Rare show from fast breeders
However, such an event has been captured on film, possibly for the first time on mainland Scotland, in the less-than-romantic surroundings of the Dounreay nuclear site.
The Caithness complex is one of Scotland’s biggest demolition sites, as buildings are dismantled as part of a 15-year decommissioning programme costing £2.6 billion.
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Hide AdAs buildings and radiological hazards disappear, a patch of grassland is flourishing. The wildflower meadow has been allowed to return to a natural state and help stabilise the local population of the bumblebee.
It was created in a field in front of what was once the hub of Britain’s fast-breeder programme, and is providing a source of food for a bee which is otherwise found only in Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree.
Simon Cottam, an environmental adviser for Dounreay Site Restoration, said: “To have spotted the great yellows mating in the meadow, and for us to be lucky enough to capture it on camera, was a real bonus.”