Cuckoos on Dartmoor

I often say on my blog that putting together a plan to get a good photograph and then having success is one of the most satisfying things that I ever do. Last week I had been photographing Redpolls on Dartmoor which meant that I had been sat for long periods of time between nest visits by the adults. As I sat, I repeatedly heard a Cuckoo not too far away and I was quite certain that it must be holding a territory and whats more, now I knew where it was! I investigated and found not only the singing male but a female and they were both feeding. I hatched a plan that involved getting myself concealed near the trees that they were both using to sight their caterpillar prey from. I used large fallen branches which I proped up around around one of the trees and then used cam netting to create a good cover. I set it all up yesterday and went back this morning. Female Cuckoos are known to lay in the afternoon and evening and consequentlly they spend the morning and early part of the afternoon feeding. It seems to me that the caterpillars that they feed on are not as active earlier on.

Only when the sun has warmed them up are they active and the cuckoos can see see them much more easily. This is a big help because it means that there is a window of activity when it is easier to see the birds. So when I sat myself in my rather uncomfortable hide I was really hopeful of success. Quite early on I could see a Cuckoo feeding in the normal way and just knew that it was only a matter of time before either the male or female used the trees just a few feet from where I was concealed. When it suddenly happened and a Cuckoo was calling in the tree right next to me, a mixture of excitement and smug satisfaction were my mixed emotions. It was frustrating though because it was a little high in the tree and the background was bright leaving the bird as a silhouette. Now that the male was here it was only a minute or so before the female showed up and that is her in the picture above. Note the brown suffusion on the breast. As well as this though, the male is a bigger, more elegant bird with longer wings.