Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain

July 2005, Bee Eater, Merops apiaster

BeeEater

The Bee Eater is a bird that, when seen, immediately says, summer and Mediterranean. Over 35,000 arrive in southern Spain in the spring and spend the entire summer here, leaving again in September. They are most often seen in open areas, sadly a habitat that is rapidly disappearing on the coastal strip where they were common a few years ago. Now you will have to go a couple of kilometres inland. The Bee Eater is a distinctive bird due to its rich plumage and long central tail feathers. In flight it gives an acrobatic display, often in competition with other bee eaters, and it likes to perch on power lines. Their nests are burrows that they excavate in dry banks well away from any human disturbance. These birds were seen last year at the top of Los Hidalgos near Duquesa, Monda, the Genal valley near San Martin and at Cortes de la Frontera.