The Cuckoo Returns: pictures and video of the local Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

On a cloudy night the lights of London reflect an orange glow over the local village and the faint rumble of the M25 can be heard. But even within such close proximity to London the surrounding fields can feel wild. Perhaps the quintessential sound of the British Spring and Early Summer is that of the Cuckoo. Hearing it suggests to me that the local fields are still 'countryside'.

Anthropomorphic alert - here is an amazing bird that flies in from central Africa specifically to commit a wildlife crime. It steals the parenting duties from a pair of smaller birds by adding it's egg to their clutch and then it's gone. And it does this year after year within 20 minutes of the village. It's always around the same spot, around the same time of year ... so surely it should be easy to get a good picture.

History so far has proved otherwise. Below is an assortment of pictures and video snippets. Different cameras and lenses, some from dawn stakeouts and others from lucky grab shots. I find the Cuckoo quite a tough bird to get a great picture of but I'm going to keep trying !

Cuckoo in flight. May 31st, 2008. A lucky grab shot with the Nikon D300 and 80-400.

A lucky grab shot from Eynsford village. The Cuckoo was seen calling from telephone wires by the river. As it took off I shot a few pictures with no regard for any settings. The modern camera proved to be relatively idiot proof and did all the work for me !

Cuckoo in the orchard. May 2nd, 2009. Nikon D300 and 80-400.

Missed opportunities in 2009. Further along the valley in the old Orchard. This Cuckoo was a total surprise and stayed with its back to the camera for some moments. No great shot there. The Cuckoo (or the female) was later seen at greater distance on a fence. No great shot there.

Cuckoo in the orchard. May 2nd, 2009. D300 and 80-400.

Dawn by the dead tree. A Cuckoo stake out, April 22nd, 2011.

In 2010 no Cuckoo was heard and I wondered if it would ever return. So when the Cuckoo showed up very early in 2011 I decided it was time to get a bit more serious. For several weekends I got up at dawn and staked out a dead tree that the Cuckoo was calling from.

Dawn stakeout for the Cuckoo in 2011 ... hmm this fancy dress was not so useful !

Despite looking like a scarecrow and sitting in a thicket the Cuckoo had my measure in 2011.

Cuckoo on the dead tree, April 25th, 2011. Nikon D3s and Sigma 500.

Cuckoo, April 30th, 2011. Nikon D3s and Sigma 500.

Despite the stakeouts the picture didn't really work out. One morning the Cuckoo was a no show, one morning I wasn't really prepared and the Cuckoo sensed my presence and flew off. I added some camouflage elements and sort of got the picture I was aiming for, but the picture turned out to be a bit average. 500mm on a full frame sensor was not long enough ! The experience did sow the seed for future wildlife stakeouts and hone a few skills. Fact: A camouflage hide works out much better than dressing up in a camouflage suit.

Cuckoo in flight at the Orchard. May 13th, 2012. Nikon D3s and 300 with tc2.

A single fly by in the Orchard. 2012 was really rainy and the Cuckoo arrived but never seemed to call. Without calling I never got to locate it aside from this single sighting.

Cuckoo, May 23rd, 2014. Nikon D800E with 300 and tc2.

In 2013 the Cuckoo was heard very infrequently and I didn't get a single picture. So in 2014 it was time to get more motivated again which yielded some picture improvements. The favoured perch was on private land but on a couple of occasions it ventured elsewhere. There was no consistent location so I didn't feel confident enough to get up really early for a stakeout.

Cuckoo, May 23rd, 2014. Nikon V3 and FT1, 300 with tc2.

This picture was taken at truly astonishing range. It's a novelty to be able to take such a picture but I've yet to take a wildlife picture I would want to print out with this setup...

Cuckoo in the orchard. May 24th, 2014. Nikon V3 with FT1, 300 with tc2.

... until about an hour later when I took this picture ! Although the pose is a bit awkward I'm quite pleased with this photo. A female (i think) Cuckoo in the Orchard. A few seconds later the male arrived while I was shooting video. The first time I'd seen two Cuckoos together which was a thrill.

