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Bee-eaters In Britain
Two species of bee-eater have occurred as wild visitors to Britain, with two further species having occurred as an escape from captivity. European bee-eater The European bee-eater occurs in Britain mainly as a spring overshoot. Until the late 20th century the species was a national rarity i.e. a species whose records are collected by the British Birds Rarities Committee. Increasing numbers meant that it was downgraded to a "scarce migrant" from 1991. Bee-eaters are occasionally seen in Britain in autumn, but are much scarcer at that season. The species has occasionally bred. A flock of at least nine European bee-eaters was seen near Great Yarmouth and in other locations in the summer of 2021. Breeding attempts European bee-eaters have attempted to nest on several occasions in Britain: * In 1920, a pair made a nesting attempt in a sand bank of the River Esk at Musselburgh, Scotland. A local gardener captured the female, keeping her in a greenhouse, and she died two days lat ...
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Bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of non-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar. As their name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught on the wing from an open perch. The insect's stinger is removed by repeatedly hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface. During this process, pressure is applied to the insect's body, thereby discharging most of the venom. Most bee-eaters are gregarious. They form colonies, nesting in burrows tunnelled into vertical sandy banks, often at the side of a river or in flat ground. As they mostly live in col ...
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Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. Hereford, the county town of Herefordshire has a population of approximately 61,000, making it the largest settlement in the county. The next biggest town is Leominster and then Ross-on-Wye. The county is situated in the historic Welsh Marches, Herefordshire is one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England, with a population density of 82/km2 (212/sq mi), and a 2021 population of 187,100 – the fourth-smallest of any ceremonial county in England. The land use is mostly agricultural and the county is well known for its fruit and cider production, and for the Hereford cattle breed. Constitution From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Wor ...
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River Otter, Devon
The River Otter is a river that rises in the Blackdown Hills just inside the county of Somerset, England near Otterford, then flows south through East Devon. It enters the English Channel at the western end of Lyme Bay, part of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Permian and Triassic sandstone aquifer in the Otter Valley is one of Devon's largest groundwater sources, supplying drinking water to 200,000 people. Topography The river's source is north of Otterford, where a stream feeds the Otterhead Lakes: and then through Churchstanton before entering Devon. The river flows through a predominantly rural area, with small cattle, sheep and dairy farms. The largest town in the Otter Valley is Honiton. Tourism and leisure play important roles in the economy. For much of its length, the river flows through two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) – The Blackdown Hills AONB (to the north of Honiton) and East Devon AONB (to the south of Ottery St Mary). T ...
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Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. The city of Cambridge is the county town. Following the Local Government Act 1972 restructuring, modern Cambridgeshire was formed in 1974 through the amalgamation of two administrative counties: Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, comprising the Historic counties of England, historic county of Cambridgeshire (including the Isle of Ely); and Huntingdon and Peterborough, comprising the historic county of Huntingdonshire and the Soke of Peterborough, historically part of Northamptonshire. Cambridgeshire contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen. The county is now divided between Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, which since 1998 has formed a separate Unitary authorities of England, unita ...
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Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until 1974, when county boundary change meant the city became part of Cambridgeshire instead. The city is north of London, on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea to the north-east. In 2020 the built-up area subdivision had an estimated population of 179,349. In 2021 the Unitary Authority area had a population of 215,671. The local topography is flat, and in some places, the land lies below sea level, for example in parts of the Fens to the east and to the south of Peterborough. Human settlement in the area began before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the current city centre, also with evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, Medeshams ...
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St Agnes, Isles Of Scilly
St Agnes ( kw, Agenys) is the southernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly. Thus the island's Troy Town Farm is the southernmost settlement in the United Kingdom. Description St Agnes joins the island of Gugh by a tombolo, a kind of sandbar, called the Gugh Bar, which is exposed only at low tide. The Gugh is inhabited, with some three residents. The two islands of St Agnes and Gugh together have a population of 85 residents recorded in the 2011 census (73 were recorded in the 2001 census) and a landmass of . Without the Gugh included, St Agnes is marginally smaller than Bryher in either population or area; however if Gugh is included with St Agnes, it is Bryher that is marginally smaller in area and population. In earlier times many men from St Agnes earned a living as pilots, guiding transatlantic liners and other vessels through the English Channel. Now the mainstay of the economy is tourism, together with some bulb farming. Accommodation is limited, and St Agnes is ...
