Village abuzz over bee-eater

Press, 11 July 1989, Page 10

Village abuzz over bee-eater

NZPA-PA London Hundreds of birdwatchers swarmed into a tiny village yesterday after the discovery of a rare blue-cheeked bee-eater. The exotic visitor, normally found in North Africa and Turkey, was catching flying insects in a field near the Cross Keys pub at Cowden, Humberside. The pub’s landlord, Gerald Hewitt, said, “The interest this bird has created is phenomenal. By 3 a.m. today there were 400 cars in our car-park and on nearby grass verges. “More people are arriving from all over the country altthe time. It has meant we haven’t had much sleep but we don’t mind as this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” The bird later flew towards the neighbouring village of Mappieton and the crowd of binocular, telescope and camera-festooned “twitchers” sped off in pursuit. The blue-cheeked bee-eater is 30cm long, predominantly bright green, with long wings and tail feathers. Before the latest sighting only three had been recorded in Britain; on the Isles of Scilly in July, 1921, and June, 1951, and in Cambridgeshire in September, 1982. It appears to have been blown to Britain by winds from the recent high pressure over Europe.