“This was near my home where I have seen Bay-Headed/Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters (Merops leschenaulti leschenaulti) nesting previously.
“Many nests I have seen are built into a slope but have I have not observed nest built into flat ground as in this instance (see DR Wells 1999).
“There were three birds. On pair building in one site and a lone bird in another. [Loose sand soil in an area slotted for housing development.] I managed to hide and watch. Pictures were tricky as there is a lot of short vegetation in the way. Obtained a brief handheld video (above)
“But was soon discovered and I abandoned the site to give them some peace.
“Pictures showing beginning of excavation of tunnel (1st nest site); notice the stone in it’s beak (left).”
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Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Canning Garden Home, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
25th December 2010
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