Who gets our bee-eaters?
 

We have quite a few bee-eaters here and some of them are only summer visitors. I wondered where these summer visitors spent the rest of the year, and thought that perhaps some of you had seen them in your country. They are the carmine bee eater, the European bee-eater, the bluecheeked bee-eater and the olive bee eater.
I am posting a rather poor pic of the carmine bee eater for those who have not see one. This was taken in the Kruger National Park. I'm sure someone on the forum must have a better one! I will also post separately, if I can figure it out,a picture of one of our residents, the swallow-tailed bee-eater.

Well I dont know if this will work, but here goes for the swallowtailed bee-eater. This little guy likes the drier areas and we came across a group of them perched on the thorny branches of some scrub in the Kalahari where they were catching insects in mid-air and then flying back to the same branch with them. One nearly flew into the open window of the car it was so intent on its intended meal. We sat and watched them in the long golden rays of the late sun for about twenty minutes - wonderful.

Check out my fuzzy - Blue-bearded Bee-eater in the Gallery! they are cracking birds, there ever you come across them around the globe, mine was in Northern India.

Happy birding

Paul

We get European Bee- Eater in small quantities in most regions in France, with a heavy bias to the south, of course. Blue cheeked is mentioned by Lars Jonsson as "very occasional" in Europe. I must try to see them (European) the next time I go to the Camargue region, as they are quite commun there in the summer. For some reason the French call them WASP-eaters.

Your question has already been answered by TonyK, Sal.
I just wanted to say how much I like looking and admiring your pictures of the excotic birds around you.
Keep them coming!

TonyK and Paul42 thanks for the information. I was interested to hear that in France it is called the wasp-eater. Good luck P in searching for the bluecheeked in the Camargue. Here they are found in the North and I also have not yet seen one, although I have seen carmines which are found in roughly the same areas.
The other Paul, thanks, I looked at your great pic, that blue beard is stunning. Thanks too, Paula, for your comments.

Sal I only wish I could tell you they came here!!! We think that they are wonderful looking birds. What colours...