Outings around Lausanne, Switzerland

[nan]

Luckily the cuckoo had chosen a dead tree You even got the little one It must have been difficult to find

I have never seen a cuckoo on the ground (Actually I have never seen a cuckoo if not far away flying )

Also with the little bittern you had luck

Even a bum shot

yes luckily... but flies a lot and not always on the dead tree
stayed about 2 hours to have those pictures

[nan]

Who is the cuckoo's mum?

Lucky indeed to have seen it and the bittern too

The last one is an ugly bug Or cuckoo fodder

European Reed Warbler, it seems she made the nest near the floor, it's what the cuckoo often goes on the ground. Will have a look next time... without disturb
I saw the Bittern several time... jumping from reed to reed... but Inside

[Mel]

A reed warbler is a rather small bird, isn't it?

[nan]

A reed warbler is a rather small bird, isn't it?

yes it is (13 cm vs 32cm, almost 3 x bigger )... you can see she (her) in the picture where the Cuckoo is on the right side, with wide open mouth and on the left there is the Reed warbler, not in focus

[Mel]

Ja, I had seen that, but couldn't a) make out what other bird it was and b) wasn't sure of the proportion.

It's amazing that birds let themselves be deceived like that

[nan]

Ja, I had seen that, but couldn't a) make out what other bird it was and b) wasn't sure of the proportion.

It's amazing that birds let themselves be deceived like that

it seems the Reed Warbler knows counting

when the real mother Cuckoo put an egg in the nest, she throw away one already here... like that the false mother doesn't see nothing = she knows count
And when the baby Cuckoo break its egg... it throw away the other chicks overboard

[Lisbeth]

Strange that the cuckoo mother was in the same place as the chick

[nan]

the parents are still around, but not at the same place... to contrôle if all is ok for the baby
and they will immigrate soon, much more before the chick

[Lisbeth]

Of course it's the step mother I did not look properly

[Flutterby]

Lovely cuckoo sighting!