The Lincolnshire Bird Club

A fine rufous-phased Cuckoo was flushed this afternoon in Barrows Gate which runs through North Somercotes Fen at the rear of the village. It was strongly barred black and rich chestnut on the upperparts and was much brighter than the more frequently seen rufous phase of the autumn juvenile. The spread tail was exceptionally chestnut in the strong sunshine and in my wife's words 'seemed particularly red'. It is the first adult female of this phase that I have seen for several years. After the very poor spring for this species, there have been a few new birds around over the past couple of days. There were at least five present at the south end of Donna Nook yesterday and there were four birds between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall this morning. Additionally, one or two have been calling in and around the garden during the same period.