1530 hrs and with the rain coming down and low scud clouds I decided on Leeshaw reservoir as a good watch point for passing Terns or waders in the ideal conditions .
The weather at Leeshaw was wet to say the least with dark low scud clouds on a light WSW>3. First off was a check of the Whimbrel field where 2 Curlews were present but no sign of the Whimbrel so on to the reservoir for a planned hour of watching for passing trade. That was until the Cuckoo started calling , firstly from long distance and then much nearer. This broke my concentration and I started scanning for the Cuckoo and once Id located its position my plans for reservoir watching went out of the window and with camera at the ready away I went.
I got the Cuckoo sat on a fence post but in the conditions with poor light and rain it was out of reach, even for Big Bertha. As I watched it in the bins another Cuckoo flew close by landing on a wall whilst another bird was calling 100yds to the right of them. As all this was going on a 4th cuckoo flew overhead chased by Lapwings and landed at the other side of the water. So now I,d 4 Cuckoos to go at but no photos so it was settle down under the cover of the wall and wait. Three of the birds were very active landing on the wall tops and fence posts but never near enough for decent shots other than the few above that I managed to salvage.
As the rain got heavier the birds headed for shelter which seemed like a good idea so I did the same and headed back to the car.
Not the afternoon I,d planned but too good an opportunity to miss with 4 Cuckoos on the move together.
BS