patsylabrador Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Hello, I was in Oxfordshire yesterday and I think I saw a cuckoo. Does anyone think that is likely as I think they migrate and I think they are quite shy. The hedgerows were full of fruit so I guess that might encourage them to stay. Also, there was a shoot going on which might have disturbed it. I have never seen a cuckoo before and I've done all the ID things and can't think what else it might be. I'd love to know what other people think it might have been. I saw it perched and flying and it definitely wasn't any kind of pigeon, or dove. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMitch Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 It may have been a Cuckoo. We still have a young one around our garden which is very late (hasn't reached its full grey plumage yet). They are quite distinct, though they do look a bit like a sparrowhawk if you can't see their beak clearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I think that I would struggle to recognise a cuckoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrensWorld Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 My money is on it being a Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I've only ever heard a cockoo as there was one that inhabited my mums garden for weeks. Pretty loud too. Quite a dawn chorus with the wood pigeons and her girls clucking. Haven't heard from it for the past few weeks though so i guess it's moved on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thanks for replies - the bird was grey and when it was perched it was sitting quite horizontally and not upright. When it flew it's tail was straight and didn't fan out. It had quite a langourous flight and not at all flappy. I really hope it was a cuckoo, that would be exciting. A sparrowhawk would be exciting too, I saw a huge brown hawk of some kind sitting on a post along the M4 near Reading near the field with all the white ponies, but it would be nice to have seen something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 We have growing numbers of buzzards around here and I never tire of watching them. We are also starting to see kites which are, like the buzzards quite laid back about life and don't seem to worry to much about getting quite close to people and showing off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sari Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 We have growing numbers of buzzards around here and I never tire of watching them. We are also starting to see kites which are, like the buzzards quite laid back about life and don't seem to worry to much about getting quite close to people and showing off. Same here.....I had a moments worry that the buzzard would try to take the chickens...I have had my head strafed by a sparrow hawk taking a wee bird off the feeder in my garden, whilst pecking out the washing. For a while it seemed as I was feeding sparrows for sparrow hawks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
