On this day - 13/04/2000

A very early start saw me and John Hague at a cold and damp Pennington Marsh in Hampshire. After a two-hour search from dawn, I eventually picked up our quarry - a superb first-summer Great-spotted Cuckoo. We got good views of it perched, in flight and feeding as it was constantly being mobbed by Meadow Pipits and Linnets. Also at this site were two breeding plumaged Slavonian Grebes. We then moved on to Stanpit Marsh in Dorset, where we had crippling views of a Marsh Sandpiper. All in all a great two-tick day out.