Cuckoo ??? West Leicestershire UK (1 Viewer)

[jim48]

When feeding outlying stock on 6th.March I saw a bird approaching flying low (about 3m) towards the tractor, it jinked a couple of times enabling the wing shape to be seen, raptor like, with longish tail. The obvious suspect was the local male sparrowhawk, but flying across the middle of the field would not be normal behaviour , as was the height of flight. The weather was at best mucky,with quite a high wind. The plumage was blue/grey marbled with no decernable change for the breast. The bird passed the tractor by about 3m, flying about 2m. above ground, the bill was straight and fairly fine, corvine like not raptor like and hooked, the eye was dark , and a mustache. My identification was cuckoo but the date......A subsequent conversation with a neighbour about a fortnight later revealed that he was convinced that he had heard a cuckoo a couple of times in the previous week.
Any Ideas for an alternative identification?

 

[thomasclark1985]

Could it have been a male Merlin?

 

[KenM]

Could it have been a male Merlin?

With a straight bill?

 

[njlarsen]

Northern Mockingbird? Probably equally rare at the time as the cuckoo if not more

Niels

 

[thomasclark1985]

It was only a suggestion on something to look at, not an ID. Considering Sparrowhawk was discounted due to behaviour. Along with the “flying low, blue/grey, raptor like, moustache, & dark eye” comments. I know a Merlin doesn’t have a straight bill. Can you think of anything else other than Cuckoo that fits the ‘bill’?! ��

 

[Earnest lad]

May I also add (somewhat diffidently given my lack of expertise) that as far as I am aware, the given date might be too early by some considerable degree for a Cuckoo having arrived in the UK.

Others may overrule me on that point though

Furthermore, in my experience, it is quite often that non-birders say they have heard a Cuckoo when in fact what they heard was something else, such as a dove of some kind.

On the other hand, your obvious knowledge and clarity lends the suspicion that perhaps you are right and indeed the bird you saw was in fact an early Cuckoo.

I don't suppose it could have been a Mistle thrush could it?

 

[Fnagwaa]

There have been at least 2 cuckoo recorded already in east of England this year. Sounds good from the description.

 

[King Edward]

Behaviour doesn't sound unusual for Sparrowhawk to me. They often fly across fields, and often low to the ground or higher up. Given the level of uncertainty, I'm not sure how you could rule out Sparrowhawk from this, especially when you take into account relative numbers (i.e. they are going to be far commoner than Merlins or Cuckoos in March). Obviously it does depend on how well you saw the bill etc.

 

[Steve Lister]

The earliest-ever record of Cuckoo in Leicestershire is March 24th, way back in 1945. The normal first date is around April 12th, so if this was a Cuckoo it would be truly exceptional. I suspect it was probably something else; judging the shape of a small bill on a fast-moving bird is not easy.

Steve

 

[Earnest lad]

I am wondering whether in the event of no further progress the Rock Dove might be considered a possible candidate?

 

[tconzemi]

Cuckoo is not completely impossible, have a look at https://www.eurobirdportal.org/ebp/en/

 

[wally170]

I don't suppose it could have been a Mistle thrush could it?

My thought too
Although a fair amount of the description doesn't fit, but if the weather was bad. . . .

 

[pianoman]

Wouldn't be prepared to rule out Sparrowhawk or Merlin - you did mention a moustache. If the moustache could have been mistaken then perhaps the bill shape could be too. Not unheard of for a Sparrowhawk to fly low across a field.

 

[Earnest lad]

It is my experience that quite often lay persons see a bird and eagerly hope it to have been a Cuckoo, but many times it is obvious they havent seen a Cuckoo.

I think the nature of the Cuckoo appearance is that it is easily mistakable for other species. More so than many species.

Not that one is saying the person posting this thread is a lay person or has not got knowledge.

Nonetheless given the time of year the Cuckoo theory I would have thought (with due respect) to be improbable on balance. Even highly improbable maybe.

