Hi - Can anyone tell me if I am going cuckoo or could I have heard a cuckoo where I live? I don't think I have ever heard one before, but I have heard him cuckoo-ing away good style for over a week. Seems to be coming from an area of rough grazing / gorse and heather scrub land. There are NO trees anywhere near - it is the sort of area where lapwings and curlews nest. Is it possible?
Keith in Caithness - keen to learn more about birds!
It's very possible. Cuckoos occur widely across Scotland including the Highlands and islands. In habitat such as you describe, its primary host would be Meadow Pipit, which also breeds throughout Scotland.
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
Wow! That is brilliant! Thanks so much aiki I am really impressed!
I was out chopping some sticks when I heard the cuckoo again, so I thought I would take a walk up the hill to see if I could narrow down where he was since the sound seems to travel a very long way. Eventually I narrowed it down to a stand of fir trees surrounded by gorse and rough grazing ground at the top of the hill - when blow me, he flew right past me calling for all he was worth! Looked a bit like a long, slim pigeon with a long tail and pointed wings, flying no more than about ten feet off the ground and circling round the stand of trees. What a beauty! I was really delighted - my first cuckoo; and if it wasn't for the feedback from aiki I probably wouldn't have gone looking for him, so many thanks again. I am now officially a bit twitchy!
Hi Keith, welcome to the forums.
Great news that you have witnessed your first Cuckoo.
This link will give you an idea of the most recent reported sightings across the country.
http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=071014
This is another species that is of great conservation concern due to the serious declines in numbers.
The BTO run a number of surveys for recording sightings, you may wish to take a look at them.
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1632
Regards Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way
Thanks very much for that Buzzard. I have followed your links and I have recorded the sighting on the Bird Track website.
Hey Keith,
Really pleased you got to see 'your' Cuckoo. They are really wonderful, nothing else quite like them in Britain (though they do have a somewhat falcon-like look in flight with those flickery pointed wings). It sounds like you live in a great area for birds - looking forward to hearing about more of your sightings :)