As one progresses towards the extremeties of Old Mahabalipuram Road, expanses that tie urbania and peri-urbania in a neat package heave into sight. Barely would one have locked the gates of urbania and turned around to set birding rubber boots in peri-urbania than a green bee eater would flit by, displaying its skill to hunt on the wing. There are skulkers among birds, and birdwatchers need to be on their reluctant tail to have a clear view of them. It drains time and energy. In contrast, the green bee eater would seem to be on the birdwatcher’s tail. Ranging over peri-urban patches, green bee eaters are at ease being watched. The young among the skulkers might be a tad bolder till they are young no more. The young among the green bee eaters are spunkier, staying a tad closer to human eyes than their seniors. At Sholinganallur, in a space that has a touch of the peri-urban, a gaggle of juvenile bee eaters has been congregating, and they seem quite venturesome, hunting for bees on the wing, close to human presence. These birds have a chin with a distinctly yellowish-green tint that are a dead giveaway that they have considerably more days ahead of them than behind them. Juvenile green bee eaters at Sholinganallur on July 3, 2025. 

A juvenile green bee eater at Sholinganallur on July 3, 2025. Photo: Prince Frederick
| Photo Credit:
PRINCE FREDERICK