Bee-eater spotted in North Uist just days after Helmsdale sighting

Another bee-eater has turned up after the colourful rare visitor normally found in Africa and southern Europe was spotted near Helmsdale in Sutherland on Sunday.

The sighting sparked bird fever among twitchers.

Now another - presumably not the same bird - has been spotted at Langass on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, according to the Rare Bird Alert. It was recorded on Wednesday.

Bee-eaters did not breed in Britain between 1956 and 2001 but birds nested in County Durham in 2002, Herefordshire in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2014, Cumbria in 2015 and Nottinghamshire in 2017, when nests in a quarry failed because of bad weather. They also turned up at Cromer in Norfolk last year laying eggs and hatching chicks.

Once the chicks hatch, it’s not uncommon for new parents to receive help with their brood, with other members of the colony chipping in with feeding duties.

Pushed northwards by climate change, these exotic birds will probably become established summer visitors in the future, say the RSPB.

"The arrival of these bee-eaters in the UK, while exciting, is a stark reminder of our overheating planet. If we don’t take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, searing temperatures, disruption and increased threats to wildlife will be in store for all of us," says the organisation.

The starling-sized bee-eaters have red backs, blue bellies and yellow throats, and can be seen feeding on bees, dragonflies and other flying insects which they catch in mid-air.

Bee-eaters, with their kaleidoscopic plumage, are one of the most beautiful birds in Europe.

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