BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND..............................................................................SCAUP CONDER POOL 5 MARCH PAUL ELLIS

Tuesday 10 April 2012

The Cuckoos are coming.



I'm quite confident my man in Kent Warren Baker won't mind my using his header pic of the Cuckoo for the introduction to my post for today. I'm also quite confident if he does he'll tell me so and it will be removed. 

I cant wait - this year especially - to hear my first Cuckoo, last year it came very late but was a delight to have heard one on 2 June from Harrisend. By 'especially this year' its going to mean that much more having learnt a lot about the Cuckoo through its migration back to Africa via an intriguing project by the BTO who satellite tagged five Cuckoos last summer the results of which have been an insight into the strategy of this seriously declining species through its migratory journey to Africa....and now they're coming back.

If you haven't been keeping up to date with these amazing birds I can tell you that Chris is now in north-western Italy near the town of Sarzana, Martin is in Lorca southern Spain, Kasper is still in Algeria in the north-west Atlas Mountains, and Lyster -  who appears to be the cause of some concern having made no transmission since 1 April - was last heard of in Ivory Coast, Clement unfortunately is no more having last transmitted on 25 February in Cameroon and - as a result of his satellite tag giving a low body temperature reading - was eventually pronounced dead.


I can recommend some very interesting reading regarding what these five Cuckoos did since leaving these shores last summer, and what they have been up to since including the start of their return migration to the UK....The BTO website is HERE


And finally....


Stonechat.Martin Jump. 

Martin got a photograph of the only female Stonechat on Clougha this year according to my observations on Monday 26 March....


Meadow Pipit. Martin Jump.

....he also got an excellent one of the Meadow Pipit on Clougha too. 

Thanks for the photographs Martin, and for the info prior to my visit regarding the only pair of Stonechats we both found on our respective visits here. Please try to support all us 'little bloggers' HERE

2 comments:

  1. Fingers crossed for your first cuckoo of the year.

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  2. I'd like to think this was going to be before the month is out Linda, but....who knows.

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