I am glad to report that my photograph of a flying Cuckoo has been awarded the Birdguides Photo of the Week. Here is the citation from the Photograph.

"Last summer, Devon-based bird photographer Charlie Fleming won his first Photo of the Week with an action shot of two Kingfishers fighting. That image resulted from Charlie spending an extended period photographing the species locally, so that he was present when the unusual event occurred. This week, Charlie has once again proved the benefits of putting in the time as his three-year study of Dartmoor Cuckoos finally gave him a three-hour session with a feeding bird. The best image from this session is a flight shot of the sunlit bird against a background of defocused vegetation. The bird is well posed to show off both the characteristic shape and the underside plumage of this species. This photo, though, also illustrates two features that work particularly well for flight shots. The first is that the bird is photographed side-on: almost all bird photography is best done from the bird's eye level, rather than from above or below. With flight shots, this can be more difficult to achieve, but it's always worth striving for. The second feature is the use of an 'environmental background', rather than just plain sky. This gives a sense of place and can provide a better balance of tones compared with the typical high-contrast bird-in-sky shot. Just rewards for Charlie's perseverence getting to know these birds and their behaviour, as well as practising his technique to make the most of the opportunity."

Today has been amazing. Not seeing the cuckoo yesterday or the day before was disappointing, but I am obsessive and I don't give up easily, if I think there is a sniff of success then I am excited about the prospect and off I go! This morning was like that and it paid off wonderfully. Here's how it unfolded.  As I approached the area it was just starting to rain but I immediately saw the cuckoo as he flew from one tree to another on my right.  If I had not been aware or alert, I would have missed him, they fly quickly and low and are hard to see.

 As is quite usual, there was a Meadow Pipit in toe, Meadow Pipits hate Cuckoos and pester them constantly. A good way to spot a cuckoo is to look for this mobbing activity. Sometimes even if you can't see the Cuckoo, you know there is one there by the behaviour of the "mobbing" birds.

I quickly tried to take up a position hidden behind a wall but where I could see, and hopefully get close enough to photograph him. I took a few photos of him but as I moved closer he caught sight of me and off he went to a tree 100 metres behind.  I was confident that he would return eventually but it was going to take time and I was prepared to wait. I quickly put on my Gillie Suit on and camouflaged my legs and hid comfortably behind the wall…………… and waited……… and waited…….. eventually, there he was, back in front of me, feeding on the short grass by flying down to caterpillars that he watched for from a prominent perch. From time to time, the Meadow Pipits proved too much of a nuisance and they move to another perch to get away from them. As the morning progressed I managed some great photos but even better, I again managed to watch closely a bird that is so hard to get close to. I hope you enjoy the photographs.