BEE EATERS at Trimingham - 30/6/2022

If you make a list of the most beautiful of European birds, surely the BEE EATER must rank highly. Combining in all the colours of the rainbow within their plumage, these are exquisite birds to look at. They are common enough birds in the warmer parts of the continent but are fairly rare in the UK, appearing in the summer months usually on migration in late May. They are even rarer nesting birds with maybe half a dozen records in the last few decades. So it was a surprise when seven birds turned up at a disused quarry near Cromer at the start of June.

One of the most stunning of birds to see in Europe, like a flying rainbow

BEE EATERS are colonial nesters, which means they can only nest if others of their species are around them, and they like loose soil which means they usually nest in quarries. The last nesting attempt was in Nottinghamshire in 2017, and I wasn't able to go, being too far away and having too many commitments. So with news of the birds turning up in a close location, I had to have a look. Rather than keep the nesting site secret, the RSPB decided to open up the site to visitors, with a car park and viewing area, allowing people to have a look at these gorgeous birds.

The overgrown, disused quarry where the bee eaters had taken up residence. There was nothing particularly special about the quarry, there are hundreds like this throughout the country.

The quarry was an old sand one, overgrown with scrub, with some loose areas of cliffs which the bee eaters were nesting in. It was set within a nice area of rolling countryside, with hedgerows and copses dominating the land. A small colony of SAND MARTINS were present, with LINNETS, WHITETHROATS and singing SKYLARKS also around.

The BEE EATERS, centre two birds on the top telephone wire, were never close so unfortunately I didn't really get any good pics

Seven bee eaters were present but only five were in view at one time. The birds were not close, they were mainly perched on telephone wires in the distance, and you needed a telescope to see their resplendent colours. The birds would often launch into the air to catch a large insect on the wing, which they would gobble down when they landed again. At one point one of the pairs was seen copulating so its hopeful these birds might stay to nest. Time will tell if the birds are successful in their nesting attempts, but with global warming making the temperature of our country more accommodating, the nesting attempts will only get more frequent.