Cuckoo

[Arry 18,497]

4 hours ago, Daniel cain said:

I always end up calling in hares when out foxing on the lamp ....was out with a member off here 1 night,he asked me 'why don't you use a slip lead?'I told him you soon see.......started calling,my bitch is gone....switch on the lamp and she's retrieving a hare from 20 metres away....first of 3 that night

Used to call hares when I was a young'en bit like a fox call with a sort of  kissing sound Lol. Used to do it for fun really but crouched down behind a hedge one day calling a hare in a lower field and a Hare came up from behind me honestly a yard away had a piss and fecked off, made me jump. No hares there any more sad to say.

Cheers Arry

[shovel leaner 7,648]

You can even call in rabbits. I’ve been mopping up some litters of Cubs on the shoot and last night I put my icotec fox caller just about 15 meters out from the side of a wood which has a large rabbit population. I retreated to cover , gave it a few minutes to settle down and switch the rabbit distress call on via the remote. About five rabbits stood up and then ran full pelt towards the caller and then sat about a meter away from it . 

[zandy01 3,575]

Had 2 different males coming to perches yesterday 

 

[Greyman 25,111]

As usual mate stunning, interesting cuckoo fact I saw on a program about them some time back, they are designed to look like a sparrow hawk so when they buzz the host nest the resident hen will leave long enough for them to lay there egg

[cragman 2,631]

2 hours ago, Greyman said:

As usual mate stunning, interesting cuckoo fact I saw on a program about them some time back, they are designed to look like a sparrow hawk so when they buzz the host nest the resident hen will leave long enough for them to lay there egg

They’ll lay regardless of if the host is there or not. They always lay in the afternoon and try to coincide it with the hosts being away from the nest, but it doesn’t always happen. As they glide to the nest, pipits especially will rise up and attack the female cuckoo with some ferocity, drawing feathers from the head of the bird. If you ever find a nest with a cuckoos egg in, look around the outside of the nest, there’s sometimes the odd cuckoo feather lying there if it was recent. I’ve watched cuckoos flying about and they’re always accompanied by a few small noisy birds. Some pipits almost welcome a visit by the cuckoo, as if it’s something of an honour

[dytkos 17,528]

Ta for that info. Interesting.

Cheers, D.

[Qbgrey 3,968]

I call my mate at work "the cuckoo"hes allways putting his tools in my bag so i carry all the tools about.

[bell 3,500]

On 24/05/2019 at 17:58, cragman said:

They’ll lay regardless of if the host is there or not. They always lay in the afternoon and try to coincide it with the hosts being away from the nest, but it doesn’t always happen. As they glide to the nest, pipits especially will rise up and attack the female cuckoo with some ferocity, drawing feathers from the head of the bird. If you ever find a nest with a cuckoos egg in, look around the outside of the nest, there’s sometimes the odd cuckoo feather lying there if it was recent. I’ve watched cuckoos flying about and they’re always accompanied by a few small noisy birds. Some pipits almost welcome a visit by the cuckoo, as if it’s something of an honour

Was  up at my bolt hole in the dales this afternoon...we always have cuckoo here, only a small ghyll but they come back every year...watched 3/4 different birds being followed by meadow pipits with some wheatear shifting around....proper upland niche birds.....

 

[Greyman 25,111]

10 hours ago, bell said:

Was  up at my bolt hole in the dales this afternoon...we always have cuckoo here, only a small ghyll but they come back every year...watched 3/4 different birds being followed by meadow pipits with some wheatear shifting around....proper upland niche birds.....

 

I,m a lowland inhabitant and we get cuckoos usually around water, I always assumed it was for the reed warblers nests ?? 

[jok 3,035]

I think so ,yes. I noticed on Tuesday that The Fox at Warton in being sold for development. The other is right on a river bank. Jok.

[bell 3,500]

7 hours ago, Greyman said:

I,m a lowland inhabitant and we get cuckoos usually around water, I always assumed it was for the reed warblers nests ?? 

Yes, you’re right GM, I guess they will be found mostly where their ‘hosts’ are found, like you say Reed warbler and then up at mine meadow pipits, great birds to see. 

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Can’t remember last time I heard a cuckoo,