The male displaying on the rock beneath the female.

So this is D Day  and we are now in to summer without a doubt.  I arrived at the cuckoo territory before 8 o'clock, confident that the early morning – well relatively early for me – would bring me some success.  I hiked up to the spot and began to set up.  Imagine my disappointment when opposite, I could see tents and people camping. I went to chat to them and discovered that they were about to pack up their stuff and leave. Even before they did I had some success though.  Their was the usual bubbling sound that I have associated with mating behaviour and first a female arrived in the tree followed with much excitement from both me and the cuckoo, a male. He landed close to her and with even more excitement, again from us both and carried on serenading her with that call song that we all know so well.

The female attracts her mate and watches him display.

At 9 15 the campers left and I knew that I was going to do better now, at least I hoped.  I was right because at 9.30 the male was back on the tree and I got some of the best views that I have had so far this year – not realising that better was to come in just a few minutes.  The male stayed in the tree for a few minutes before flying down to the ground and I was hoping it would perch on a really photogenic perch that I had seen it on – from a distance though- yesterday.  It didn't but instead it flew off ,strongly calling as it went, sex was on it's mind. The next event was the return of the female, followed seconds later by the male again. She remained in the tree but then some fascinating and extremely interesting behaviour occurred.  The male flew down to a rock where he proceeded to display to her.  He swayed slowly and deliberately from side to side and cocked his tail beautifully.  He then flew to a near log and carried on with the display.  All the while the female watched from above. It was as though he was in an arena and he was putting on a show for her, reminiscent of a lyre bird displaying in a lek. I was witnessing behaviour that others had rarely seen I would guess.  After a short while she left the tree and he flew after her very strongly and right above my head in the hide, just a foot or so from me, as I said,sex was on his mind.  When I had arrived this morning I had hoped for some good photo opportunities but I never imagined that they would be as good as this.