Clocked A Cuckoo

I went to Amwell to see if I could spot the cuckoo which has arrived recently. When Ollie dog and I went looking for it in 2021 the cows decided to follow us which was a bit unnerving.

A couple were training binoculars on something, they thought it could be the cuckoo but weren't sure. They kindly pointed it out to me. I took a shot just before it flew and sure enough it was the well-travelled bird.

We heard him calling and I walked with Michelle and Derek to a field. What a thrill, he was perched on a wire not far from a female cuckoo. (Extras) This is only the second time I have photographed a cuckoo. I got a very distant shot of one in flight at Heybridge Basin once and thought at first that it was a bird of prey.

I love the way male cuckoos stick their tails up in the air. That stance is pictured by CF Tunnicliffe in my Ladybird What To Look For In Spring book.