I have been hearing a cuckoo for the last few weeks and morning and late afternoon for the last couple of days.
Can anyone tell me whether they call for a mate i.e. would one call and then wait for a response or is it only the male or female calling as there only seems to be one calling.
This evening 7p.m., whilst walking the dog over the fields near us we heard a cuckoo calling quite regularly approxiamately every minute or so and this would last for about 6 to 10 loud 'cuckoos' then repeat.
As we do a loop on our walk we heard it all the way but as we turned to head home it seemed to move behind us in a densely wooded area. We saw a bird flying away from us to the top of a tree and it almost seemed as though it was the one calling.
Probably a lot to ask but the sites I've found online don't seem to mention much about the calling habits only that it's a parasite.
I have one very questioning 11 year old wanting to know more about these elusive birds and would love to tell him more.
Many thanks for any help.
Dear LuckyBustard,
Thanks for the info that's at least one bit solved with the calling query.
Couldn't really see much of the bird that was flying from us but it was about the size of dove / pigeon and it seemed to be that the sound of the 'cuckoo' was coming from it, would the cuckoo call whilst in flight?
I must admit we are very lucky where we are because we can walk along miles of countryside and see so much, we have a resident pair of red kites that we see often and also lot's of the regulars as well as the odd irregular. We last year saw a snipe and quite often see meadow larks andI we have greenfinches, chaffinches,green and lesser spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches, blue and great tits, robins and blackbirds all feed in our garden
LuckyBustard said:Hello! Kids are great at challenging us to learn, aren't they... Only the male cuckoo calls "cuckoo". The female has a very different song which is heard much less often. Just because you don't hear her doesn't mean she's not there. Sadly there are fewer cuckoos around these days so even to hear one is a privilege. We all know what a cuckoo sounds like but how many people would recognise the bird? To me they have the look of a bird of prey crossed with a song thrush - does that sound anything like what you saw? Long may your 11 year old keep asking questions. L.
PaPaeddd said: Dear LuckyBustard, Thanks for the info that's at least one bit solved with the calling query. Couldn't really see much of the bird that was flying from us but it was about the size of dove / pigeon and it seemed to be that the sound of the 'cuckoo' was coming from it, would the cuckoo call whilst in flight?
Hi,
I had never seen a cuckoo in this Country until last week when I visited Suffolk - then I saw 4 in two days!
I was with a friend - he has been bird watching for nearly 40 years and when we saw and heard a cuckoo overhead he said that has now quashed the argument over whether they sing whilst flying......
Great to hear about your other sightings.....any photos?
Graham
Hi
My only ever clear sighting of a cuckoo was of two together flying low over head - one of which was cuckooing for all he was worth! A wonderful view permanently etched in my mind.
CJ
Thanks to everyone for the replies. That now confirms that we 99% saw the cuckoo flying away and calling. I say 99% because I myself couldn't identify it.
Should really make sure I keep my camera at the ready on our walks, will post some when I get some good shots. We have a window feeder and I suppose it should be really easy to snap some birds as they're feeding.
Have just discovered we have 2 nests of blue tits under our eaves, one at the back of the house and one at the front under the porch eaves, we can hear the babies when we stand in the hall, such a lovely sound.
Heard two cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) in close proximity yesterday evening, they seemed to be moving towards us, quite a surprise when they flew overhead, calling all the while, only got a snap of one of the two males. They do look like a thrush-sized raptor, but obviously they're neither thrush nor raptor.