Bee-Eaters, one of Hvar's prime attractions

Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) are brightly coloured, exquisite birds.

Bee-Eater in flight. Bee-Eater in flight. Photo: John Ball

On Hvar they appear every summer, and are highly prized by bird-loving visitors to the island. They belong to the Meropidae family. European bee-eaters are mainly seen in southern Europe and northern Africa, while some of the other species are spread over distant parts of the world.

The beauty of the bee-eater. Photo: John Ball

However, European bee-eaters have been known to breed in more northern countries. In the United Kingdom, bee-eaters were considered a rarity, and sightings were recorded by the British Birds Rarities Committee. In 1977, numbers had dropped dramatically, as recorded on the annual list issued by the Committee: "There can be no doubt that this Mediterranean spirit is becoming scarcer. Up to 1974, records averaged over five a year, but there have been only three since".

From the UK Birds Rarities List, 1977

Surprisingly, by 1989 recorded bee-eater visits were considered regular enough to justify dropping them from the Committee's annual listing.

From the UK Birds Rarities List, 1989

On the other hand, it was and is rare to see bee-eaters nesting in the United Kingdom, although nesting sites have been reported at intervals from 1920. In 2017, seven bee-eaters were seen establishing nests in a quarry at East Leake in Nottinghamshire. Their presence drew hundreds of avid bird watchers (fondly known as 'twitchers' in the UK). The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds organised a safe viewing area a little way from the site, with a special parking area for the visitors' cars - and the nests were given round-the-clock security to prevent disturbance.

Bee-eaters are regular visitors to Hvar. Photo: John Ball

Hvar Island, by contrast, is a regular breeding ground for bee-eaters, who appear in great flocks, almost on cue in April or May, and set about creating their nests in sandy banks, laying their eggs, and going about their business of catching flying insects. They catch their prey, which they can spot at a distance of 60 metres, either in flight, or while perched. When they catch an insect with a sting, such as a bee or wasp, they stun the insect by hitting it against the perch, then remove the sting.

Bee-eater with catch. Photo: John Ball

Hvar's flocks of bee-eaters are a magnet for experienced birdwatchers from cooler climates. In 2017, Eco Hvar's resident bird reporter, Steve Jones, provided an unforgettable tour of the bird-watching sites around Jelsa for Will Rose and Eugenie Dunster. In 2018, Steve guided John Ball to the bee-eaters' prime nesting ground in Jelsa, which is carefully watched over by the owner of the land where it is sited. That landowner is a shining example of a natural conservationist. Many local people on Hvar are unaware of the beautiful birds which turn up annually on this beautiful island, even though they arrive and settle in large colonies, and announce their presence with a particular level of high-pitched chattering. They like to return to their previous nesting sites, which presumably serve many generations. The intricate tunnelling in sandy soil lasts for years if left undisturbed.

Bee-eaters chatter a lot, very loudly. Photo: John Ball

It was their loud twittering which first drew bee-eaters to my attention on Hvar some years ago.

Bee-eaters flying over their nesting ground, April 2012. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

It was difficult to make out their colouring when they were silhouetted against the sky, apart from the translucent orange of their wings as they swooped downwards. In those days, there were colonies on either side of the main road leading into Jelsa from Stari Grad, close to the 'Bagy' petrol station.

Bee-eaters' nests exposed, April 2015. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

And then... both nesting grounds were destroyed for the sake of human activities. The bee-eaters which returned to them that first year left to find alternative accommodation, looking forlorn.

