Famous Surrey cuckoo fails to return

A popular Common Cuckoo in Surrey, nicknamed 'Colin', has failed to return to his Thursley Common haunt this spring for the first time since at least 2015.

Colin became famous for being an unusually tame individual and returned to the Surrey site every summer for eight years between 2015 and 2022. The confiding nature of the bird and regular location means birders and photographers travel from far and wide to get up close and personal with a species that is often rather elusive.

Colin the Common Cuckoo at Thursley Common last year (Clive Daelman).

A small dark blotch at the bottom of his right iris has helped identify Colin since his early years, confirming that it is indeed the same bird returning each year. He regularly visited an area of the site called Parish Field, where he would often show at point-blank range for the gathered crowds.

However, there has been no sign of him so far this spring. At the time of writing [3 May 2023], while up to two male cuckoos have been present at Thursley, neither has been confirmed as Colin. It seems increasingly likely that he won't be returning in 2023.

The oldest known Common Cuckoo on official record was aged 6 years, 11 months and 2 days (an adult trapped and ringed on 5 June 1976 at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, and again at the same site on 7 May 1983).