News

Autumn has truly arrived in the Brecon Beacons, the trees are starting to change colour and there is a noticeably colder feel to the mornings and evenings. I have started the oil stove in our living room as the evenings have become colder and what a fabulous heat it provides, it will now stay running continuously up until April.
We had an excellent crop of runner beans this summer and the bean plants have now gone into my recycling area to be composted. We have also had a reasonable apple crop and they are in storage and will last us up until Xmas. I have been busy cutting back hedges and giving what I hope is a final cut to the grass. We have had, as indeed many others have, an awful spell of wet weather since mid-September and it had been a struggle to get the outside work completed, and as I type it is raining again! Soon though I will be able to lubricate and put away the garden tools for another year.
There is a nice crop of hazelnuts in the hedgerows and it also looks like a good year for sloe berries. I am waiting for the leaves to fall before I set up my elevated photography pool, (see previous blog), for the winter and I hope to tempt some nice birds in to feed and drink there in the harsher weather.
Two days ago we heard some Tawny Owls hooting outside as soon as it had gone dark and when we investigated we were treated to three birds flying around us from our Ash tree in the garden onto a telecommunications pole. These were probably young birds that had been driven away by the adults and encouraged to find their own territories – it happens every year. A few weeks ago I went out to my car about 11.00pm to put something away and I shone a torch up into the same Ash tree to see if there were any Tawnies perched on the branches, but I couldn’t see anything. However, as I lowered the torch beam down it shone accidentally on the garden fence and there to my astonishment was a Barn Owl just looking at me. It didn’t like the torch beam and it flew off towards the woods nearby – a rare occurrence indeed in this area!
Yesterday Susan and I took the opportunity of a rare fine day to go and try to see a Snow Bunting that was showing quite well on a local moorland. Although rarely encountered these birds pass through the Beacons every year, coming south to lower ground. A place where they can typically be seen is on a beach in north Norfolk, where they will spend the winter. This is a very nice spectacle as a flock of these lovely birds behave like pieces of white foam being blown along the tide line.
Thirty years ago Susan and I were on a birding trip touring Scotland and we had walked up to the top of Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain. It was a hard climb and a party of Germans in front of us turned back because it was too cold. We had to navigate a very steep sheet of ice about a hundred yards long in order to get to the top and this was in June! However, we got tucked in, sheltering from the biting cold in the ruins of the old observatory on the top. We were having a cup of coffee and a sandwich when I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. Intrigued, I kept watching and amazingly a Snow Bunting hopped onto a rock just by the side of us. I broke off some bread from my sandwich and put it on the rock and the bird gratefully ate it and disappeared into the mist – a lovely encounter!
Snow Buntings are not shy birds. However, the bird on the local hillside that we went to see yesterday was one of the most confiding birds we have ever seen, it was walking right up to us and feeding less than six feet away. It was no challenge to photograph, it was just very nice to be that close to a lovely little bird.











Wintering Thrushes are starting to arrive now, with Fieldfares, Redwings and hopefully a few Ring Ouzels among them and who knows perhaps a Waxwing later on, and as always the Swallows, Swifts, Sand and House Martins which are part of our daily lives, have just faded away, one morning they are just not there any longer. We now have to embrace the autumn and winter just as we do spring and summer, I will try and photograph a few landscapes during this time and hopefully encounter some nice bird along the way.

Please see Latest Images, Bulgaria and Romania 2019 for a small selection of images from our trip. Other images are also in the 'full trip report' in the 'Trip Reports' section on the front page of this website. In addition, there are selected images in the news section, also on the front page of this website.

