In search of the cuckoo...

This week I have seen a few postings of a juvenile cuckoo sighting at a couple of our reasonably local nature reserves.
I have never seen a cuckoo before so wanted to see if we would be lucky today.
After 5 hours on my work laptop, I finally decided "enough was enough!" This was supposed to my day off, and the sun had just come out!! So just before midday hubby and I drove to the nearer of the two reserves. As we got out of the car, a very nice man kindly informed us that the cuckoo had been showing well this morning so we were quite excited, but as we arrived at the general area, another birder told us he had just flown off after gorging itself on cinnabar caterpillars and it might be best to come back later, so we did. An hour later, after our usual route had not really elicited any blip-worthy shots, we returned and sat for an hour chatting with a couple of photographer/birders! As we were just about to leave(patience is not really my strong point where birds are concerned!), I pointed out what I thought was a kestrel and it turned out to be the cuckoo. :))
It landed on a post and the four of us crept slowly towards it with our lenses pointing right at it. I fired off a few shots, and then a really grumpy man on his daily walk we assume, pushed past us and just strided towards the cuckoo scaring it away. He was even asked by one of the guys to give us a minute to get some shots.....but no, he just carried on. And he didn't even have a camera or binoculars - how rude. Doesn't he know I needed to get a good shot to blip!!
Anyway, with that and a grumbling stomache, we headed home, hoping that one of the shots might be OK. I think this is the best one I have and I am pleased to have got this, given the horrid man's behaviour.

I have just looked up some information about the cuckoo on the RSPB site and found that it is on the Red List, which means that it is a globally threatened bird in conservation terms, so I am even more thrilled to have seen one :)

And with the World Athletics Championships just starting on TV, I am one happy lady this evening.

Hope everybody's day was as good as mine :)

Oh, and I should also mention the deliberate mistake on yesterday's post. When I go to Serbia next week, it's not Zagreb that I go to of course(that's in Croatia!), it's Belgrade!  Since I also have a trip to Zagreb planned and have been working with both countries this week, I just got them mixed up!. Doh!