Cuckoos

[CWH]

We're absolutely SURROUNDED by vocal cuckoos at the moment, readily seen perching or doing a fly-past. So I've learned a couple more things I didn't know:
1. They continue "cuckoo-ing" while they're flying (unavoidable identification of which one was calling when it's just 15 or 20 feet away)
2. As they fly over (5 or 6 feet above ground) smaller birds gather in flight to watch them on their way - this morning, a small flock of gold and greenfinches, sparrows, buntings etc - but they don't harrass the cuckoos, which take absolutely no notice of them

And, of course, they don't stop calling day and night

 

[WellWornTraveller]

@CWH We have not heard any this year down on Romney Marsh.

Bernie

 

[CWH]

@CWH We have not heard any this year down on Romney Marsh.

Bernie

They must all be on their holidays here on Skye I reckon there are about a dozen calling consistently that I can hear from the front door.

 

[jockaneezer]

Heard one at Loweswater last week. A couple of years ago on Mull, you could hear them everywhere, made me realise how few I'd heard around home, used to hear them all the time "when I were a lad"

 

[DavidG58]

We haven't heard one yet either, but always see and hear more in Scotland, always amazes me why they fly so much further than they need to

Didn’t know about calling at night though

The first time I saw a cuckoo we were on a dawn walk locally, I asked if they called as they flew, with which one flew from about 50’ away cuckooing as it went

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[sylvester1954]

Wow.... So envious. Very Very rare to hear one down here in the South west.
On a massive positive witnessed 8 swifts over my house this evening and later flying to their regular nesting site in a nearby Chapel .. RSPB are asking for sightings.. 55%drop in numbers.

 

[Larrynwin]

We always heard them when we lived in the country but since moving by the sea have not

 

[Lanerboy]

We have heard a few whilst in france not heard one for years till this week

Wow.... So envious. Very Very rare to hear one down here in the South west.
On a massive positive witnessed 8 swifts over my house this evening and later flying to their regular nesting site in a nearby Chapel .. RSPB are asking for sightings.. 55%drop in numbers.

Things will only get worse now for all song birds since Chris packham got the law changed on pest birds like crows and magpies now being protected.

I watched a pair of magpies destroy a blackbirds nest and pulled all the new born chicks out and kill them all before flying off with them one by one in a neighbours hedge the magpies will become unstoppable if not kept under control they are disgusting birds

 

[CWH]

It's fun here.
Although the flock of "little" birds didn't harrass the cuckoo, just watched, today I’ve seen 2 gulls harassing a buzzard, and a raven harassing a golden eagle. The eagle was really flying hard until the raven turned away, then relaxed into soaring mode. How lucky am I!

 

[CWH]

Didn’t know about calling at night though

All night long with no reduction in volume ...
You (I) feel so privileged to hear them, then so guilty for wishing they'd shut up ...

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[DavidG58]

Just read a FB post from the western isles where they watched a Great Skua kill and eat a grey heron

The size difference is amazing, a gory concept but nature I guess, but always a tough balance when it comes to survival

 

[CWH]

Just read a FB post from the western isles where they watched a Great Skua kill and eat a grey heron

The size difference is amazing, a gory concept but nature I guess, but always a tough balance when it comes to survival

Herons are my sacred bird! - when I'm in a new place and I see one, I know I'm safe ... (daft I know, but there you are ...)

 

[Nirvanauk]

Strange, although I live deep in the country I haven’t heard a cuckoo in about 5 years.

 

[Kevinthecat]

I've not heard a cuckoo for years. :-(
We seem to have loads of crows , magpies and green parakeets. Yesterday while out, I went past a block of flats and heard starlings being very noisy . It appeared they had made their nest in a disused cable box and a crow was hanging onto the wall underneath the hole in the box trying to get the chicks. I scared it off but it just waited for me to leave and it went back. I ran back a scared it off again . I suppose it will just wait for them to leave the nest.
Many years ago a blackbird made its nest in the bay leaf tree on our front doorstep. It would fly in and out while we were at the door,. Unfortunately, the crows got all the chicks as they left the nest. All very sad.

