A Cuckoo at Easneye Woods

I have been looking out for the returning Cuckoo at Easneye Woods after encountering him last year and managing a few pictures. In 2020 I first saw him on the 12th April, however with the colder weather and northerly winds he was later and my first glimpse was on the 24th April. At the time of writing he is still showing well.

Cuckoo's tend to return to the same locations and I am fairly certain that it is the same bird as last year. He really loves the wires and telegraph poles, which while ideal vantage points are not the best for photography! In a bit of friendly rivalry with Colin at Thursley, he has been nicknamed Cuthbert. Over the following days, the plan was to try and get some more natural pictures.

With some ground shots in the bag, the next step was some perched in more natural locations. With patience, he landed in a few suitable spots.

Flight shots proved tricky as he was quick, darting down and back up, and difficult to track against the woodland background. I managed a few shots however.

He is generally a reliable bird and it has been really good that a number of people have managed to see and photograph him.