Another bird that breeds in the high mountains is the Water Pipit. This somewhat inconspicuous little bird can sometimes be seen wintering in the UK down near water or in coastal meadows. In the Brecon Beacons there have been birds wintering regularly on the wet spillway and dam of a local reservoir. It’s humbling to imagine the journey these flimsy little birds make from their high altitude breeding grounds right down to damp areas in the UK. We could see one bird regularly singing from a rocky outcrop at the same site as the Alpine Accentor. We were again in the High Carpathian mountains in Romania, so you get an idea of the elevation they breed at. It was coming to look for insects in the low vegetation near the roadside. We again parked the vehicle close to this vegetation, using it as a hide – it had worked before! It wasn’t long before the Water Pipit began to forage for food and we had great close – up views.



Feeding on insects amongst wild sage growing near the road side.





I wonder if this little wanderer will come anywhere near the Brecon Beacons this winter – you never know!!

A classic bird of the high mountains is the Alpine Accentor, it’s not called that for nothing! These pretty little birds really like it up high, breeding amongst the rocks and vegetation on remote mountain slopes. These were a big target bird for us and as a result we were right up in the High Carpathian mountains in Romania looking for them. The snow had melted and the road was now passable - it's usually blocked until at least mid - June most years! We drove around hairpin after hairpin as we climbed right up to the top of the ridge.



We had located two birds flying around, high up in the rocks above us - but not giving good views. They frustratingly remained distant for most of the time we were there and i thought that the chance of a shot was remote at best. As the day progressed we had decided to walk lower down to look at the views across the valley.



As we approached an old derelict building on the side of the road two birds were flitting around the ruins. Unbelievably, when I looked through my bins I could see they were two Accentors - all that time spent waiting for them to come nearer up on the rocks and here they were down near the roadside – typical!!
They were feeding amongst the rocks and vegetation and were taking no notice of me whatsoever. Closer and closer they came – even attempting to mate at one stage, and I was able to get a few shots – at last!



Notice the white throat patch and yellow base to the beak.







They really are a very nice little bird and it was worth the effort to see them.

In the steppe – like country on the Bulgaria / Romania border there is a multitude of birdlife. The area is farmed in a very low key manner, mostly by hand – scything the crops and using horse and cart for transportation. Eagles and Harriers regularly hunt the area and typically Hoopoes and Shrikes can be seen throughout the farmland. We obtained the permission of the reed cutters (who live in small caravans near the reed beds while the harvesting is taking place), to drive onto the land where there was an area of water. As we approached we could see a colony of white Pelicans with a few Dalmatian Pelicans amongst them. We stopped and stood behind the vehicle to observe them because they can be quite spooky and they were lifting off the ground continuously, seemingly unable to settle.



We were enjoying watching them when I noticed a male Marsh Harrier quartering the ground nearby and slowly but surely it was coming closer. I thought it would turn away when it got too near us, but it continued on its course. I made Susan and Dimiter aware of this and they stood quite still so as not to spook it and on it came right past the vehicle and I managed to get some fairly close – up shots. They don’t usually come that close in the UK so it was a refreshing change.



Still keeping one eye on us!

The heat in Bulgaria and also Romania, while we were there in June really was quite debilitating and health precautions became necessary. Copious amounts of water had to be consumed and sun cream had to be applied every morning first thing. Both of these become tedious after a time – sun cream can get in your eyes when you sweat and we were sweating big time! And water becomes particularly unpalatable after you are drinking it by the litre! However, both were very necessary if you were staying out in temperatures of thirty degrees plus - every day. Although having taken these precautions I was still suffering from some heat exhaustion on one particular day. These symptoms manifested themselves in the form of a really upset stomach and I had to disappear into some bushes very quickly one morning (much to the amusement of Susan and Dimiter). This was bad enough but it was accompanied with feelings of extreme lethargy when I just wanted to curl up and fall asleep. Thankfully these horrible feelings had passed by the following day and afterwards I increased my water intake and found shade whenever I could.
Previously I had mentioned to Dimiter that it would be good to see a Purple Heron if possible, and in fairness everything we asked about he did his best to find. Unfortunately on the day mentioned above that I was below par we were out on an extremely hot and humid morning in a very arid area with hardly any shelter. We had parked the jeep under the only tree around to try and escape the heat and I was sat inside resting. Although the sky was overcast and quite grey in places, the weather was still hugely oppressive. There was a reed bed about two hundred yards away which was supposed to hold breeding Purple Herons and we were waiting to try and catch a bird in flight. Susan and Dimiter were looking at some dragonflies and I was sat there with my lens on my lap just in case. I was drifting off to sleep when suddenly a shout came - ‘Steve a Purple Heron’ I jumped out of the vehicle, half asleep and saw a bird flying overhead.



