There has been a few wildlife moments in my life when my eyes have misted over with sheer joy and emotion. Today was one of them! As you may know I went back to Dartmoor on Monday morning just to check if the Cuckoo that I had photographed last year had returned to the same area. I was amazed to discover him, or perhaps another bird, back on the same patch and feeding in exactly the same manner, in the same week as last year. When I looked at last year's photographs I noticed the bird was on exactly the same perch as well, absolutely remarkable. I took some 'once in a lifetime" photos yesterday and I didn't expect to be able to better them but how could I not return to see him again. This is a bird species that most people struggle to see let alone photograph and I know lots of bird photographers have them on their wish list. The weather was cold and wet, can you believe it's June, but there he was in the trees as normal, calling away loudly and vigorously. I quickly got myself in a good spot just like yesterday, hid myself in my cam suit and with sundry items of cam stuff, netting and the like, and waited for a good view. It wasn't long before he was just above me but silhouetted against a grey dreary sky, not ideal. Then mysteriously he departed at real speed, straight over my head and down the valley. A few minutes later I heard a Cuckoo calling quite a way away and I assumed it was him but I sat and waited anyway, it was very pleasant and Whinchat and Wheatears were showing just in front of me so there was lots to see. It was 40 minutes before he came back and then the fun really started. I got the definite impression that he was tolerant of me, I was careful at first to be really still and as hidden as possible but when I moved to get a better view he didn't care nor when I moved a bit more. From time to time he flew down to the turf to feed. I had said yesterday that I hadn't seen him feeding on the ground but instead, he always carried his caterpillar prey back to a perch to eat. This is wrong because today I saw him eating smaller prey while still on the ground. You have to be careful not to make assumptions and make statements of fact without proper study. It was cold as I have said and I think that prey was harder than normal to find, this made hime more focused on his hunt for food and less wary of me I believe.
My first close encounter came when he glided down to a spot just to the left of a specially placed log. I managed to "lock on" to him and quickly took these pictures. The closest I had been to a Cuckoo. Look at his eye and the large pupil, it was dull which made the pupil un-dilated. The down-curved beak is interesting and the way that it is edged in yellow near the base which matches the orbital ring. When you are this close you can see details like this.
Eventually, as it got colder and colder and I was about to call it quits and leave him to it, but he suddenly glided down to perch on the log right in front of me. It was realy hard to get him all in the frame but thankfully I did by leaning further back with my camera resting on my knee, and still he wasn't spooked because while he was on this perch I took 74 pictures!
Just a bit of a closer look, nothing to add except to mention the Cuckoo's interesting toes which are "zygodactyl" that is, two pointing forward and two pointing backwards. Zygo means paired and of course dactyl must mean toes or fingers and it does. One of the interesting facts about a Cuckoo which makes them so interesting. Parrots have zygodactyl feet which makes them good climbers but Cuckoos definitely don't climb, so why the parrot-like toes I wonder. This is probably inherited from their ancestors who may have been climbing birds, thats only my theory and not anything that I have ever read.
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