 

[jim48]

Uummm.... It was a highly unusual for a bird to approach the tractor in this way, most would be flying much higher probably heading for the hedgerow ash trees behind the tractor. These trees would give a raptor a view of the birdfeeders in a neighbouring garden, but the approach would be a bit blatent. Also raptors around here are inclined to keep a low profile as the local pair of nesting kites do not like potential predators anywhere close to the nest site(about 400m. away). I saw them seeing off another kite further away, and the buzzards that have been around up until about Christmas have disappeared. I have heard that a merlin has overwintered a couple of villages away. I have no doubt that the bill was not hooked but straight, and dark coloured. The bird passed the tractor cab by about 2m. and below my head height (most wildlife tend to see the tractor but not the person inside).
As for pigeons/doves- definitely not the pink ones, and the bill and breast colours in addition to size would be wrong for woodpigeon, as well as being too far from the village birdfeeders for the residents ,and way too close to the tractor for the migrants.
The jigs in the flight on the approach could be catching insects, as it was windy , so presumably low flying. It was also a day or so after the end of the spell of warm weather at the end of February/beginning of March.
Not sure about misselthrush or mockingbirds( the latter rare around here) Tend to agree about people hearing cuckoos. Where it not for the date I would be quite certain in the identification of cuckoo, so what else might be in the frame..... Thanks to everyone for the ideas.

Thanks again,
Jim.

 

[Earnest lad]

During the time I have been birdwatching, I have become aware of a phenomena I am calling "observer bias" in which the birder, when he sees a bird of unknown species, or when he only gets a glimpse or a brief view, in his enthusiasm, becomes affected by undue leaning towards identifying it as a relatively rare or more sought-after bird, when in all likelihood the bird he actually saw, is very very much more likely to be a commonplace bird.
I have been guilty of this myself in the past, so am not belittling the observer here.
I have known a few instances of persons (mainly laymen) claiming Cuckoo sightings, for example in gardens and other urban or suburban settings, when one really knows that that would be highly unlikely given the usual habitat of the Cuckoo.
That being the case, given the date of the sighting and also the birds apparent relative lack of fear (I understand Cuckoos are fairly shy usually), I regret I would personally lean toward a non-cuckoo conclusion.
It sounds like you may have seen either one of the small common birds of prey or a passerine bird of the countryside or something.
Could it have been a typically low-flying female Sparrowhawk in hunting mode?

 

[Paul Longland]

Whilst the early date would generally exclude Cuckoo, it is not impossible. We have experienced a very mild winter with unusually warm weather which has generally been similar across much of Europe. Remember Cuckoo is a "slow" migrant making its way to and from breeding territories in a series of hops, often stopping to feed for prolonged periods on the way. Its arrival would normally be timed to coincide with caterpillar hatchings leading it northwards. If due to the mild weather, there is plentiful food supply there is nothing that would have delayed or held back this birds arrival. it is also noted (albeit different species/circumstances) that there has been a vagrant overshoot GS Cuckoo on the isle of white for some time now. I suspect that most early arrival breeding summer migrants are simply overshoots in the same way as the vagrant ones that would not normally reach our shores.
We may never know for sure but it certainly should not be dismissed out of hand

 

[Nutcracker]

Last I saw, all the BTO's tagged Cuckoos were still in sub-saharan Africa, not even the Med yet. Thinking this is a Cuckoo is being in cloud-cuckoo land o

 

[tconzemi]

Last I saw, all the BTO's tagged Cuckoos were still in sub-saharan Africa, not even the Med yet. Thinking this is a Cuckoo is being in cloud-cuckoo land o

please have a look at post #11
the date isn't very well visible but these are Cuckoos recorded between march 5th and 11th

 

[Nutcracker]

please have a look at post #11
the date isn't very well visible but these are Cuckoos recorded between march 5th and 11th

Yep, saw it - compilation for that week for all time, and not one in UK