India has 6 of the 27 species of Bee-eaters found globally. Having one of the most complex social systems of any bird species, this cute innocent-looking bird can eat up to 300 insects and bees every day, many of whom are mercilessly beaten to death on branches! In Hinduism, the shape of the bee-eater in flight was thought to resemble a bow, with the long bill as an arrow. This led to a Sanskrit name meaning Vishnu's bow! Interestingly, the bee-eaters are on postage stamps of 38 countries - probably the highest amongst birds! The European bee-eater being the one “stamping” its presence on 18 of them!
The first time I had seen a bee-eater, it was an Asian green bee-eater in early 2022 when I had first started photographing. As a desperate and over-enthusiastic birder / photographer, I was trying to find new birds everywhere. A garbage dumping area on the intersection of the Golf Course Rd and Golf Course Extension Rd was one of those areas in prime Gurgaon. That is where I first saw this bee-eater and was thrilled to have discovered a “small green bird with shiny red eyes” in heart of Gurgaon!
Sadly, in my search of owls, nightjars, tigers and some other “exotic” birds over the next year or so, the bee-eaters became a “B” priority and mostly a collateral find in most unlikely places! The Blue-bearded bee-eater, the largest and least gregarious of the bee-eaters, flew out of nowhere and sat on a nearby canal while I was waiting for the tigers at Pilibhit. I later realised that it was the only bee-eater with “blackish” eyes while all others had “reddish” eyes. Similarly, the Blue-tailed bee-eater offered a long shot at Sunderbans when searching for tigers and then a close shot at Mangalore where I was searching for the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher!
The Chestnut-headed bee-eater showed up on the way to Manila where I was heading to find the Mountain Scops Owl; and the Blue-cheeked bee-eater I found them in large numbers in the vast grasslands of Kutch where I had gone to find the European nightjar!
So the last one, European bee-eater, had to be a dedicated search! I was pleasantly surprised when I came to know it was seen in large numbers in places like Yercaud and Kolar in South India. I decided to make a focused trip this time to Yercaud a couple of weeks ago to find the European bee-eater, and of course whatever else that came with it, maybe a leopard or two! ☺️
A beautiful cosy hill town that had equally lovely and warm people like Gopi and Kartick who happily spent their Sunday wandering in the forests of Yercaud with me for almost the full day! The European bee-eaters liked to hover high up in the sky and rest only on the very high canopies. It was only late in the evening that I found one lone bee-eater hidden behind a cluster of dry branches. A beautiful ending to my search for bee-eaters with probably the most beautiful of the bee-eaters!
The search for completing the “series of any particular bird species” is exciting as a challenge in itself; but it is far more satisfying because of the wonderful places it takes you to, and the incredible strangers it gets you acquainted with!!
