Page 8 - Out Birding Issue 109 Winter 2022

including a beau􏰀ful vibrant queen! These are fabulous richly coloured orange bum- blebees with a darker band around the abdomen. We were then treated to the amaz- ing sight of one of the rarest of all the carder bees, the Moss Carder bee, which was described to us as the Marilyn Monroe of the Carder bees - a vibrant fluffy orange bee with a sort of aura of blondness around it...!
However to top all these great finds the most astonishing capture of the day was the ne􏰁ng of five stunning, na􏰀onally rare, large black Ruderal Bumblebees! Morgan was absolutely thrilled as we all were to find these incredible creatures foraging in the wild flower ditches along the river edge. They were all probably from the same nest and were feeding on the introduced red clover flowers - a bumblebee’s favourite (along with Knapweed, Vetch, Black Horehound and White Deadne􏰂le). So what an incredi- bly rewarding a􏰃ernoon we had!
So in conclusion, if we are able we must consider plan􏰀ng and cul􏰀va􏰀ng flowering plants to sustain our bumblebee popula􏰀ons. Nectar and pollen rich plants are essen- 􏰀al to their survival, especially early flowering species for the emerging queen bees in spring. The easiest thing to do is to put in some lavender, and if you already have a plant, put in some more! The book recommended by Peter and Morgan is: ‘Bumblebees an Introduc􏰀on’ by Gammons, Comont, Morgan and Perkins, which is available from the Bumblebee Conserva􏰀on Trust. It was designed by Morgan who also helped edit it. Many thanks to Carol for organising such an enjoyable day. Sandra Ba􏰂ley
Ruderal Bumblebees Starry Clover: Sandra
Tay Reedbeds, Perthshire 26/06/2022
Perhaps surprisingly, Britain’s largest con􏰀nuous reedbed is in Scotland. It stretches for 15km along the north side of the Tay estuary but it is mostly tucked out of view, hidden by a band of trees for much of its length. A bit of legwork is required to ex- plore it which should have made it a good place for a pleasant summer walk but,
unfortunately the chosen day for this event was unseasonably windy. Not good for reedbed birding!
We parked in the pre􏰂y village of Errol and walked towards the estuary across open farmland. Skylarks and a lone Yellowhammer were singing, whilst numerous Swal- lows swooped low over the fields. We reached the line of trees above the estuary, which contained some grand old oaks and beech trees, and headed east. Birds in the woods included Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Song Thrush.
We came across an ancient groyne leading out into the estuary. It had created a nar- row path, with the reeds towering either side, but provided access into the heart of
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