There had been reports of up
to six Bee-eaters at a private site near Poultney Wood at Ulverscroft since the
7th and yesterday they were seen by a few local birders. With more details of their location I planned
to go to day but had my car in for service and couldn’t go until the afternoon.
They were reported as being
seen from a footpath near the priory this morning and Roger had snapped and
gone to see them. I wasn’t too sure of
the area and he agreed to comeback this afternoon with me.
After picking up my car I
drove to Roger’s and then he drove to the site.
After parking we walked along a footpath to the priory and could then
see a small group of birders assembled where Roger had seen them earlier. When we reached the other birders, they
informed us that they had flown off about ten minutes ago having been flushed
by a Sparrowhawk. Hoping they would
comeback we stood chatting to the other birders but after about ten minutes
there was still no sign and some departed.
A Spotted Flycatcher then appeared, showing quite well but at some
distance and three more birders arrived.
A few minutes later one of then indicated that a Bee-eater had flown in
and I was soon watching a couple of them.
Eventually all seven of them returned and we spent a good hour scoping
them in the top of an ash tree. They
made regular flights from the tree and on most occasions, came back with an
insect and I heard them call occasionally.
They are most certainly the same birds that I had attempted to breed and
I had seen in June at East Leake, Nottinghamshire. They had been at East Leake until Friday when
all seven were reported as flying off north.
The RSPB had reported that birds had hatched in three nests but the
inclement weather recently had probably resulted in the young starving and the
adults left the site.
This is only the fourth
confirmed record of European Bee-eaters in Leicestershire & Rutland with
the others all being of single birds and the last in 1992. An unidentified Bee-eater was heard in 2002
but was not seen and its identity was not confirmed.
Seven Bee-eaters
Five Bee-eaters
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