Gardener finds injured rare cuckoo in Rochford and nurses it to health

Joel Ashton came across the bird laying on the side of Lower Road, Ashingdon, and not moving.

Rescuing it before it was hit by a car, the 34-year-old took the bird to his home to find it had a slight limp and feathers missing.

The cuckoo on Ashingdon Road, just inches from being hit by traffic

Joel, from Rochford, recorded the cuckoo’s journey and posted a documentary on his YouTube channel “Wild Your Garden”.

He said: “I immediately went to a shop and bought several cartons of mealworms and began to encourage it to eat, along with raw egg and ensuring it was not dehydrated.

“The next morning the bird was a lot brighter, hopping around in the bath and preening itself – a good sign he was almost on the way to a full recovery.”

Cuckoos arrive in the UK in late April after spending the winter in Africa and are listed as a severely declining species.

Joel initially found the bird on June 30 last year.

Over the next 12 days the cuckoo built up its strength and by day six it helped itself to mealworms from a box. Two days later, it took flight.

Cuckoo rescue Rochford

On day 12, Joel’s two children met the cuckoo and he contacted the British Trust for Ornithology to have the bird ringed before release.

Eight days later, the bird was taken to a relative’s garden, close to where it was found and prepared for a emotional farewell.

Joel, who has run wildlife garden business Hazelwood Landscapes for 15 years, added: “It was quite an emotional point knowing that in September he would be following the same path as his parents and heading off some 4,000 miles to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“My relatives are keen gardeners and will be keeping an eye and ear out for him come April, if they see or hear him I will be over there like a shot.”

Anyone can view Joel’s the videos by clicking here.

Release - Taking flight