I took a few shots and retreated back to my seat - I felt as rough as a Badgers bum to be honest! After a couple of minutes had passed I was drifting back to sleep – when the call came again - ‘Steve it’s coming back’ - I was back out again trying to take a few shots.



I had to try because I really wanted to see this bird.
The sky had by now become totally clear and it was now even more hot. As the Heron drifted away back to the reed bed I resumed my position and I thought that was it because Susan and Dimiter were coming back to the jeep. Then like an alarm clock – ‘Steve, Spoonbill coming over’ it was like something from a nightmare – out again and took more shots.



Although it was great to see these lovely birds, especially the Heron because we don't see many of those anywhere, I was thinking to myself, ‘please don’t find anything else’! I felt so ungrateful but it was really tough going, then at last we drove off with the air-conditioning on. I was glad to escape the oppressive heat and head for our much needed lunch stop.

Today, unbelievably we were on the trail of the Paddyfield Warbler. This little Warbler breeds in temperate central Asia. It is migratory, wintering in Pakistan and India. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe although there are small breeding populations along the western shores of the Black Sea around the border between Bulgaria and Romania. Dimiter knew where to find these little birds - I won't say it again about local knowledge, we found ourselves on a track which bordered a small reed bed and as we walked along we could hear their song - somewhat weaker than Reed Warbler and with less mimicry than Marsh Warbler. (I add that we only recognized this after Dimiter pointing these songs out). These birds nest low down in the reeds but on a sunny day like like today they were showing from time to time.



Notice the pale lower mandible with a black tip and also the distinct supercillium.

If there’s one bird that’s been an absolute nightmare to see on our travels it’s the Olive Tree Warbler. It is another biggish warbler but if anything is even more frustrating than the Barred Warbler (See previous blog). I’ve lost count of the times we’ve tried just to get a glimpse of one, particularly in Lesvos. They have a distinctive scratchy and quite discordant song, so you know where they are, but they are extremely reluctant to show. Again Dimiter knew where there were birds - with the risk of repeating myself - you will never find typically difficult birds like these without local knowledge! We were parked up alongside some bushes, again using the jeep as a hide, but this time the birds started to show fairly well. I could hardly believe that we were seeing these birds that are so difficult to see on e.g. Lesvos, where their sites, (exclusively olive groves there), are so well documented. I have been asked numerous times by other birders on Lesvos if I have seen any and I have indeed asked others the same question - It’s always the same answer – heard them singing but no views! It was therefore, after literally years of frustration, a huge pleasure to get superb views, and an even greater sense of satisfaction to unbelievably photograph what really are very awkward birds indeed.

Barred Warbler is a very difficult bird to see, although it is a large warbler it is frequently skulking and shy and can be very frustrating to pin down. We had tried using Dimiter’s expert local knowledge to see one and we had a few brief glimpses of birds from a few sites that he knew, but because their breeding had finished they weren’t showing very much. We were in the last site that he knew birds had been seen and we could see two birds just flitting around the bushes but it didn’t look like there was any chance of a decent sighting. It was again blisteringly hot as we sat in the jeep using it as a hide and we were seriously thinking of giving it up as a bad job, but Dimiter, who was very dogged in his approach to seeing birds just wanted to give it a bit more time. We could see a bird low down in some dense bushes and then surprisingly it popped out briefly into view and I had about ten seconds to take a few shots, it wasn’t much time but at least we had a half decent view of a bird. Goodness only knows if we will ever see another so it was good to get at least a record shot.