 

[gus-lopez]

I watched a pair of magpies destroy a blackbirds nest and pulled all the new born chicks out and kill them all before flying off with them one by one in a neighbours hedge the magpies will become unstoppable if not kept under control they are disgusting birds

Didn't know they did that ?
We have large amounts of blackbirds around here for some reason & also large amounts of magpies. On 2 occasions I have seen 6 -8 magpies on the ground along with 3 or 4 cats. As though they were having a catch up. Started to doubt my first recollection until I saw it again elsewhere.
Some years back we had 4 magpies continually around the proerty & keep landing & walking about.Unfortunately Lopez, one of our dogs, didn't allow anything like that & I walked out the door one afternoon to find her sitting there with a dead magpie.
just killed it . No interest in eating it. Unfortunately for the rest of the day & the following day any time she ventured out from indoors or undercover the other 3 continually attempted to attack her.

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[Lanerboy]

Didn't know they did that ?

Please be aware graphic scenes magpie kills 4 barn swallow chicks watch with caution

 

[WellWornTraveller]

Read an article in a Sunday paper where, in North Africa, they erect mist nets along the migration routes of the swifts and swallows. Evidently this is why our small migratory birds are decreasing in numbers.

Bernie

 

[Janine]

I hadn’t heard a cuckoo for years until today!!!

Walking the dog across the nature reserve near the Oxford C&CC site this morning I heard 2 cuckoos. Wonderful

 

[Lanerboy]

Just read that the cuckoo only stays in its summer location for 10 weeks per year so this may be why we do not hear them much throughout the year

 

[Wildge]

We never heard one at all last year either but did at Kingsbury Water park last week
used to get them regularly around our old house about 15 yrs ago, but then we also had nesting Lapwings ! None of those at Kingsbury either unless we were too early ?
but on a more up beat note the Blue Tits have not been distracted by the previous warm spell and are now going berserk trying to make up for lost time, especially with all the new flying insects ! I
Greenfly killer banned till they have left the nest

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[Wildge]

Please be aware graphic scenes magpie kills 4 barn swallow chicks watch with caution

Hope Chris Packham's seen this ! ! !

 

[Wildge]

Herons are my sacred bird! - when I'm in a new place and I see one, I know I'm safe ... (daft I know, but there you are ...)

My daughter lives in Clumber Park, Notts and they had a large heronry there but she has not seen many this year !

 

[SuperMike]

Plenty of noisy cuckoos here in Sowf Frenchland. There is one who has modified its call to cuck koo koo. Strangely it’s most disconcerting.

Also something that sounds like an old trimphone, not seen only heard it. It goes on and on and on, you end up thinking come on mate you’ve got to come up for air eventually. Love to know what it is.

 

[tonyidle]

Hope Chris Packham's seen this ! ! !

I fail to see anything wrong with nature taking its course? Animals kill other animals. Sometimes they even eat each other. At least they don't factory farm their prey. Chris Packham is trying to prevent a free-for-all killing spree on so-call pest birds. At the moment anyone can use any means to kill these birds and no-one cares whether killing is necessary because they're 'vermin'. What he has done is insist existing laws are applied correctly so that where justified pest birds can be killed otherwise they're left alone. It will have no effect on farmers all of whom have good reason to keep down the numbers of certain birds.

 

[tonyidle]

Plenty of noisy cuckoos here in Sowf Frenchland. There is one who has modified its call to cuck koo koo. Strangely it’s most disconcerting.

Also something that sounds like an old trimphone, not seen only heard it. It goes on and on and on, you end up thinking come on mate you’ve got to come up for air eventually. Love to know what it is.

Probably a starling. They can sound like anything they want. One used to do the Trimphone song outside my parents house. It caused much hilarity / annoyance because they had a Trimphone at the time .

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[Lanerboy]

We have been in the mountains of France down in the gorges of verdon and now a little higher up to the east of Gap and have heard cuckoo's in all the places we have stopped at, I can't actually believe how many there are down in this region of France great to sit and listen too there calling travels such a long way

 

[SteveB123]

Cuckoo at Aber falls today

 

[CWH]

Ready to shoot the little blighters if they don't shut up!
Not really. It's great seeing them all over the place. Went down to Talisker Bay today and on the path from the farm they were calling from every direction.

 

[WellWornTraveller]

Finally heard one at Hole Park Saturday 18th but none on the Marsh where we usually hear them.

Bernie

 

[Baldybazza]

Plenty here in France plus hoopoes and golden aurioles (heard not seen - yet)
Bazza

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