The European Bee-Eater is another of our exotic summer visitors, though not as shy as the Golden Oriole. Every day from June-September, flocks of Bee-Eaters fly high above the valley, their fluting calls of ‘prroop prroop’ are easily identifiable. They are from the same brilliantly-patterned family as Kingfishers, Rollers and Hoopoes, and do eat bees and wasps in flight. Apparently they wipe away the sting before swallowing.
They nest by burrowing into sandy banks, some summers we catch a sight of them flying in and out of small burrows in a sandy bank way over the other side of the valley. Only visible with binoculars.We have in the past confused them with Rollers. To be clear, Bee-Eaters have rusty red-brown backs, a yellow throat, and greeny-blue wings and underside.
To watch a video and listen to Bee-eaters, click here.Read this wonderful article in National Geographic about the European Bee-eater.
5 to remember
un abejaruco europo – a European bee-eater
exótico/a – exotic
cada día – every day
ondulando/a – fluting
el reclamo – call of bird
Listen to the song of these other birds we see in our Spanish valley:-
Greenfinch
Short-Toed Eagle
Swallow
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
Do you recognize the song of the Bee-Eater? #Birds in #Spain via @Spanish_Valley http://wp.me/p3dYp6-1eh
We get very excited when we see them too! Happy New Year to you, Sandra x
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Happy New Year! SD
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Could easily be mistaken for a fairy!
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Yes! Happy New Year Shari. SD
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Happy New Year to you as well, Sandra. Hoping to get back into blogging more often – meaning writing my own posts and reading, responding to others. But realistically, I’m mired in something I have to take care of, and coupled with computer problems (didn’t work for weeks at a time) – just had to let some things go for a bit.
Let me wish you much success in your writing. You’re working on a sequel to Rose Haldane’s story, aren’t you? Best wishes on that.
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Yes 2015 will be the year of ‘Connectedness’. I’m having a break over the holidays too, my internet has been down so an enforced break! SD
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