Nobody would be surprised that the Bee-Eater (Guépier in French) eats bees. But in fact he also eats wasps and many other members of the Hymenoptera insect order. These colourful and beautiful birds live in colony, usually in sandy banks, where they make nests in funnels. Often some Golden Orioles are found nearby.
This recording was done in a village (sorry, I won't tell exactly where) in Isère (France). We were doing a sound walk, guided by naturalist Fernand Deroussen who noticed one Bee-Eater flying away, when some of the inhabitants took us towards the fields. Between some cultivated area and a small forest, a small road was opening into a small circular cliff. There, the Bee-Eaters made their troglodyte city.

Recorded somewhere in Isère (France), 23.05.2006 around 7am.