UK: Bee-eaters make historic return to breeding site in Norfolk

London: Three bee-eater birds are believed to have made a historic return to the UK. A colony of breeding bee-eaters successfully hatched chicks in Norfolk last summer.

The RSPB said a trio of the colourful birds, including a nesting pair, had been spotted again in a sand quarry near Cromer.

It said it was the first time the summer visitors had returned to the same breeding site in the UK in consecutive years.

A public viewing area, managed by the RSPB, has been opened nearby for people wanting to see the birds.

Mark Thomas, from the charity, said it was a “real possibility” they were the same birds as last year, suggesting it could be the start of bee-eaters “properly colonising the UK”.

But, he added: “Their return is a vivid reminder of the changes being wrought by our overheating planet.

“Bee-eaters are a species found commonly in the southern Mediterranean and northern Africa and as our planet warms they – along with other species – are being pushed further north.”