16/05/2019
I'm a
keen birder and photographer living in Ventnor, on the south coast of the Isle
of Wight, and regularly bird the environs of the village in the hope of bumping
into something unusual. On 21 March I decided to take one of my regular walks
along the seawall from Ventnor to Bonchurch. It was a dull afternoon so I
decided not to take my camera with me, instead opting just for binoculars
(something I later regretted). The sea defence wall is backed by chalk cliffs
with scrub, including brambles and various interesting plants.
While
walking I was aware of a largish bird hopping in and out of a patch of brambles
to my left. It was quite close, so gave me a good view through the 'bins',
allowing me to note the plumage. With a long tail, spotted upperparts, slight
crest and creamy throat fading to white underparts, it was a really
striking-looking bird. It stayed for a few minutes, then flew off around the
corner to the east.
I didn't
stay around but turned back quickly to the car to consult my Collins Bird
Guide, which confirmed that I'd seen a Great
Spotted Cuckoo. That afternoon I posted the sighting on our
local birding website. This brought about a reaction from some local birders who
I (mistakenly) failed to tell of my find! Being a relatively novice birder by
their standards, I was not at the time aware of the significance of this
rarity. I didn't realise that it was the only one in the country at the time −
and only the second-ever sighting on the Isle of Wight.
By next
morning the word was out. From 6 am onwards there was a flurry of lenses,
binoculars and telescopes making their way along the seawall, constituting a
mega twitch for the island. Fortunately, the bird was still around and in fact
it remained into April, feeding on Brown-tail Moth caterpillars. And in the
latter days of its stay, it started moving up the cliff face to feed on the
caterpillars of an Isle of Wight speciality − Glanville Fritillary. A change of
menu, I guess!
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