Rare bee-eater birds found nesting in Cumbrian quarry

Bee-eaters can burrow up to 10ft (3m) and usually lay clutches of four to nine eggs

Two breeding pairs of rare bee-eater birds have been found at a quarry in Cumbria.

The birds, which are native to southern Europe, have set up nests by burrowing tunnels in the banks of Low Gelt Quarry, near Brampton.

Last year, two pairs successfully raised chicks on the Isle of Wight, and previously in County Durham in 2002.

An RSPB spokesman said they were "delighted" the birds had bred in the UK for a second consecutive summer.

The pairs were discovered by a foreman, who noticed the colourful birds flying among the site's colony of nesting sand martins.

The RSPB has set up a viewpoint on the perimeter of the quarry for visitors to view the birds

Manager Martin Crow, of Hanson UK, said: "We often have to cordon off areas in our quarries where sand martins and little ringed plovers are breeding, but a bee-eater sighting was a surprise."

The RSPB has set up a viewpoint on the perimeter of the quarry for visitors to view the birds.

Bee-eaters can burrow up to 10ft (3m) and usually lay clutches of four to nine eggs.