Pretty sure I've just seen a Bee-eater

There have been a sighting of Bee eaters in the UK this Summer 

It might have something to do with this. It says the last time they were sighted in the UK and about the sighting that came out 

This year.    https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/rspb-news-stories/buzz-as-rare-rainbow-birds-set-up-summer-home-in-norfolk/?utm_source=notes_on_nature_20220618&utm_medium=email&utm_term=notes_on_nature&utm_content=13&utm_campaign=

I presume you are in Cumbria, I follow several rare bird sites for the ares snd there has been no Bee Eater reported from what I can tell

Hadn't seen the Norfolk story until after picking out the Bee-eater from the Collins guide following the sighting.

Yes, up here on holiday from Southern England. I'm a relative novice to bird watching, but RSPB and local Wildlife Trust member, and afaik there's nothing wrong with my eyesight.

Hi

on the positive side there are plenty of Bee eaters passing through lately

on the negative side Bee eaters fly quite slowly compared to kingfishers

the COLOUR of the flash of colour wasn't mentioned- that would be the giveaway :)

S

From the initial glimpse I could only have described it as multi-coloured, and if that's all I'd seen i may have said small parrot (as ridiculous as that might have seemed). But once I got focus with the binoculars on it for several seconds sitting on a branch, the distinctive elements were; perhaps blackbird size but slimmer (stretched), comparatively long black beak, yellow throat, turquoise underside, russet brown head & back.

@NSS Nobody is saying that you have got it wrong - they're trying to do just what you asked them to do and that was "Any suggestions as to what else it could have been?"

When spotting birds first you have to rule out the most common answer and the most common answer here would be Kingfisher (as suggested by Robbo) with the colour 'flash' we all associate with a Kingfisher, sitting in a tree (what a Kingfisher does) and a Kingfisher does have a long beak which can appear dark through shadows cast upon it by said tree, as well as short legs and large head. Bird's colours can be affected by shadows, bright light as it plays upon the feathers and even light from water that can have a prism type effect with its reflection.

There have been sightings in Aberdeenshire and Lancashire in the last few days (according to BirdGuides) so I guess it's not impossible, but the main point here is to rule out why it definitely wasn't a Kingfisher.

If you are confident it was a Bee-eater - though you did ask what else it could have been - then please report it.

Hi @rspbailey, I appreciate all that, I was simply stating why I could definitely rule out Kingfisher, and can only apologise if I came across otherwise. At the same time as I posted this topic I emailed Cumbria Wildlife Trust and I've now had a reply from them saying they've not had any similar reports but suggesting I report it to Cumbria Biodiversity Centre and Cumbria Bird Club so I'll be doing that tonight.

Guess I'm just amazed (andslightly disbelieving) that a relative novice on the first full day up hereshould have spotted this.

NSS, birds don't care about experience Somebody had to be first to see the bird many birds must get missed because nobody reports them, it was quite tricky before we haf social media snd we had to rely on local grapevine