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

  • Campaign network calls on government to prioritise smaller cars and introduce higher charges for SUV owners

    More than 1m cars too big to fit in parking spaces are being sold in the UK each year, and numbers are growing, research has found.

    A trend for cars bigger than the average urban parking space means new vehicles are outgrowing towns and cities.

    Continue reading...

  • Authorities race to complete clean-up operation after devastation from gales and heaviest rainfall in 20 years

    People on the Aegean islands, more used in April to the sight and scent of spring’s blossoms, have been left reeling from flash floods spurred by typhoon-strength gales, with authorities calling a state of emergency in some of Greece’s most popular destinations less than three weeks before Easter.

    “It’s a total catastrophe and it happened in just two hours,” said Costas Bizas, the mayor of Paros, the island worst hit by weather not seen in decades. “We need all the help we can get.”

    Continue reading...

  • Indore in Madhya Pradesh was once dotted with fetid waste dumps but after a huge campaign is now virtually spotless

    This is what happens usually in India: a politician wakes up and launches a cleanliness “drive” with fanfare. They ostentatiously start sweeping a street and speak solemnly about civic duty while the media take photos. The next day it’s over and things go back to how they were before.

    But not in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. From 2017, when it won the prize for being the cleanest city in the country, it kept winning for eight straight years, until last year.

    Continue reading...

  • Badenoch, Cairngorms: As we pause above the river, a sudden flash catches our eyes – a red squirrelis rippling along the branches below

    It’s early morning and the sky is a billowing parachute of blue, bursting its seams with sunshine and the fluffiest white clouds. A cool wind blows up Loch Insh, roughening the water and bearing the scent of spring. From the island, a song thrush pours out all the trills, beeps and chirps of its bravura performance, oystercatchers pipe and a woodpecker hammers, the sound echoing around the hills.

    In the forest, the birch trees carry no hint of leaves but are shaggy with moss and lichen, their twigs falling in soft fronds, wine-coloured and beaded. The trunks are irregular, pitched at wild angles, curving and bent, sometimes two or three growing from the same base. In contrast, the pale aspens grow up as straight as telephone poles, sharpening to a point at the top. All their branches rise in upturned spikes, bare but for the tiny ink strokes of twigs. At the centre of the woods is a stand of oaks, vast and spreading, last year’s dry leaves still spilling across the moss and the crushed bracken.

    Continue reading...

  • Application, submitted by Cranswick, would have created one of the largest industrial poultry and pig units in Europe

    A megafarm that would have reared almost 900,000 chickens and pigs at any one time has been blocked by councillors in Norfolk over climate change and environmental concerns.

    Councillors on King’s Lynn and West Norfolk borough council unanimously rejected an application to build what would have been one of the largest industrial poultry and pig units in Europe.

    Continue reading...

  • Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life team say genomes offer invaluable insight into how species will fare under climate crisis

    “We are following the ‘invertebrate of the year’ series with bated breath,” began the email that arrived in the Guardian’s inbox last week.

    Mark Blaxter leads the Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life programme, a project that sequences species’ DNA to understand the diversity and origins of life on Earth. But far more importantly, Blaxter and his team are superfans of our invertebrate of the year competition and have offered to map the genome sequence of whoever wins this year.

    Continue reading...

  • With air pollution causing a fifth of deaths in Nepal, growing EV use could add nearly three years to Kathmandu residents’ lives

    In a rundown hangar in the heart of Kathmandu, the remains of a dozen electric trolley buses stand abandoned and corroding. Caked in dust and bird-droppings and lined with rubbish, they are a reminder of a bold experiment, launched 50 years ago, to electrify the city’s public transport system. Down the side of one is written, “Keep me alive”.

    Today, that plea is being heard. More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles – largely cars and minibuses – imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world. The figure reflects a remarkable growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the country import more than 13,000 between July 2023 and 2024, up from about 250 in 2020-21.

    Continue reading...

  • Its lab buildings have a rusticated heft while its sleek, paper-thin louvre windows are reminiscent of a luxury ocean-liner. More importantly, the people of Arklow in Ireland can finally go swimming without fear of floaters

    It is not often that the arts section of a newspaper finds itself concerned with the aesthetic merits of a sewage works. But then there are few facilities designed with the finesse of the new €139m (£117m) wastewater treatment plant in Arklow, which stands like a pair of minty green pagodas on the edge of the Irish Sea. Nor are there many architectural firms who have thought so deeply about the poetics of effluent as Clancy Moore.

    “There’s a wonderful passage in Ulysses,” says practice co-founder, Andrew Clancy, summoning James Joyce as we tiptoe along a metal gantry above a gigantic vat of bubbling brown sludge. “The narrator turns on the tap to fill a kettle, sparking a lengthy rumination on where the water comes from, how it flows from reservoirs, through aqueducts and pipes, describing each step in minute detail, from the volume of the tanks to the dimensions and cost of the plumbing.”

    Continue reading...

  • As LRIs put pressure on health services, a Spanish-led study examines what role exposure to air pollution may play

    The Covid crisis highlighted gaps in our understanding of the role that air pollution plays in infections.

    A flurry of studies carried out during and after the crisis allowed a UK government advisory group to conclude that long-term exposure to air pollution may contribute to worse coronavirus symptoms. The group offered examples that included a study of more than 3 million people in Denmark that showed air pollution added to the risk of death or hospital admission with severe Covid, especially in the least well off.

    Continue reading...

  • Species-rich plot can produce cooling effect 4C greater than single-species plot

    Woodland with lots of different kinds of trees can do a good job of buffering heatwaves and extreme cold. Now a new study demonstrates that increasing the mix of species can help to mitigate climate extremes.

    Florian Schnabel, from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig, and colleagues measured forest temperatures over a six-year period at the world’s largest tree diversity experiment in Xingangshan, in subtropical China. Their results, published in Ecology Letters, show that species-rich plots provided the greatest cooling effect during summer, with cooling more than 4C greater in an experimental plot with 24 species compared with a single-species plot. Diverse plots also maintained more warmth under the tree canopy on cold nights and during winter.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds