It was more of the same today. Yesterday I had been soaked through to my T-shirt which eventualy led to me packing up my gear and getting dry. I was worried about the gear, Pentax cameras are designed with 127 waterproof seals to withstand wet conditions, something that perhaps all those Nikon and Canon owners with their plastic bodies are perhaps not aware? But the £3999 Sigma 4.5 500mm lens isn't, so that was a concern. Today, I prepared myself a bit better and took something to cover the lens should it rain again and I needed it, what a summer we are having. The showers came and went, in the end, pretty much lke the Cuckoo. One arrived at 10.15 and by the time I left 3 hours later, at least 3 Cuckoos and probably 4 had visited. For well over an hour there was quite a tussle between two males. It was hard to tell them apart so at times I couldn't tell which was which but on one ocassion a Cuckoo flew down to feed on the grassy area from the back of the Hawthorn and while I watched, another Cuckoo was still on the perch near to me. They both flew around like a couple of fighter planes before one departed chased by the other but within seconds I noticed yet another bird still in the tree next to me, 3 had been there together all this time. On another ocassion a female flew in to the tree, skulked around as females seem to do, and then left as quick as she had arrived. So, four in all. My assessment of this is that territorial behaviour seems to be decreasing and perhaps they are about to depart on the first leg of their migration. An interesting hypothesis ocurred to me today concerning birds on migration. It's quite evident that being territorial, males on their breeding grounds do not tolerate other males. They appear to be loners, but on migration and in their winter quarters, who knows? It appeared that the BTO tagged birds were on migration as individuals, but of course there was no proof or evidence of that and the tagged birds could just as easily been part of a small group. It almost looked today as though a small group of males was beginning to form? I would be gateful for any thoughts and or evidence of this from your own experiences.
Finally, I have been in touch with the BTO and offered to pay for a tag for "my" Cuckoo. Discussion is taking place with the tagging team at the BTO to see if my offer is going to be accepted. I certainly hope so as no West of England Cuckoos have so far been tagged. The tag will be paid for by an inheritence from my mother and father, both very keen wildlife enthusiats, particularly my dad. The bird would be named after him and it would be a fitting memorial to his memory as well as a wonderful way to "watch" my Cuckoo as it migrates south and then winters in Africa. The Tag will actually contribute to science an a real way and the information gained will give an insight in to the life of Cuckoos and discover as yet, unknown facts about Cuckoos. Fingers crossed.
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