BIRD watchers are keeping a 24-hour watch on a pair of bee-eaters nesting in the Hereford-shire countryside, hundreds of miles from their normal breeding grounds.

The bee-eaters, among the most colourful birds of Europe, have made their summer home on the banks of a river at Hampton Bishop, not far from Hereford.

Thousands of wildlife enthusiasts are expected to visit the site to see these rare visitors, which are only the second pair of birds to nest in Britain for almost 50 years.

"Bee-eaters are one of the most amazing creatures you will ever see and for many visitors this will be a once in a lifetime experience," said Dan Farber, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

"Even against the wonderful Herefordshire countryside, these birds are a blaze of iridescent colours. When the chicks appear, it will be an unbelievable sight."

European bee-eaters spend their winters in tropical Africa, returning to southern Europe in mid-April and leaving in mid-August, giving time to rear a single brood.

Once they have found a suitable nesting site, a pair of bee-eaters will spend up to 20 days digging a burrow, usually in a steep bank, before the female lays a clutch of five or six eggs. They feed on bees, dragonflies and other insects and spend a good deal of time sunning or dusting themselves and occasionally bathing.

The RSPB in partnership with the farmer, the police and Herefordshire Ornithological Club has set up a viewing point at Hampton Bishop, with telescopes to ensure visitors obtain the best possible vantage point.

The nest is being protected around the clock and viewing is being provided free of charge from 7am to 9pm daily, but the farmer and the RSPB are charging £2 for parking, which includes a donation to the charity's conservation work.

Parking is signposted in Hampton Bishop, off the B4224 between Hereford and Mortiford.