Dutch Birding volume 32 (2010) no 5

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater near Castricum in August 2010

On 16 August 2010, a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus flew over the ringing station at Castricum, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands. The only ringer present managed to attract the bird's attention by playing back the sound of European Bee-eater M apiaster, after which it landed near the station and started to forage. The bird remained from 10:30 to 14:15 and was seen by more than 200 birders before it flew off high to the south-west. Later, it turned out that possibly the same bird was photographed on Texel, Noord-Holland, on 8 August while, on 18 August, one was seen by a single observer at Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland. Assuming that the additional sightings concern the same bird, this was the third record for the Netherlands. The previous two were on Texel on 30 September 1961 and on Terschelling, Friesland, on 18 May 1998.

In summer 2010, there were at least two other records in north-western Europe: on Gotland, Sweden, on 7-8 June and near Dunkerque, Pas-de-Calais, France, on 22 July. In total, there are now c 65 records for Europe. The subspecific identification of the Castricum bird is discussed and it is concluded that head pattern, plumage colour and tail length are compatible with nominate M p persicus from extreme south-eastern Europe, Middle East, Egypt and Central Asia. This subspecies is most probably the 'default' vagrant Blue-cheeked Bee-eater in Europe, although some Mediterranean records may concern the north-western African M p chrysocercus.

Hans Schekkerman, Pernestraat 37, 1901 AV Castricum, Nederland
(Hans.Schekkermansovon.nl)
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
(ebelswxs.nl)