Cuckoo on the dead tree. May 24th, 2014. Nikon D800E with 300 and tc2.

This was in-between heavy rain showers. I was really glad to have stayed out despite being rather damp !

Cuckoo, May 25th, 2014. Nikon D800E with 300 and tc2.

Cuckoo. June 1st, 2014. Nikon D800E with 300 and tc2.

Male and female Cuckoo. June 1st, 2014. Nikon D800E with 300 and tc2.

And a compilation of video clips.


The Cuckoo Returns. Cuculus canorus. from david armitage on Vimeo.

Sadly this sound and sight of the countryside is becoming rarer. The RSPB lists the Cuckoo as a 'Red' species and it faces many challenges both in the UK and in its Winter homes. Fortunately there's some amazing research into the Cuckoo from the British Trust for Ornithology here.

http://www.bto.org/cuckoos

Hopefully there will be many more opportunities in the future to take pictures of this beautiful bird.

Photographing Bluebells. A photo scrapbook of options.

Here are some great websites for seeking out Bluebell woods near you in 2014 or beyond.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/bluebells

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/bluebells/

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355828294779/

Some photographic subjects I return to often, taking pictures weekly or daily. But my thoughts only turn to Bluebells once we are into April, the clocks have sprung forward and the days are getting longer. Some years I may only walk up to the Bluebell woods once or twice before finding myself distracted elsewhere in the valley. The tree leaves grow thicker and the Bluebells fade for another year. This year I've wandered more often up to the woods and found myself thinking if I could do anything different photographically.

Over a few years I've tried some different photographic styles and techniques in the Bluebell woods. I thought I'd share a photo scrapbook of the options I've explored, none of which are fully successful. But them form the foundations for future photographic ideas to be tried out next year.

One thing that I've learnt from looking over the pictures below is how tough it is to get a consistent colour and look to Bluebell pictures over different days / years. I'll purchase a Grey card to check the white balance for next time !

The act of walking through a Bluebell wood is always memorable, the expanse of vivid colour, the smell, the sounds of Spring... But can it really be captured with a camera, at least by me. Maybe next year.

If you do visit the Bluebell woods, enjoy them but please keep to the footpath.

Panorama:

Best to orient the camera vertically and use a tripod but todays stitching software is good enough to make a fine panoramic image without. Some camera's (latest iPhone for example) will do this in the camera app for you. I like a wide image but not the really wide version which makes for an odd image format. At the really wide angle the Bluebells lose their feeling of density too.

3 frame panorama. Nikon D300, 80-400 f4.5-5.6 at 80mm.

4 frame panorama. Nikon D300, 80-400 f4.5-5.6 at 80mm.

4 frame panorama. Nikon D800E, 28 f1.8 at f8. 

16 frame panorama. Nikon D300, 24-85 f3.5-4.5 at 24mm.


Focus Stack:

You'll need a tripod and some discipline when shooting this. and You will also need some software to assemble the stack on the computer. Bluebells are so densely packed together it can take some trial and error (lots of error) to get a useful series of images to stack correctly.

10 frame image stack. Nikon D800E, 70-200 f4 at 110mm.

Blurred:

Bluebells with a blur. You will want a fast lens or a long lens to get this effect. Can look dreamy or filmic but can also just look like a big blurry smudge.

Nikon D300. Sigma 500 f4.5 at 4.5.

Nikon D3S. Sigma 85 f1.4 at 1.4.

Really Blurred:

Moving the camera intentionally when shooting. I really like the result of this but you'll have to try a few versions before you get something you like.

Nikon D300. Sigma 500 f4.5 at f9.

Nikon D300. Sigma 500 f4.5 at f9

High Angle:

It's always worth trying something different, so how about lofting your camera high above your head using a monopod or tripod. It's creates a distinctly different perspective but is nearly impossible to frame accurately. It's luck and perseverance rather than skill. It can create a pleasing picture though. I'll be trying this more next year !