Bee-eaters' former nesting ground devastated, April 2018. Photo: Vivian Grisogono

In 2018, the numbers of bee-eaters around the Jelsa region are noticeably down from the great flocks of past years. Have they gone away to find new nesting places? Or are their numbers less? In general, locals say that there are far fewer birds than in years gone by, an impression which we at Eco Hvar share. Different factors may be at work. Apart from the loss of familiar habitats, the extensive use of pesticides must certainly have an effect on both the birds and their food stock. Chemical herbicides are sprayed from January onwards round many fields and gardens, destroying the natural chain of organisms which depend on healthy soil; then come chemical insecticides, sprayed over olive trees in particular to destroy the fruit flies, any time from about April onwards; also in the mix are fungicides, and various chemicals against potential sickness, especially in the vines and olive trees. Although there are some organic farmers and gardeners on Hvar, they are heavily outnumbered by those using chemical pesticides, whether on a small individual scale or for large-scale commercial purposes. To add to the woes, local authorities regularly use pesticides, especially insecticides, over wide areas of their territory. (To read in more detail about the use of all kinds of pesticides on Hvar, please refer to the articles in our section titled 'Poisons Beware'.)

Bee-eater on watch. Photo: John Ball

Awareness of the need to preserve the natural amenities of the island is a long time coming. It is hard for people to recognize the damage being done by the persistent use of harmful chemicals in ever-increasing toxic cocktails, after years of false reassuring advertising by the agrochemical companies. Bee-eaters eat bees, true, and we need the bees. But they are part of a natural chain, which do not cause lasting harm. Chemical pesticides, on the other hand, are leaving increasing marks of devastation, taking their toll on human health as well as destroying the bees, bats and hosts of beneficial insects and organisms which we need to sustain our wellbeing. We need to reverse the trend.

Bee-eater in flight. Photo: John Ball

The beautiful bee-eaters are not on any endangered lists - yet. They are ambassadors for change. We should be preserving their habitats and creating the best conditions for them (and other birds) to thrive. Appreciating the bee-eaters, and all our feathered friends, is a step towards caring in the right way for our beloved island.

Bee-eater, up and away. Photo: John Ball

We at Eco Hvar are extremely indebted to John Ball for his uniquely exquisite photographs of the magnificent bee-eaters. The photographs were taken during John's stay at the Senses Resort in Vrboska with his family, during May 2018.

© Vivian Grisogono, 2018.

You are here: Home Nature Watch Bee-Eaters, one of Hvar's prime attractions

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Woodland Trust’s 10 nominees from across the country highlight how trees inspire creative minds

    A cedar tree climbed by the Beatles, an oak that may have inspired Virginia Woolf and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland are among those shortlisted for tree of the year 2025.

    Voting opens on Friday for the Woodland Trust’s annual competition, which aims to celebrate and raise awareness of rare, ancient or at-risk trees across the UK.

    Continue reading...

  • Worst-case scenario of 4.3C of warming could result in fiftyfold rise in heat-related deaths, researchers say

    More than 30,000 people a year in England and Wales could die from heat-related causes by the 2070s, scientists have warned.

    A new study calculates that heat mortality could rise more than fiftyfold in 50 years because of climate heating. Researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine compared different potential scenarios, looking at levels of warming, measures to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, regional climatic differences and potential power outages. They also modelled the ageing population.

    Continue reading...

  • Diesel generators allowed to emit 48 times more nitrogen oxides than gas boilers producing same amount of energy

    Air pollution controls in some sectors are much weaker than others, researchers have found.

    A recent study looked at legal requirements for nitrogen oxides. These come from engine exhausts, flues and chimneys and include health-harming nitrogen dioxide. This is a pollutant that many UK cities struggle to control.

    Continue reading...

  • Colossal Bioscience is adding the extinct animal to its revival wishlist, joining the woolly mammoth, dodo and thylacine. But scepticism is growing

    Standing more than three metres (10ft) high, the giant moa is the tallest bird known to have walked on Earth. For thousands of years, the wingless herbivore patrolled New Zealand, feasting on trees and shrubs, until the arrival of humans. Today, records of the enormous animal survive only in Māori oral histories, as well as thousands of discoveries of bone, mummified flesh and the odd feather.

    But this week, the US start-up Colossal Biosciences has announced that the giant moa has joined the woolly mammoth, dodo and thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, on its list of animals that it is trying to bring back from the dead. The announcement has provoked public excitement – and deep scepticism from many experts about whether it is possible to resurrect the bird, which disappeared a century after the arrival of early Polynesian settlers in New Zealand about 600 years ago.

    Continue reading...

