Wednesday 22 July 2009

Blue-cheeked bee-eater

A superb bird (I mean ..... normal European bee-eaters are stunning......... but this....)

and, of course, although the thing turns up a couple of miles from home, I'm stuck at work.

Others, however, can show what retirement is for:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26135972@N05/

This must be the first instance of a Bluebird over the white cliffs of Dover :-)

Report from Birdguides:

After the stunning belated stories of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters in Hampshire and Devon earlier this summer (both photographed, the Hampshire bird particularly nicely), hopes that one of them (if indeed two were involved) may still be bouncing around the country seemed to have faded away. It's been over three weeks since the sighting in North Devon. Then, out of nowhere, in the middle of the morning on 22nd, came amazing news from Kent: a BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER had been found around Bockhill Farm, St.Margaret's-at-Cliffe. The bird was initially seen for some ten to fifteen minutes, then was lost for almost an hour. Just before noon, the bird was back and showed on and off (with at least one flight out to sea, the French coast clearly on view) until early afternoon. For those arriving from slightly further away than the southeast, there was a gathering sense of inevitability to the proceedings. The dogged old-timers working their local patch could enjoy the find of a lifetime.

9 comments:

Warren Baker said...

I would have to throw a sickie - Swine flu or something!!

Greenie said...

Steve ,
Great bird .
My Mum told me about that song .

Kingsdowner said...

Warren, my success at twitching is such that I didn't even consider it.

Greenie, I can just picture her pointing at the soldiers marching away, telling you about that song.

Kingsdowner said...

Reading Tony's blog http://stmargaretsphotodiary.blogspot.com/ I see that Jack found it - congratulations on another success for him and the team!

Also, that it was over the golf course at times, so officially in Kingsdown :-(

Kingsdowner said...

I like the comment on Birdguides today about the bird flying off before twitchers could arrive:
The dogged old-timers working their local patch could enjoy the find of a lifetime.

Greenie said...

Steve ,
I thought you said that you were working ?

Kingsdowner said...

Good grief, don't you start! It's not 9 yet is it?

Mary said...

Wonderful photos on Flicker. I've always liked that song, but then I'm a sap for most sentimental stuff. I bet that isn't a surprise to anyone who reads my blog.

Tony Morris said...

That comment "dogged old timers" was obviously aimed at Jack, he's much, much older than me!