Cuckoo Spring 2013
20th June 2013
The Cuckoo comes in April
He sings his song in May
In the month of June he whistles his tune
And in July he flies away
Not absolutely accurate but a good general assessment of this most charismatic bird.
In April some do indeed arrive but mainly down south but in May even here in the Beacons they are in full voice as the males sing for a mate and this goes on throughout June.
Male Cuckoos utter the familiar 'Cuckoo' song but the females only make a soft and beautiful bubbling call as she calls for a mate. They also make a wide variety of noises like rasping, chuckling and snorting sounds as they interact with each other, sounds you wont hear unless you are close to them. However, this female bubbling call usually galvanizes the males into action, they must realize breeding time is short and indeed it is.
The female can be told from the male by a rusty wash around her neck and upper breast, more pronounced on some than others, but if you hear that 'Bubbling' you know it's her.
Once she lays her many eggs in say a number of Meadow Pipit or Reed Warbler nests the job is done and in July they tend to go quiet and are hard to locate. In my experience they are still around until the end of August and even into October on the south coast. Inland, or here for instance they are generally long gone by September and only the juveniles are left to find their own way to Africa.
They really are a smash and grab merchant!
There is a traditional site quite close to me and there Meadow Pipits are the main hosts for their eggs. This spring there have been three Cuckoos there and I have been watching the male closely and I know his favourite perches. I wait until the Meadow Pipits push him off a bush or tree branch and then I wait by one of his 'perches'.
As long as I am quiet, patient and tucked away he will come reasonably close and I can photograph him. I've seen people chasing them around but they are wasting their time, a Cuckoo will make a fool of you every time, they are just too crafty and streetwise to be caught out.
They are a strange looking bird, they can look big and awkward but when they are in flight they look so streamlined, it's quite remarkable. They must be quite dextrous and also lightweight because they land on the flimsiest of branches with ease. They can also appear anything from a dark brown to a leaden grey depending on the light.
I am always sad to see them go but I equally look forward to their return the following spring, long may it continue!
He sings his song in May
In the month of June he whistles his tune
And in July he flies away
Not absolutely accurate but a good general assessment of this most charismatic bird.
In April some do indeed arrive but mainly down south but in May even here in the Beacons they are in full voice as the males sing for a mate and this goes on throughout June.
Male Cuckoos utter the familiar 'Cuckoo' song but the females only make a soft and beautiful bubbling call as she calls for a mate. They also make a wide variety of noises like rasping, chuckling and snorting sounds as they interact with each other, sounds you wont hear unless you are close to them. However, this female bubbling call usually galvanizes the males into action, they must realize breeding time is short and indeed it is.
The female can be told from the male by a rusty wash around her neck and upper breast, more pronounced on some than others, but if you hear that 'Bubbling' you know it's her.
Once she lays her many eggs in say a number of Meadow Pipit or Reed Warbler nests the job is done and in July they tend to go quiet and are hard to locate. In my experience they are still around until the end of August and even into October on the south coast. Inland, or here for instance they are generally long gone by September and only the juveniles are left to find their own way to Africa.
They really are a smash and grab merchant!
There is a traditional site quite close to me and there Meadow Pipits are the main hosts for their eggs. This spring there have been three Cuckoos there and I have been watching the male closely and I know his favourite perches. I wait until the Meadow Pipits push him off a bush or tree branch and then I wait by one of his 'perches'.
As long as I am quiet, patient and tucked away he will come reasonably close and I can photograph him. I've seen people chasing them around but they are wasting their time, a Cuckoo will make a fool of you every time, they are just too crafty and streetwise to be caught out.
They are a strange looking bird, they can look big and awkward but when they are in flight they look so streamlined, it's quite remarkable. They must be quite dextrous and also lightweight because they land on the flimsiest of branches with ease. They can also appear anything from a dark brown to a leaden grey depending on the light.
I am always sad to see them go but I equally look forward to their return the following spring, long may it continue!