Trip reports

KENTMERE VALLEY, Cumbria

Saturday, 10 May 2008

On a "bad birding day" cuckoos can be the most elusive of birds but 10 May was not such a day, in fact we had excellent sightings of 2 males and fleeting views of a female.

But to start at the beginning, 2 members of the group had hardly "got their eye in" when they saw a spotted flycatcher doing as its name suggests from a bush. Unfortunately it flew and was the last sighting of that species that day.

Entering the beautiful Kentmere Valley from the south and taking the gentle path along the western side of the river and mere we soon came into an area of mixed woodland/farmland where blackcaps, garden warblers and willow warblers were all singing. Those with a "good ear" helped the rest of us identify the songs and eventually spot all three species. Further along the path a tree pipit was spotted on a fence post; it obliged by flying up and "parachuting" down in the classic fashion. Nearby a nesting box, spotted low in a tree drew attention to another elusive species, the pied flycatcher, as it darted backwards and forwards with food for its young.

After about a mile and a half we reached the hamlet also named Kentmere at which point the footpath climbs moderately steeply through woodland onto the low moorland. It was at the point where the two habitats meet that cuckoos were first heard calling, then one was spotted in an isolated tree about 150 yards above us. Telescopes were set-up and good views of one of the birds obtained, this proved to be the calling male - a second bird, probably the female, disappeared into the foliage. Satisfied that everyone had seen the male bird, and keen to get to the lunch point, we moved on only to see another calling male cuckoo about 50 feet away at eye height on a tree in the steeply sloping field. The bird called and displayed in what I suspect will be, for most of us, the best ever sighting of this species.

Lunch in a brief light shower was followed by a walk through the moorland above the valley which increased the total of birds seen by adding meadow pipit, skylark and curlew.

The path eventually dropped back to the valley floor and the river where a dipper was busy collecting food for its young.

Although the number of species seen at this time of year is always limited by the foliage on the trees, this proved to an excellent venue for an early summer walk with sightings of some of the "more difficult" species.

Derek Sidebotham

Library photo: spotted flycatcher

Note: this report relates one of the 25 birdwatching trips organised by Wigan RSPB Local Group each year - you can find out about future trips on the EVENTS page of this website.