Stilllearning Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 We heard the first cuckoo of the year yesterday, while out walking with the dog. Perhaps spring has arrived at last, after a winter thateveryone here agrees has been a long cold and wet one. Has anyone else heard cuckoos yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 23 minutes ago, Stilllearning said: We heard the first cuckoo of the year yesterday, while out walking with the dog. Perhaps spring has arrived at last, after a winter thateveryone here agrees has been a long cold and wet one. Has anyone else heard cuckoos yet? It must be one of the very first! Of the Cuckoos being satellite tracked by the BTO the furthest north is just north of Linares Spain. The others are still in sub Saharan west Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuthound Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 46 minutes ago, Stilllearning said: We heard the first cuckoo of the year yesterday, while out walking with the dog. Perhaps spring has arrived at last, after a winter thateveryone here agrees has been a long cold and wet one. Has anyone else heard cuckoos yet? Are you sure it wasn't a pigeon with a stammer? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted April 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 52 minutes ago, cuthound said: Are you sure it wasn't a pigeon with a stammer? Yes, as it was in the same woods as we hear cuckoos in every spring, it is either the same bird or it’s descendant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughty Cal Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Not heard any yet but we are heading down onto the Witham this weekend and we usually hear them on there so will listen out for any early birds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Some average arrival dates may help in cuckoo finding. Cuckoos at Bird Observatories. Portland Bardsey Skokholm Calf of Man 19th April 26th April 3rd May 30th April Area examples. Hampshire West Midlands Leicestershire Lancashire Shetland 4th April 12th April 13th April 19th April 9th May Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Cuckoos are becoming rarer and rarer in the UK. In the past 4 years I've only got near them a couple of times. Another few weeks before the appear I think. Here is a shot of one I took last May up on Fair Isle, Shetland. Cracking Birds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheshire~rose Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 16 minutes ago, Dr Bob said: Cuckoos are becoming rarer and rarer in the UK. In the past 4 years I've only got near them a couple of times. Another few weeks before the appear I think. Here is a shot of one I took last May up on Fair Isle, Shetland. Cracking Birds. What a cracking photo! I have never seen one in this country. I have seen a couple of different species in The Gambia one of which could have been a bird that would be heading back to Britain now. It is sobering to realise how long we sat in a plane to get there without having to flap our wings to make progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 4 hours ago, Jerra said: It must be one of the very first! Of the Cuckoos being satellite tracked by the BTO the furthest north is just north of Linares Spain. Or a particularly stentorian one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Bit further South but ours have been making their voices heard for the last 3/4 weeks Also the Buzzards seem to have managed OK a few years back we used to have up to a dozen thermaling over the hill at the back of the house & they dwindled to around 3 last year but the other morning I counted 7 Sorry don't agree re the Cuckoo being a cracking bird It's bone idle depriving a much smaller species it's chance to reproduce & then gets the same poor bird to hatch & bring up it's off spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 48 minutes ago, X Alan W said: Bit further South but ours have been making their voices heard for the last 3/4 weeks Also the Buzzards seem to have managed OK a few years back we used to have up to a dozen thermaling over the hill at the back of the house & they dwindled to around 3 last year but the other morning I counted 7 Sorry don't agree re the Cuckoo being a cracking bird It's bone idle depriving a much smaller species it's chance to reproduce & then gets the same poor bird to hatch & bring up it's off spring I'm glad I dont have to fly from Africa up to Scandinavia every Spring. Hardly idle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 3 hours ago, X Alan W said: Bit further South but ours have been making their voices heard for the last 3/4 weeks That is truly amazing I suggest you report it to your local county bird recorder, I can probably supply contact details. Which county? As you will see above the earliest average arrival date is around 4th April and won't vary much more than a week either way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 8 minutes ago, Jerra said: That is truly amazing I suggest you report it to your local county bird recorder, I can probably supply contact details. Which county? As you will see above the earliest average arrival date is around 4th April and won't vary much more than a week either way. I think you will find Alan is down in northern Spain......hence the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Ah that explains it. Still interesting as the first of the BTO satellite tracked Cuckoos is has only just reached mid Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 (edited) 11 hours ago, Jerra said: That is truly amazing I suggest you report it to your local county bird recorder, I can probably supply contact details. Which county? As you will see above the earliest average arrival date is around 4th April and won't vary much more than a week either way. 11 hours ago, Dr Bob said: I think you will find Alan is down in northern Spain......hence the difference. Nope wrong side of the Pyrenees South West France around 150Km from the boarder 11 hours ago, Jerra said: Ah that explains it. Still interesting as the first of the BTO satellite tracked Cuckoos is has only just reached mid Spain. We have lived in this part of VERY rural France since 2004 & AFAIR only one spring since then has the cuckoo failed to call in late March early April where we are is a sort of Mini climate as the winds sweeping from the west are