Kitchen Garden Forum

Has anyone heard the Cuckoo yet, i'm sure it was here this time last year.
I always think of a lovely Lady that has sadly died now, whenever i think about the Cuckoo. If you ever told her you had heard the Cuckoo, she would always say she had heard it two weeks before.

no cuckoo yet, but a blinkin' loud woodpecker t'other day

Not yet - "Cuckoo comes in April, Cuckoo sings in May".
Having said that it was April 27th last year.
Swallows arrived last Friday, three days earlier than last year.

As if right on cue, the Cuckoo is here this morning.
I'm sure i heard it two weeks ago though.

No, we haven't heard ours for a couple of years now and I'm wondering whether it was the same bird who arrived every year to the same territory and now perhaps it has died. I'm not sure what the lifespan of a cuckoo is. Can anybody tell me whether, like swallows, they always return to the same territory?

Hi Primrose,

The lifespan of a Cuckoo is about 11 years.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards


Kevin

No cuckoo yet in our village, but the willow warblers and blackcaps arrived yesterday, very much on cue, in fact, the willow warblers arrived on the same day (11 April) in 2005 and 2004 (18 April in 2006). Isn't amazing that the thousands of miles they travel to get here, their arrival times stay so very similar, presumably it's day length rather than temperature or local climate which determines their departure from Africa.
I have kept records of the first local appearances of butterflies, birds, frogspawn etc for more than 20 years (and also have local dates from 1908) and, although there are occasional anomalies, they have changed very little.
Saw the first swallow today in Wharfedale and further up the Dales, the housemartins are back, too.
Getting back to the cuckoo: it usually arrives here between 19th and 28th April, so I'll let you know!

I thought African day lengths were pretty much the same all the year round - or am I wrong?

No cuckoos here yet, but I do know a lady exactly like the one you used to know

Dear Zena, the first time i heard the Cuckoo was early in the morning, maybe this is why you havn't heard it yet.

We're still waiting round here - and have been for seven years now No cuckoos and not noticeably any swallows either.

Alan

As I said before cuckoo sings in May, heard it today.

ours arrived last week

Hi Alan,
No Cuckoo here yet but 22 Swallows sitting on the power cable yesterday evening. They are now all resident. Now waiting for Spotted Fly Catchers.
JB.

We have a garden pond, and have never seen so many birds coming to drink, it's got to be something to do with the lack of rain, but it is real treat for me.