Over the last
month, BTO scientists have visited the Norfolk Broads, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
in Scotland, and Tregaron
bog in Wales
to tag and follow further Cuckoos. Eleven new birds have joined the ranks
alongside Chris and Lyster, including two male Cuckoos from Norfolk. This year we will be following a new
set of stories; will the Scottish and Welsh birds leave at a different time to
our English Cuckoos? Or perhaps take a different route, or even winter in a
different location?
Chris, one of the
class of 2011, is the first Cuckoo to leave the UK
and is currently in Belgium,
close to the Netherlands
border. Having been recorded back in the UK
on 1st May 2012 in Essex, he quickly moved back to Thetford Forest,
the area where he was originally tagged. He remained in this area until 9th
June when we had a series of poor-quality fixes. These were inconclusive but
when he transmitted again on 11th June he was near the town of Hoogstraten
in Belgium.
How long is summer? Well for Chris it was less than 6 weeks!
It's interesting
to note that Chris was the first bird to leave the area in which he was tagged
last year — some time between 3rd and 5th June 2011 — moving down to Sussex for a few days. He then
turned up in the Netherlands
approximately 20km (12 miles) NNE of Maastricht
on 17th June 2011. His current movement took him on the correct bearing to
reach the same staging area as last year but he stopped approximately 85km
short. Will he end up in the same place this year?
TheCommon Cuckoo
- Cuculus canorus
The Common Cuckoo - Cuculus
canorus – formerly European Cuckoo is a widespread summer migrant to
Europe, Asia and winters in Africa. Breeds across Eurasia, in the non-breeding
season it heads south it to sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
Adult males are slate-grey with
barred underparts. The iris, orbital ring, the base of the bill and short legs
and feet are yellow. Grey adult females have a pinkish-buff or buff background
to the barring and neck sides. Rufous phase adult females have reddish-brown
upperparts with dark grey or black bars. Common Cuckoos in their first autumn
have variable plumage. Some are have strongly-barred chestnut-brown upperparts,
while others are plain grey. Rufous-brown birds have heavily-barred upperparts
with some feathers edged with creamy-white.
Call
The male's call, goo-ko, is
usually given from an open perch. The female has a loud bubbling call.
Food
Diet consists of insects,
especially hairy caterpillars.
Breeding
Common Cuckoos first breed at two
years old. The Common Cuckoo is a brood parasite. It lays its eggs in the nests
of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the
host's nest, pushes one egg out, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process
takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding
season. The chick hatches after 11–13 days. It methodically evicts all host
progeny from host nests. It is a much larger bird than its hosts, and needs to
monopolise the food supplied by the parents. The chick will roll the other eggs
out of the nest by pushing them with its back over the edge.
Conservation Status – Least concern
Not threatened, in fact it is
widespread and common in Southern Africa. In
the UK
a marked decline in numbers.
Birdwatching
Cuckoos can be seen throughout
the UK, but are especially
numerous in southern and central England. Adults arrive in late
March or April and depart in July or August, with young birds leaving a month
or so later.
Ask Aves Birding
Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a custom tour for you or book on one of
the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding
Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari /
Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari /
Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour /
Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.