I finally gave in today and drove down to Thursley Common in Surrey to spend some time with the returning Cuckoo that’s taken a liking to having his diet supplemented by the locals. The merits of feeding it I’ll leave for others to debate but although I took no food with me there was a supply of caterpillar.
I arrived early but it took me about 90 minutes to find the field that the Cuckoo uses to feed despite following the calls of another bird for about a mile in the wrong direction. I enjoyed Stonechat, Redstart, Woodlark, Wood Warbler, Hobby and Buzzard to name a few before finally arriving at the correct field to find the Cuckoo sitting perched up in front of the five photographers already enjoying it.
I managed a few quick shots before it flew off and despite waiting three hours the bird didn’t return. So in five hours on site I had about five minutes of the Cuckoo but enough to fire off a few rounds. Lizards and a single Adder were also seen whilst waiting for the bird and a Redstart kept us entertained at close quarters. I popped into Frensham Common but failed to find the Red-foot through a complete lack of effort if I’m honest.
Brian Anderson
Essex Birder using the blog as a diary of my trips around the country chasing birds. Enjoying the places it takes me and the people I meet along the way. Great to spend time with my Dad and brother as we chase our year lists and grow our life list in the process.
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