Surrey365; Day 80. Colin the Cuckoo.

I’ve seen quite a lot of photos recently of a cuckoo called Colin. 😀 He has taken up temporary residence at Thursley Common NNR, and has been delighting birders with regular appearances at a certain place. I’ve never seen a cuckoo, so I thought I’d head down to see if I catch a glimpse of that elusive bird that’s so much more often heard than seen. It was an interesting insight into how carefully constructed a lot of wildlife photographs are; there were lots of branches laid in various positions, and liberal sprinkling of mealworms around them – just as we tempt the birds into our gardens with feeders laden with tasty goodies.

I felt a tiny bit inadequate turning up with my handheld bridge camera, joining the serious birders with their tripods and long lenses. It was a lovely half an hour or so, though, sitting out in the sunshine in a sort of gently meditative state of patient expectation. Colin didn’t disappoint; the cuckoo calls got closer, the binoculars were trained on nearby trees and the whisper went round that Colin was close, and then there he was on the branch. My photos aren’t the sharpest, but it was a really beautiful thing to see a bird whose iconic call I’ve heard all my life but never seen. I like the video, and there’s a bonus redstart in there, too. 🙂

Tags: Colin the cuckoo, surrey wildlife, Thursley NNR

• June 3, 2017
• Birds, Heathland, June, Surrey365, Thursley, Wildlife
• 2 Comments