The Isle of Wight Bee-Eaters.....,

Aug 9 - We had already arranged to go to the Isle of Wight today, mainly for the Chris Packham exhibition at Freshwater. The announcement of breeding Bee-eaters near Niton was a real bonus - so first stop, via a very friendly taxi driver at Ryde where the ferry docked, was the NT/RSPB viewpoint, where during an hour or so of viewing the birds were more or less constantly in view but fairly distant, both perched and in flight. The breeding area is a south-facing valley with a suitable bank, and the birds (up to 4 adults) perch on trees and wires. We saw at least 3 birds, also in flight (catching dragonflies) and heard their lovely liquid call. Record shots JM - very distant birds! The 2 photos below, which I took near Barcelona this June, show what they really look like......