A very distinctive bright golden yellow eye!

One morning we travelled with Dimiter our Bulgarian bird guide to a location he knew where Marsh Warblers were sometimes seen. These birds are very difficult to see in the UK, they do not breed here anymore and are confined to a few small locations around the country. Using id only they can be very difficult to separate from Reed Warblers. In non - worn plumage they have a pale eye ring and in addition are slightly more olive above, a little whiter below and have paler legs than the Reed Warbler. However, the best way to separate these two species is by song. The Marsh Warbler’s song is almost totally based on mimicry and it is a world away from the song of the Reed Warbler. It is estimated that their song mimics around seventy five other bird songs.
Below is a recording of a Marsh Warblers song from Xeno Canto - please press play after clicking the link.
https://www.xeno-canto.org/486919

Another way to separate them from Reed Warblers is that they avoid reed beds.
When we arrived at the location the plant growth was up to six feet high with a few breaks in between which were around five feet. We were, therefore, stood up to our chests in vegetation, thankfully none of which was irritating or stinging. The Marsh Warblers were in full song and you could immediately tell the difference from a Reed Warbler’s song. We waited for some time, getting only quick flashes of the birds as they zipped around the foliage. Then I picked out a bird low down on a bare plant stem and slowly it inched its way up to the top giving great and prolonged views as it delivered its song. Well worth the wait to see and photograph this difficult to see little bird.

Early the following morning we paid a brief return visit to the same woodland stream, (previous blog,) such was its attraction. We couldn't stay long because we were travelling the countryside. Usually, the old saying goes, ‘You should have been here yesterday’ meaning that someone has missed out because two days are never the same – well it doesn’t apply to this location because it was like the film ‘Groundhog Day’. All the birds seen previously were still bathing and drinking, but in addition the Hawfinches were also out on the forest track feeding youngsters in front of our vehicle.







I’m confident that there are good things to see every day at this site.
I’m really envious about the birding there and I do so wish we had locations like this back home. They are so unaffected by people - it's quite remarkable but nevertheless a true statement when I say that we didn't, throughout our whole time in Bulgaria and Romania, see a single birder at any of these bird - filled locations.
Can you imagine that in the UK?

It was the changeover day for our bird guides and Susan and I were watching a few birds in a quiet woodland with a small stream running through it. We were waiting for Dimiter our second guide and the owner of Neophron Tours. He was to be our guide for a couple of days in Bulgaria and then on to Romania for the rest of the trip. We reluctantly said goodbye to Vlado who we had become quite friendly with, this was difficult because he is a very engaging and nice young man. Before Dimiter’s arrival Vlado told us that Dimiter was probably the most experienced birder in the Balkan Peninsula with a huge knowledge of the area’s geography and top notch id skills – both of which proved to be correct.
Prior to Dimiter’s arrival we had been watching a good number of birds coming down to drink and bathe from this little stream and not being one to miss a photographic opportunity I asked him to park his jeep up close to the stream to see if the birds would continue to show. He wasn’t sure that being so close would work but I said it was worth a try and we all sat quietly waiting. After a few minutes, just as I thought, the birds started to appear and what followed next was a very productive photo session.
Around this little stream we saw Jay, Ortolan Bunting, Sombre Tit, Black Caps, Corn Bunting, Semi Collared Flycatcher and Nightingale most of which came down to bathe and drink and all the while we were being serenaded by the gorgeous sound of Turtle Doves and Nightingales singing - what more could you want?

Jay.


Ortolan Bunting.


Semi Collared Flycatcher. (Sought after bird).


Sombre Tit.


Nightingale.


But best of all a family of Hawfinches bathing and drinking.





The first time for us to see young Hawfinches - and up close too!!