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Isles Of Scilly Museum
The Isles of Scilly Museum is a museum in the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall, England. the museum has no building but displays a selection of its collection in a range of locations on the islands. Collections The museum describes its collections as "extremely diverse, including material from many wrecks; a wild flower display (during the summer months); Romano-British artefacts; stuffed birds; local art and much more". They include Romano-British finds from the small island of Nornour, and the Bryher Sword and Bryher Mirror from the iron-age grave of the Bryher Woman, found on Bryher in 1999. History When storms in 1962 uncovered a collection of Romano-British artefacts on the island of Nornour, a group of islanders established a museum for their display, initially as a seasonal display in the Wesleyan Chapel. By 1967 they had raised funds and a museum building, with residential flats above, was built in Church Street, Hugh Town on St Mary's. The museum opened on 15 July ...
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Isles Of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the British mainland at Lizard Point. The total population of the islands at the 2011 United Kingdom census was 2,203. Scilly forms part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall, and some services are combined with those of Cornwall. However, since 1890, the islands have had a separate local authority. Since the passing of the Isles of Scilly Order 1930, this authority has had the status of a county council and today is known as the Council of the Isles of Scilly. The adjective "Scillonian" is sometimes used for people or things related to the archipelago. The Duchy of Cornwall owns most of the freehold land on the islands. Tourism is a major part of the local economy, along with agriculture—particularly the production of cut flowers. ...
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St Mary's, Isles Of Scilly
St Mary's ( kw, Ennor, meaning ''The Mainland'') is the largest and most populous island of the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the southwest coast of Cornwall in England. Description St Mary's has an area of — 40 percent of the total land area of the Isles of Scilly — this includes four small tidal islands which connect with St Mary's at low tide: Toll's Island, Taylor's Island, Newford Island and the island at Innisidgen. With a population of 1,723 (out of a total population for Scilly of 2,203) St Mary's is relatively densely populated, with twice the average population density of the Isles of Scilly as a whole. The majority of St Mary's residents live in the western half of the island, with Hugh Town alone having a population of 1,097. The main settlement, Hugh Town ''( Cornish: Tre Huw)'', was sold to the inhabitants by the Crown in 1949 (it had belonged to the Duchy of Cornwall — which still owns much of the rest of the island). Other settlements on the island ...
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
The blue-cheeked bee-eater (''Merops persicus'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. The genus name ''Merops'' is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and ''persicus'' is Latin for "Persian". It breeds in Northern Africa, and the Middle East from eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan and India. It is generally strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, although some populations breed and live year-round in the Sahel. This species occurs as a rare vagrant north of its breeding range, with most vagrants occurring in Italy and Greece. Taxonomy and systematics Two subspecies are recognized: *''Merops persicus persicus'' - Breeds in Asia, winters in East and Southern Africa. *''Merops persicus chrysocercus'' - Breeds in North Africa, winters in West Africa. This species is closely related to blue-tailed bee-eater, ''M. philippinus'' of East Asia, and the olive bee-eater of Africa, and has been treated as being the same species (conspecific). Description This spe ...
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Trimingham
Trimingham is a coastal village and a civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. The village is north of North Walsham, east of Cromer, north of the city and county town of Norwich, and is on the B1159 coastal road between Cromer and Mundesley. The villages name means 'Homestead/village of Trymma's people'. Parish church Trimingham parish church is St John the Baptist's Head. This dedication dates to the medieval period, when a life size alabaster head of the saint was kept at the church. St John's shrine altar was visited by pilgrims who came to the church rather than make the journey to Amiens Cathedral, where a relic, said to be the real head of John the Baptist, was kept. The alabaster head did not survive and although it is unknown exactly what happened to it, it has been suggested that it was probably destroyed by Anglican reformers as a result of the 1538 Injunction against images during the reign of Henry VIII. Another theory is that the ...
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East Leake
East Leake () is a large village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, England, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough in Leicestershire. It has a population of around 7,000, measured in the 2011 Census as 6,337. The original village was located on the Sheepwash Brook. Kingston Brook also runs through the village. Near the centre of the village is the historic St. Mary's Church, dating back to the 11th century, which Sheepwash Brook flows past, and an old ford, which provided access to the pinfold. The church has six bells. The Treaty of Leake was signed in 1318 by King Edward II and his baronial opponents. British Gypsum, a plasterboard manufacturer, has its headquarters in the village. The manufacturing of plasterboard began in this area in about 1880. Name The origin of Leake appears to be Laeke (Old Norse – brook or stream), and is consistent with East Leake's position in the heart of the Danelaw, which had variou ...
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