Anyone heard the Cuckoo yet?

[stig 2]

I heard my first one on the 17th of march.We moved in october and its the first time iv heard them locally.Just out the back of my house.brilliant.One of my favorite birds.

[mad al 146]

I heard my first one on the 17th of march.We moved in october and its the first time iv heard them locally.Just out the back of my house.brilliant.One of my favorite birds.

 

Hell , that was early ................Al

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Mine arrived today

[OldTrapCollector 377]

I'll listen out for that, Juckler! Mate of mine asked me, last year, what the hell it was sounding like a baby goat or something. I figured it was just him being a c***. But then, that one massive tree which the cuck's favour is right next to his place. Maybe they've been sitting up there doing that and tormenting him?

 

Foewarned is forearmed. They'll be hear soon and I'll pay attention. Cheers! :good.

 

Ditch,

 

I think the 'bubbling' sound they make is made by the hens and the 'cuckoo' is made by the cocks. just a thought . . .

 

OTC

[buckshot 53]

heard one this morning

[cragman 2,812]

The bubbling sound is indeed made only by the female, but I doubt if many are here yet, males arrive first. The female tends to utter this noise shortly after laying her egg, it's a kind of celebratory song telling all and sundry that the deed has been done, (in the afternoon). The so called "laughing" call is what we call "Gowking" and is uttered by the males (they also "cuckoo", females don't) when they are challenging each other for territory, females or they are alarmed. I called one in last year and had it feet from my head as it came to see where the call was coming from. It was going bananas at me. Ours are due this week, normally around the 28th. I've studied them for years and could talk for hours on them. Each female Cuckoo will predate the same species of birds ALL her life and not various ones. Also, if you find an egg of the Cuckoo in say, a Meadow Pipits nest, then search locally for pipits nests, because the chances are that you will find another egg that has been predated by the same female. Her eggs will be almost identical and can be linked easily with the same female. I love 'em. Fascinating birds.

[byron 1,190]

The bubbling sound is indeed made only by the female, but I doubt if many are here yet, males arrive first. The female tends to utter this noise shortly after laying her egg, it's a kind of celebratory song telling all and sundry that the deed has been done, (in the afternoon). The so called "laughing" call is what we call "Gowking" and is uttered by the males (they also "cuckoo", females don't) when they are challenging each other for territory, females or they are alarmed. I called one in last year and had it feet from my head as it came to see where the call was coming from. It was going bananas at me. Ours are due this week, normally around the 28th. I've studied them for years and could talk for hours on them. Each female Cuckoo will predate the same species of birds ALL her life and not various ones. Also, if you find an egg of the Cuckoo in say, a Meadow Pipits nest, then search locally for pipits nests, because the chances are that you will find another egg that has been predated by the same female. Her eggs will be almost identical and can be linked easily with the same female. I love 'em. Fascinating birds.

but sadly decreasing

[cragman 2,812]

Quite right Byron. Besides poor food sources, habitat disappearing, surrogate parent numbers falling and bad weather to put up with, the europeans shoot the poor critters don't they, on passage?

[byron 1,190]

Quite right Byron. Besides poor food sources, habitat disappearing, surrogate parent numbers falling and bad weather to put up with, the europeans shoot the poor critters don't they, on passage?

not trying to be funny but some of these early cuckoo,s usually turn out to be collard doves. the times ive heard people say did you hear that cuckoo when its just one of the above. not saying that there are not early one;s especialy with this warming up job, but well you no what i mean and as for them[ europeans]say no more!

[targa 5]

Heard one on Sunday, and a night ago there was a Nightingale singing behind my garden.

[cragman 2,812]

Right on cue, heard him this morning behind the Keepers house..."Cuckoo" .

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Made it! There; Now, I'd just like to 'officialise' one more useless snippet of information about Cuckoo's, based on personal observation:

 

I went to bed just before dawn today. Thus I was outside beneath the full moon at just after 04:00. Guess what I heard calling, in the relative darkness? And this was all three of them too ~ my usual trio are back now then.

 

Point is, my hearing is now so f*cked that I'm painfully aware of simply no longer being able to hear a good number of bird calls and songs. They fall outside my range of hearing. But just the other day I listened to a shattering Dawn Chorus.

 

This morning though, that bit earlier, it was just the Cuckoo's. I'd there for like to provisionally submit that our mate the Cuckoo is probably the very first bird to break the nights silence

 

Anyone else confirm or quosh that one for us?

[juckler123 707]

Where i was watching them the cuckoo was first up but there were reed and grasshopper warblers singing all night along with the tufftys and geese bet if it was away from water Ditch it would have been

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Grasshopper Warbler. Ah! Now there we are see, Jucks? I know for a racing certainty I can no longer hear the Grasshopper (nor the Wood) Warbler. Had a Wood singing it's heart out, inches from my face, with other people around me. Just looked weird to me. Mouth opening and nothing coming out

 

Grasshopper? I was on the marshes with a mate and my ex wife when he turned to her and said, " Listen, you bitching c***. That's a Grasshopper Warbler. " (Well; ok. He didn't actually use that form of address. But that's the only way I can ever remember her.) Again, I couldn't hear a damn thing.

 

But then, if they were at it all night, then we should question wether they count towatds the heralds of dawn. Sort of taking the piss, aren't they? If they start announcing dawn's coming from 14:00?

 

Can I claim my Cuckoo hypothesis now? Go on. I want to write in to British Birds about it

[juckler123 707]

Go for it Ditch i would say its a fair assumption plus its a good time to be sneaking its eggs into the other birds nests as first light often finds the birds nipping off their nests for a feed.

I take it your ready for a hearing aid the Ditch me old mate