This was a delightful setting and if I had access to a place like this back home I would arrange the stones in the stream to make small natural bathing pools and also put some nice wood and stones around for perches. Then wait for some cloud cover to eliminate the highlights and shadows that were caused by the strong sunshine. If this place was local to me I would be spending large amounts of time there, because anything could drop in, and it was also very quiet, the only person we saw was a shepherd leading a flock of sheep down the track.
Dimiter was clearly impressed by this location and he tells us he has been back to visit again after our trip had finished and I’m sure this location will pay a part in his future photo tours.


Here is a very short video clip of some of the Hawfinches bathing.

https://youtu.be/894Euva1CKg

If there’s two birds that epitomise the warm sunny days in southern Europe it’s the Bee Eater and Roller. They both have a tendency to perch out in the open – Bee Eaters are quite easy to approach but Rollers are much more difficult. In the spring in Bulgaria and Romania both these birds often use the same nest sites – excavating holes in sandy bankings. However, when the nesting period is over Bee Eaters tend to stay relatively close to their nest sites, where they hunt flying insects and often perch on the side of the road as you drive by. This can make it relatively easy, if you are careful, to approach them and get a photo. Rollers will never do this, they too will perch besides roads and tracks but as soon as they see you coming, as far away as a hundred yards, they will always fly off. We were driving along a remote dirt track out in steppe – like country when we could see Bee eaters perching on some sticks right by the side of the track, we drove up near to them very slowly, cut the engine and free – wheeled up close. I was able to take one or two shots before they flew off.



As soon as we had passed they landed again – typical behaviour.

Later that day we had stopped on an old disused bridge over a tributary of the main river where we knew there was a Levant Sparrowhawk’s nest. As we were watching these birds flying around, a pair of Kingfishers flew up the river underneath the bridge and in the distance out on the main river a Caspian Tern fished. This was a good area for birds but it was blisteringly hot in the midday sun and typically in the heat, a pair of Rollers were perched in the river – side trees just too far away for a photo – frustrating!
We reluctantly left the site and drove on to have our lunch and something cool to drink and also to escape the heat. After a couple of hours just chilling out we drove to a roadside reed - bed to see if there were any birds on view, typically birds like Great Reed and Savi’s Warbler. Just as we were approaching the area I looked to the side and unbelievably I could see a Roller on a stick just off the road. I asked our guide Dimiter to stop quickly and reverse back slowly and quietly. The Roller was unaware of us and I took a few shots as it was just perched there, after a few seconds it saw us and flew off but it didn’t matter I had it – or so I thought. When I looked at the images on the back of the camera to my horror I could see they were grossly over – exposed.

Below is the RAW image just converted to Tiff with no processing.



On examination of my camera I could see that the exposure compensation dial had obviously turned clockwise, probably with the movement as we drove along, and this had over – exposed the image by three stops – the maximum. I was really upset, you can see Rollers up high on telegraph wires etc. but rarely low down in better light and with no silhouetting. However, I had to move on and be positive and see if I could get a Roller image at some other point on the trip, but deep down I knew this wasn’t going to happen.
After arriving home I was processing the bird images from the trip and I had a look at the Roller shots and they looked really bad, totally washed out. However, I had shot them in RAW and as I moved the exposure sliders I was amazed, the details that looked washed out now began to appear. I was staggered at the amount of detail that was still retained in the image - now I really know why I shoot in RAW!!

If this image had been shot in jpeg it really would have been lost, because those details that allowed me to recover this image would have been deleted automatically by the camera's processor.



I cropped the image in a bit and cloned out the light sky in the top left corner of the image and the straggly twig on the bottom of the main branch.

It was really pleasing to see that all was not lost, it’s not the greatest image – but what a relief!!

Later in the day that we saw the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Bulgaria, (previous blog), we walked further along the track while Vlado went back to get the vehicle. As we walked along we were being followed by a very cute little puppy who seemed to take an interest in us, probably because it didn't see many people there.



