Today, a colleague and I were walking down the cliff top path to New Roll Up, one of our reserves' five viewpoints, when I spotted a 'funny shaped bird' flitting by us on the seaward side. Quick as a flash Steve (my colleague) whipped up his binoculars and identified the bird as a female cuckoo. This surprised me as I always imagined cuckoos to look more like pigeons than this sleek, almost hawk-like creature. Good job I had a professional with me otherwise I’d never have known that I’d seen it! On a more serious note, cuckoos have suffered a serious population decline in the last few years and it's only with continuing conservation work that these birds will be able to stage a comeback. Fingers crossed that the RSPB and other concerned parties can help to make this happen.
Rachael Tulloch (Warden Intern, RSPB Fairburn Ings)