  • Scottish Water boss says average Scot uses 40% more water than people in Yorkshire partly due to mistaken belief water is abundant in Scotland

    Scottish households are being urged to cut back heavily on their water use and instead treat it as a precious resource due to the growing threat to supplies from climate heating.

    Alex Plant, the chief executive of Scottish Water, said the average Scot used 40% more water than consumers in Yorkshire, partly because there was a widespread but mistaken assumption that water was abundant in Scotland.

    Continue reading...

  • Abernethy Forest/Dava Moor, Cairngorms: Hillsides were charred and trees left with the barest of crowns. Nothing had been spared

    The forest’s understorey is wonderful just now, dotted with cow-wheat and northern bedstraw, speedwells and tormentil. It’s also the time of year to search for my favourite – the twinflower, with its tiny Y-shaped stems that hold two tiny flowers of the palest pink. In the UK, it’s found only in such pinewoods, though there are great initiatives to expand their colonies through translocation.

    I’m late for my usual pilgrimage after going on holiday, but my first attempt to find them, at the end of June, was quickly thwarted. A change in the wind direction had brought acrid smoke from wildfires that were burning 20 miles or so to the north. The evening was so dark that it felt like there was an eclipse, before a shower of rain cleared the air.

    Continue reading...

  • Critics say change in biodiversity protections would harm environmental recovery and make scheme ineffective

    Plans to weaken environmental regulations for small housebuilders would allow developers in England to build on an area the size of the Yorkshire Dales in the next 10 years without replacing the nature they destroy, according to analysis.

    Labour wants to remove the requirement for small housebuilders – those whose sites are under a hectare (2.5 acres) – to replace the nature they destroy under existing rules known as biodiversity net gain.

    Continue reading...

  • With forests under pressure from drought, heat, disease and deer, a study has found fewer trees across a range of species surviving to maturity. But scientists say there is still hope

    To the untrained eye, Monks Wood looks healthy and lush in the summer sun. Hundreds of butterflies dance on the edge of footpaths in the ancient Cambridgeshire woodland, which is rich with ash, maple and oak trees. Birds flit through the hedgerows as they feed. A fox ambles through a forest clearing, before disappearing into long grass.

    But for a number of years, it has been clear to Bruno Ladvocat and Rachel Mailes that something is missing. In 2022, Ladvocat, Mailes and their research team from Birmingham University were out sampling when they noticed that the small trees that typically cover the woodland floor were increasingly hard to find.

    Continue reading...

  • With less congestion, less carbon pollution, less accidents, could it be a model for other US cities? Six months in, environmentalists say yes

    It has faced threats and lawsuits and even had its death proclaimed by Donald Trump as he startlingly depicted himself as a king in a social media post. But New York City’s congestion charge scheme for cars has now survived its first six months, producing perhaps the fastest ever environmental improvement from any policy in US history.

    New York vaulted into a global group of cities – such as London, Singapore and Stockholm – that charge cars for entering their traffic-clogged metropolitan hearts but also ushered in a measure that was unknown to Americans and initially unpopular with commuters, and was confronted by a new Trump administration determined to tear it down.

    Continue reading...

  • Exploring the magical landscape that inspired Narnia and stars as a location in Game of Thrones – just an hour outside of Belfast

    Where is the finest mountain panorama in the UK? As a nine-year-old I was taken up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and told it was the best. Even in those days, it was a struggle to see much except the backs of other people. The following summer Scafell Pike got the same treatment and the next year we climbed Ben Nevis. I disagreed on all counts. For me, Thorpe Cloud in Dovedale was unbeatable, despite it being under a thousand feet tall. What convinced me was the diminutive Derbyshire peak’s shape: a proper pointy summit with clear space all around, plus grassy slopes that you could roll down. The champion trio could not compare.

    This panorama question is in my mind as I begin hiking up Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s highest peak (at 850 metres), but a mountain often forgotten by those listing their UK hiking achievements. And a proper peak it is too, with a great sweeping drop to the sea and loads of space all around, guaranteeing, I reckon, a view to beat its more famous rivals.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds