23/05/2026
Two cuckoos in the woodland. There’s one that stays overnight, so I hear it at dawn, dusk and sporadically through the day. It’s the boys that make the sound, so I suppose it must be a territory dispute.
☀️
I occasionally spot one, and they look like a cross between a sparrowhawk and pigeon. The former design is so that they give the small birds a fright, enabling the females to lay their eggs. Once the small birds realise who it is, a chase ensues, and I’ve sometimes seen one being chased by a small flock, across the landscape. This creates an even better opportunity for the female.
🐣
In no time at all they’ll be heading back to the Congo, and the fledglings will be appearing. Cuckoos are highly endangered, and on the red list, the highest conservation priority, so I feel very lucky to hear and see them each year.
