Friday 13 August 2010

Rainbow Bee-Eater


Leaving its nest in a tunnel in a river bank, this smallish bird (28cm), pirouettes on the wing as she rockets low across inland rivers in seach of the native bee which is a substantial part of her diet. Once the sting is rendered harmless, the bee is killed before being consumed. The exquisite tail feathers are shorter in the female. It is part of the Kingfisher family, as is the more well-known Laughing Kookaburra.

A member of the Skywatch Friday community.

29 comments:

Dani said...

great capture. A marvelous blue color.
Thanks for the info.

Dani

brattcat said...

what an exquisite creature.

jennyfreckles said...

I've seen these in southern Europe - they make such a bright flash across the landscape when they fly.

JTG (Misalyn) said...

I have never seen such kind of bird. Thanks for sharing. I like the contrast of the bird's feather and the branch of tree against the deep blue sky.

Jim said...

Great capture against such a blue sky.

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shot. Great blue sky in the background.

Unknown said...

SO BLUE!
Happy weekend, Evelyn

iheartsunnydays said...

What a gorgeous deep blue sky! Beautiful colours on the bee eater, fantastic shot. Thank you for your lovely comments today :)

Hildred said...

A lovely rich photo, - I think I could drown quite happily in that beautiful blue sky.

Animor said...

Beautiful shot of the blue sky and great pose of the bird, what he is staring up?

Ann said...

Well done. You are getting very good at capturing birds.

Mary Lou said...

Julie, How interesting!
I see that you joined my blog as a follower. Thank you for that. If you read it now, you'll see that I've had some trouble and deleted my last post.
Nice to meet you.

Unknown said...

Fantastic shot, the sky is gorgeous

☺lani☺ said...

Great shot! Love it!

Anonymous said...

Very clean lines, although my neck is getting sore looking up. Australian birdlife is so enormously rich and varied.

And that ever-blue sky again!

Anonymous said...

That is a great shot,,specially with such a wonderful blue sky as a background. It was a good idea to add some information about the little cute bird. Then again,,the sky is great!!

Joan Elizabeth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joan Elizabeth said...

You're doing jolly well with those birds ... would you believe I have not got a single bird shot from my current trip ... too cold to sit about waiting for them.

Julie said...

Now this little chap was in the same tree as a Whistling Kite (raptor) and they were hovering over a picnic ground. THAT is why he is getting a crick in his wee neck! If you want to see more photos of them (but not together!) check out my Crickey blog in about 30 minutes.

Carol said...

Great shot of that colorful bird! He is a beauty. Nice light on his face.

LV said...

Enjoyed so much this great shot of the wonderful variety of things nature provides us. Well done.

Indrani said...

Whoa! Well taken shot!

Jilly said...

Beautiful, Julie!

Francisca said...

I'm familiar with the kingfisher, but this is extraordinary (at least for me). Thanks for leaving the hi res... I liked seeing it up close. Great photo, as usual, Julie.

Dina said...

What an amazing bird.

Julie, thanks for your comment just now. Thank you for articulating and sharing those thoughts. I appreciate knowing that. It is what makes blogging worthwhile.

Arija said...

I find Rainbow Bee-Eaters quite fascinating. I first saw them in Hidden Valley north of Townsville but have also seen one on our farm in the Adelaide hills. The poor little thing must have lost its way and been carried south on some strong winds.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful colors against the sky. I find bee-eaters fascinating, and I didn't know that they lived in riverbanks or that they were related to kookaburras.

nonizamboni said...

Another incredible visit to your blog. This photo tells quite a story. Very nicely done.
p.s. being a Leo are you having a birthday soon?

Julie said...

Just had it ... 10th