With news breaking of 4 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters hanging around at Groenvlei near Sedgefield on the Garden Route, it didn't take too long for us to decide to chase these Western Cape megas. Since Margaret and I both needed this species for our provincial lists as did our friends, John and Greta Graham, we were soon in the car heading off in that direction. Arriving at around lunch time, we met up with one of the locals there, Rudolph Minnie, who had been keeping tabs on the bird and headed out in search of them. A short foray to the area where he normally saw them did not reveal them, but it was felt that it was probably the wrong time of day so, instead, we opted for finding some accommodation (which we did right on the shores of Groenvlei) and then headed into Sedgefield for lunch. En route out to Sedgefield, we stopped for one quick scan and John picked up the birds in the distance. With distant scope views under the belt (and no way of getting any closer to them at the time), we went into town and had a relaxed lunch before heading back to Groenvlei later in the afternoon. After relaxing at the accommodation for a while, we headed out in the late afternoon and were fortunate to find all 4 birds right next to the road, so we got to spend quite a bit of time with them.

The next morning had us birding for a short while in the thickly wooded areas around the accommodation which produced all the to be expected species including some great views of Knysna Woodpecker. After a good breakfast, we then hit the road and made our way slowly back to Cape Town arriving at home in the mid afternoon.