cragman 2,831 Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 Watched a female cuckoo lay her egg yesterday afternoon. It was a long day on the moor, but I got my reward. It took her twenty minutes to find the nest, lay and leave. 10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tatsblisters 10,832 Posted Thursday at 08:25 Report Share Posted Thursday at 08:25 Great find. What bird has the cuckoo laid its egg in its nest mate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cragman 2,831 Posted Thursday at 15:31 Author Report Share Posted Thursday at 15:31 7 hours ago, tatsblisters said: Great find. What bird has the cuckoo laid its egg in its nest mate. Meadow Pipit tabs. I didn’t have to work hard finding it, I watched her laying 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mackem 29,214 Posted Thursday at 19:15 Report Share Posted Thursday at 19:15 3 hours ago, cragman said: Meadow Pipit tabs. I didn’t have to work hard finding it, I watched her laying There's maybe 5 or 6 nests on display in the zoological museum in London,different clutches of eggs,but each nest contains a cuckoo egg. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tatsblisters 10,832 Posted Thursday at 19:57 Report Share Posted Thursday at 19:57 38 minutes ago, mackem said: There's maybe 5 or 6 nests on display in the zoological museum in London,different clutches of eggs,but each nest contains a cuckoo egg. Would love to see that mate. Must be one of the marvels of nature how a cuckoo can lay an egg in another birds nest and the single egg is similar in colour to the eggs of the host birds nest. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mackem 29,214 Posted Thursday at 20:01 Report Share Posted Thursday at 20:01 2 minutes ago, tatsblisters said: Would love to see that mate. Must be one of the marvels of nature how a cuckoo can lay an egg in another birds nest There's a small number of other birds around the world do similar,known as brood parasites. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tatsblisters 10,832 Posted Thursday at 20:06 Report Share Posted Thursday at 20:06 Just now, mackem said: There's a small number of other birds around the world do similar,known as brood parasites. Often wondered how many species of birds the cuckoo will lay an egg in their nests. I know when we were kids bird nesting when finding a dunnocks nest or a reed warbler always hoped they would be a cuckoo's egg in the nest but we never found one. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cragman 2,831 Posted Thursday at 20:16 Author Report Share Posted Thursday at 20:16 1 minute ago, tatsblisters said: Often wondered how many species of birds the cuckoo will lay an egg in their nests. I know when we were kids bird nesting when finding a dunnocks nest or a reed warbler always hoped they would be a cuckoo's egg in the nest but we never found one. Hi tabs, they’lll lay in a few. You’ll get Robin/cuckoos, Dunnock/CC, Reed Warbler/CC pied wagtail/CC pipit/CC etc and these will specialise in only one species. They may be others that drop an egg anywhere in the above birds nests. I think 50 odd birds have been recorded as being parasitised, but only a few are used regularly, as above. …insect feeders and eaters 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cragman 2,831 Posted Thursday at 20:20 Author Report Share Posted Thursday at 20:20 20 minutes ago, tatsblisters said: Would love to see that mate. Must be one of the marvels of nature how a cuckoo can lay an egg in another birds nest and the single egg is similar in colour to the eggs of the host birds nest. And size. The cuckoo is a large bird but it’s egg in comparison is tiny, otherwise the host bird couldn’t brood it 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 6,695 Posted Thursday at 21:36 Report Share Posted Thursday at 21:36 It's also mad how the cuckoo chick instinctively knows to turf the others out. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bangersanmash 4,506 Posted Friday at 09:05 Report Share Posted Friday at 09:05 11 hours ago, gnipper said: It's also mad how the cuckoo chick instinctively knows to turf the others out. Crazy how they lift them on their backs and push with the legs. Youve to feel for the other chicks on the floor. But that's nature a cruel world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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