Rainbow Bee-Eaters at beach

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Amson
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Rainbow Bee-Eaters at beach

We went out to try and photograph a beach sunrise and found bee-eaters in dunes down to beach. The weather was terrible with strong winds and black sky but we did manage to get some photos before weather closed in. We got sun for a few minutes only but it was enough to get a few photos.

It seems so strange to see these birds with sand on their tails. The dunes had many bird homes but think these were swallow homes although did not see any birds coming in or out. I'll go back tomorrow morning if the weather is better. These are my best photos yet of these birds so am very happy. P.S. Sunrise shots awful. (Coolum Beach, Sunshine Coast)

dwatsonbb
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Nice photos. Beautiful colours in these. The holes in the dunes might be Pardolote nests.

Thanks for posting.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

WhistlingDuck

Beautiful photos, really stunning.

Extra credit for getting them in the brief sunny spell - and in the strong winds, its hard to hold the camera steady, plus the target is swaying in the wind too.

oconnore51
oconnore51's picture

Yes, just beautiful photos!

elizabeth

Woko
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I've seen Rainbow Bee Eaters nesting in dunes at Aldinga Beach in SA. Those burrows look very much like the burrows at Aldinga Beach. 

Amson
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Thanks for comments everyone. I thought these may be the burrows Woko as they were larger than those for pardalotes and definitely under where the birds were flying. I'd only seen these birds in forested areas so was shocked at dawn with what we thought were swallows but turned out to be bee-eaters.

brian63
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They really are a beautiful looking bird, have been seeing them regularly in the area, great pic's

alcatraz
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Well done Amson. Love the colours. Not easy taking pics under such conditions. Thanks for posting.

HelloBirdy
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Nice find of these beautiful birds

Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera

Devster
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They really are lovely pics with nice detail. Just a tip, if you tweaked the exposure a little, they could look even better. They come out a little overexposed on my monitor.

laza
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Absolutely fantastic photos Amson of such a beautiful little bird.

I see them around here in the South west of WA during the summer but cant say I ever seen their nesting holes before

Dont take life too seriously, it never ends well

Amson
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Thanks Devster. Looks as if I need to recalibrate my monitor. Thanks for the timely reminder.

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