When Vlado returned Susan and I were watching Bee Eaters flying around the river about a hundred yards away. Just out of curiosity I said ‘Do you get many Wrynecks here Vlado?’ ‘Of course’ was his casual reply, ‘Would you like to see one’? He really was, without realising it, a master of the rhetorical question. In anticipation we drove to another location about a mile away and parked - up. ‘We may see some here’ Vlado indicated to a few bushes – (It was the plurality of his comment that intrigued us)! Then suddenly we saw movement and unbelievably we could now see four Wrynecks in a single small bush, an adult and three juveniles and above them, in the same bush, a Cirl Bunting and by the side of that a Red Backed Shrike!! If you saw that in the UK you would be dining out on that encounter for many years. I decided to concentrate on the Wrynecks, which were a bit obscured by branches, but one obligingly moved into the open and I gratefully took a shot.



One of the Wrynecks then flew out of the bush into the open and I carefully followed it until I could see it clinging to an old wooden post. I approached it very carefully - keeping hidden behind a dense thicket until I could get a few shots. It stayed there and was surprisingly quite confiding - I gratefully spent some time admiring this fascinating bird because you never know when the next one will come along.





There was great birding in this area and how I wished things could be like it back home!

After being back home from our trip to the Balkans we are now back on an even keel, because it takes a week or so to get back to normal. I’m in the middle of processing many images and there are some great moments to look back on. However, I needed a break so I spent a couple of hours in the bird hide in the garden overlooking my little nature reserve with its newly constructed elevated pool, (see previous blog). I’m pleased to say it seems to be working well and there are many birds coming to drink and giving photographic opportunities. It’s mostly common birds but there are some nice reflections and that is what I hoped to achieve.


Blue Tit.


Nuthatch.


Jay.


G S Woodpecker.

If there is one bird that has eluded us on our travels it is the Spotted Nutcracker, we frustratingly missed one in Poland and since then it has been a bird we have wanted to see. We outlined this to our guide Vlado, (short for Vladimir), and he took us to a site in the Vitosha mountains above Sofia to try and locate these enigmatic birds. Enigmatic because in winter when there are irruptions, albeit infrequently, of the Macrorhynchos - (Siberian race) into Europe, they can be very tame, but in summer the resident Caryocatactes race are not so confiding - therein laid the problem, it was mid – June!!
However, after some searching we could hear their rasping calls, similar but exaggerated and much louder than our Jay. We waited patiently until we could see a pair low down in a Norway spruce and at last a Spotted Nutcracker in front of my lens, what a great feeling!!

Susan and I have just arrived home after a road/birding trip through Bulgaria and Romania. We visited a diverse selection of habitats ranging from deeply forested valleys to expansive steppes and high alpine-like meadows and mountains. We sampled many different local cuisines, which in the main were very good indeed. We were in the company of our own private guides who knew the countries and their terrain in minute detail, enabling us to see many species that otherwise would have been impossible to locate. Both our guides Vlado and Dimiter were expert birders, and a great many thanks must go to them for their hard work, both in terms of navigation and finding a variety of difficult species. The company we booked with was Neophron Tours based in Bulgaria who have been providing wildlife tours in the Balkans since 1996 and we can highly recommend them. Everything was taken care of, from a seamless pick-up at Sofia airport in Bulgaria, accommodation, transport to all locations, all food - (and plenty of it), and drop off at Bucharest airport in Romania. In short anything we requested was provided without hesitation, so if you want to see the Balkans from a cultural point, or Birds, Dragonflies and Butterflies then they have an expert to guide you.
A series of blogs will follow and as usual a full trip report will be available in due course.
In order to lighten our equipment load while travelling, all images within these blogs and the subsequent birding trip report were taken hand - held with a Sigma 150-600 f5 -6.3 contemporary lens. I left my Canon ef600 f4 is ii lens at home purely because of ergonomics.