Bluebells high angle. Sigma DP2 Merrill.

Low Angle:

Getting low to the woodland floor gives an interesting perspective, just don't squash any of the Bluebells. You will lose a lot of the background but gain focus on individual flowers.

Nikon D800E, 85 f1.8.

Nikon D800E, 300mm at f2.8.

Nikon D300, 80-400 f4.5-5.6 at 400mm.

Early in the Morning:

It's always worth getting up early in the morning for photography !

Nikon D300, Sigma 500 f4.5 at 4.5.

iPhone 4.

Nikon D3S, Sigma 85 f1.4 at 1.4.

Late in the Evening:

And it's always worth staying up till last light for photography !

Sigma DP2 Merrill. 30mm at f9.

Sigma DP2 Merrill. 30mm at f2.8.

Long Exposure:

I've tried the long exposure trick a few times. It's quite tough to avoid it looking like you just took a blurry picture. One problem I've encountered is that my neutral density filter is not completely neutral.

Sigma DP2 Merrill. 30s at f9.

Macro and close up:

Getting up close to the subject really slows down the photography and is great fun. Even better if you can add a Bee into the picture too !

Nikon D300, 80-400 f4.5-5.6 at 400mm.

Sigma DP2 Merrill with Canon 250D close up filter.

Sigma DP2 Merrill with Canon 250D close up filter.

Wide Lens:

Having owned a couple of wide lens - 14mm and 20mm - I thought I'd of taken lots of Bluebells pictures with them. After searching the Lightroom catalogue it turns out I'd hardly used the wide lens at all in the Bluebell woods. A really wide lens is a very attractive option but difficult to use successfully ... but I should of tried with the 14mm at least once ! Here's a couple of 35mm snaps.

Nikon D800E, 35 f1.4 at f5.6

Nikon D800E, 35 f1.4 at f5.6

Long Lens:

I'm always hoping for a Fox picture in the Bluebell wood and I've seen one running around a few times. No wildlife picture yet but the Bluebell pictures created with a long lens are excellent. The danger is that you can get unsightly and distracting elements in the foreground that are heavily blurred. You'll need a tripod too.

Nikon D300, 500mm f4.5 at f9.

Nikon D300, 500mm f4.5 at 4.5.

Nikon D800E, 70-200 f4 at f9 and 165mm.

HDR:

I've been using the D800E's in camera HDR function for some shots and really like the effect it can give. You've got to choose a still day to utilise it fully - the length of the exposure can introduce blur. This picture used the D800E's in camera HDR function and I also used a ND filter to lengthen the exposure - so the blur is intentional in this picture !

Nikon D800E, 70-200 f4 at 116mm and f9.

Infrared:

Hey you've got to try stuff out ! I've got a IR converted Canon S110 for some other projects so why not take some snaps. The light was very flat but it might be interesting with some light falling through the tree's and illuminating patches? Converted to black and white and slight copper tone added. Worth experimenting more with.

Canon Powershot S110 IR converted.

Canon Powershot S110 IR converted.

Canon Powershot S110 IR converted.

Canon Powershot S110 IR converted.

Canon Powershot S110 IR converted.

Flash:

I know nothing about flash but it's worth experimenting with. The Canon Powershot S90 picture uses the camera's Macro function with the flash for an interesting result.

Nikon D300, 24-85 f3.5-4.5 at f9. Flash.

Nikon D300, 24-85 f3.5-4.5 at f9. Flash.

Canon Powershot S90. Flash.

Creative Post Process:

Here the possibilities are even more endless than what you can do with the camera ! These are some very quick creations. I'm not sure I would want to print anything with this amount of manipulation but it's fun to play.

Nikon D300, 80-400 f4.5-5.6 at 400mm.

Nikon D800E, Nikon 35 f1.4 at 5.6.

Nikon D3S, Sigma 85 f1.4 at 1.4.

Well those are the options I've tried so far. Next year the aim must be to do better !