated trails here but this site the ground may be uneven or steep in some places. meadow full of suitable Great yellow bumblebee forage, has some of the best bird-watching opportunities in Caithness. as well as stunning Yellow flag irises. Wildflower rich road-side verges and meadows provide fantastic Accessibility bumblebee habitat. Facilities Facilities Accessibility Georgemas Jnc If you see a Great yellow bumblebee, please submit your record from 73 Thurso + (with pictures) to iRecord: http://bit.ly/BBCTiRecord to Shebster Information from recorded sightings is shared across conservation organisations and your data could help to create accurate up-to-date atlas and educational material, as well as helping to focus conservation efforts where they are needed. March 2017. BBCT071. Copyright 2017 ©. All rights reserved. Printed by Pressplus. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a registered charity (England & Wales 1115634 / Scotland SC042830). Company registration number 05618710 (England & Wales) Registered Office: Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Parkway House Business Centre, Eastleigh Works, Campbell Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 5AD. www.bumblebeeconservation.org