The lunch line

Three blue-tailed bee-eaters, perched in a perfect descending line, flaunt their midday catches in Gopalpur of Rajshahi’s Godagari upazila. Often found around mustard fields in winter, these agile birds sweep low over open country, wetlands and farmlands, snatching bees, wasps, dragonflies and other flying insects mid-air. Native to South and Southeast Asia, they migrate seasonally, arriving in Bangladesh with the cooler months. Before swallowing stinging prey, they deftly beat it against a perch to remove the sting -- a neat survival trick. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, they remain a lively winter spectacle.
 

PHOTO: AZAHAR UDDIN