In the UK and especially the Brecon Beacons where we live, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is in steep decline. It is now a very difficult bird to hear let alone see and a birder can go years without seeing one. Unfortunately because there is no real explanation for this decline things are not going to improve anytime soon. It is also ironic, because if you do have the luck to see one they are not particularly shy and of our three resident Woodpeckers they are the least wary!
We were hoping to see one of these little Woodpeckers in Bulgaria or Romania because they do not have the problems that we have in the UK regarding crashing bird numbers.
We drove to an isolated area very early one morning, we were up and about just after first light every day to maximise the comfortable temperatures, because throughout this trip it was in excess of thirty degrees every day and getting up early when you are seeing nice wildlife has never been a problem for us.
As we wandered along a tree lined track adjacent to a river, Hoopoes, Golden Orioles and Nightingales were singing and we could hear Bee Eaters flying overhead giving their fluty trills. It was a real pleasure just to walk along and listen. I was watching a Red Backed Shrike, (as you do), in a bush.



Susan and Vlado were talking about twenty yards away and casually Vlado said ‘Steve, do you want a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’? If ever there was a rhetorical question!!
I hurried along and there in front of us was a male, I couldn’t wait to take a few shots.



I told Vlado that it didn’t matter what else I saw, my day was made just by seeing this lovely little bird.


The day, however, was not over, but that's for another blog........

We have seen Wallcreepers previously in the Pyrenees but they are always a nice bird to see anywhere. They live a precarious life nesting high up on very remote cliff faces in inhospitable areas.



They are a colourful bird when they open their wings to reveal the blood – red markings, but until then they can often go undetected.





They flutter around, high up on these cliff faces like a giant butterfly or even a Hoopoe and they have been named by some as the Hoopoe of the cliff face. We drove to remote areas in the mountains of Bulgaria and Romania to try and see these birds and in a few locations we could see them flying high above us and then perching on the cliff faces.





These birds spend their life clinging to vertiginous rocks ‘Winkling’ out small grubs, spiders and other insects.







We spent time in locations watching them go back and fore nest sites high up on the cliffs and it was a very pleasant way to spend early mornings.

When people hear a Cuckoo calling, usually in the distance, they just hear that sound of spring, but most never realise what’s going on in the Cuckoo’s life. The constant daily harassment from not only the birds whose nests they parasitize , principally Meadow Pipits in this area,





but other birds who join in, like Chaffinch.



Some may say it serves the Cuckoo right for laying eggs in other birds’ nests, but I will defend the Cuckoo because it is only doing what nature intended for it and I can’t help feeling admiration for this characterful and intelligent bird. When a Cuckoo is calling, usually from a perched position, although I have seen them calling in flight, there will be numerous small birds just sitting beside it.



and when it is not looking they will typically peck its tail or jump onto its back, purely to annoy it. If these small birds just perch next to a Cuckoo it will stay there but it doesn’t like being touched and if it is it will open its beak showing that blood red gape to the perpetrators.



Cuckoos can get really shaken up during these altercations some of which are quite vicious.







When these small birds’ antics become intolerable the Cuckoo will take flight, but unfortunately so do the same small birds and you can then see the classic flight image of a Cuckoo with a string of birds behind it, bearing similarities to a child’s kite with streamers attached. Then when the Cuckoo alights on a new perch the whole tedious scenario is repeated.



In between this constant provocation a male Cuckoo has to find a female, then hopefully mate successfully and then that female, who is also harassed,



has to show extreme cunning to get her egg into a host’s nest in just a few seconds. This whole performance must take place over a relatively short period of time. Cuckoos arrive here in the Brecon Beacons at the end of April and by late June it’s all over, so it has to be a well drilled procedure. I have to admire these birds if only for the scenarios depicted above.
I also love to hear their call when they arrive and miss it when they leave. We all love to hear a Cuckoo calling, it conjures up images in our minds of warm sunny spring days, and I for one hope it continues undiminished!!