disturbed/deflected by the Pyrenees & Massif Centrale resulting in odd weather patterns that can change in a very short period of time example wind W/E go indoors for a cupa & on returning outside the wind will be blowing in a completely different direction Edited April 7, 2018 by X Alan W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted April 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, X Alan W said: Nope wrong side of the Pyrenees South West France around 150Km from the boarder We have lived in this part of VERY rural France since 2004 & AFAIR only one spring since then has the cuckoo failed to call in late March early April where we are is a sort of Mini climate as the winds sweeping from the west are disturbed/deflected by the Pyrenees & Massif Centrale resulting in odd weather patterns that can change in a very short period of time example wind W/E go indoors for a cupa & on returning outside the wind will be blowing in a completely different direction What has your winter been like? Here we have had a long wet and miserable time since November, with snow then, and in January February and the start of March. The spring may have finally arrived though, 23c yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 7 hours ago, Stilllearning said: What has your winter been like? Here we have had a long wet and miserable time since November, with snow then, and in January February and the start of March. The spring may have finally arrived though, 23c yesterday. Slightly wetter than the last 2 or so winters around 2" more rain fall than usual 2 separate lots of snow #1 around 4" but only lasted 3 or so days #2 couple of inches but disappeared by lunch the next day around a dozen mornings that the grass has been white (frost) but we have had more than usual winds from the North East so the wind chill has been worse than usual all the trees are in bud the hazel nut have shed their catkins we have Daffs cowslips forsythia all blooming in the garden & the One of our dozen or so cherry trees & a couple of the Mirabelle plum trees are in blossom hope we don't get a frost as that will muck every thing up Thought the Woodpile would last but if we have to have more than 3 or so fires I'll have to start on next winters stack should be OK though as I 've in total some 12 cubic metres that's been seasoning a couple of years + around 30 Cubic metres for 2019/20 split & stacked last autumn Out of the wind it's 25c & the wind just veered to blow from the south west Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted April 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 17 hours ago, X Alan W said: Slightly wetter than the last 2 or so winters around 2" more rain fall than usual 2 separate lots of snow #1 around 4" but only lasted 3 or so days #2 couple of inches but disappeared by lunch the next day around a dozen mornings that the grass has been white (frost) but we have had more than usual winds from the North East so the wind chill has been worse than usual all the trees are in bud the hazel nut have shed their catkins we have Daffs cowslips forsythia all blooming in the garden & the One of our dozen or so cherry trees & a couple of the Mirabelle plum trees are in blossom hope we don't get a frost as that will muck every thing up Thought the Woodpile would last but if we have to have more than 3 or so fires I'll have to start on next winters stack should be OK though as I 've in total some 12 cubic metres that's been seasoning a couple of years + around 30 Cubic metres for 2019/20 split & stacked last autumn Out of the wind it's 25c & the wind just veered to blow from the south west Everyone here, British and French, has been talking of nothing but how foul, long, cold, and wet the winter has been. Looking just now at the Metéo 60 website I see that you are probably being rained upon right now? For a change it is dry here, and last night we heard the frog chorus from the stream at the foot of the hill for the first time this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 6 hours ago, Stilllearning said: Everyone here, British and French, has been talking of nothing but how foul, long, cold, and wet the winter has been. Looking just now at the Metéo 60 website I see that you are probably being rained upon right now? For a change it is dry here, and last night we heard the frog chorus from the stream at the foot of the hill for the first time this year. Dull today but no rain cold enough for a bit of 'Chuffage" The old Back Lab went for a sniff but only out around10 or so mins then parked himself in front of the workshop stove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 On 4/6/2018 at 08:59, Stilllearning said: We heard the first cuckoo of the year yesterday How do you know this? Do you have ears listening across the whole of the country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Bob Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 Just now, Mike the Boilerman said: How do you know this? Do you have ears listening across the whole of the country? ......which country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 4 minutes ago, Dr Bob said: ......which country? Whichever one he meant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted April 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2018 It was heard in the woods by the railway line just outside the town of Le Dorat, 87210 France. Other cuckoos are no doubt available in other woods around France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted April 9, 2018 Report Share Posted April 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Stilllearning said: It was heard in the woods by the railway line just outside the town of Le Dorat, 87210 France. Other cuckoos are no doubt available in other woods around France As i "work" servicing Chainsaws, logging equipment, for a trying to earn a living company we come in contact with a goodly number of trees in forest woodland, plantations, etc needless to say on firing up the saw/s the call of the Cuckoo & most other bird song ceases my hearing of the cuckoo was Dept 46 Lot near to it's southern border Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWM Posted April 24, 2018 Report Share Posted April 24, 2018 Have been hearing cuckoo calls canalside at Lapworth for over a week now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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