Very late cuckoo

Hi

I'm Conan and I've been a member for several years.

At 8AM this morning I heard a cuckoo calling. Before you ask, yes - I'm sure!
I live in Llanrwst in North Wales and this year we have had a cuckoo in the area during the Spring and Summer, calling from the same general direction as the call I heard this morning.

I was wondering just how much of an outlier this is, or if we will start to see later and later cuckoos as the climate changes.

I'll keep an ear out tomorrow morning at around the same time and even try to 'live stream' it somewhere so that there is a proper record.

Thanks for any further info.

Conan

  • Hi Conan, it is highly unlikely to be a Cuckoo at this time of year as they will still be in Africa but I have experienced the same sound as you heard outside the normal season which eventually turned out to be someone using a bird sound applet - playing the Cuckoo ! I can't think of other birds that sound anything like a Cuckoo but will leave the experts on this forum to give their suggestions.
  • Hi Hazy

    Thanks for your reply.
    I am aware that they should be in Africa, otherwise I would not have posted :)
    Nor is it someone with an applet as it was quite loud and I was out in the open air - so unless they have a loudspeaker pointed out the window, which would be very bizarre behaviour, I can't really come up with an explanation.
    Someone suggested a starling mimic but the timbre of the call is just too perfect.

    If/when I get a recording I will share it here.

    Cheers

    Conan
  • Hopefully one of the other forum members can offer suggestions Conan, some birds are good mimics although I've never heard anything similar to a cuckoo before. I had a Jay in the garden that could mimic buzzards and other bizarre sounds including an electronic game ! Good luck and hope you can solve the mystery.

  • Thanks Hazel. I do hope it is someone messing around with bird calls to be honest as otherwise it is a bird which really shouldn't be here.

    Best regards

    Conan
  • Just a bit of interesting news I read in the latest issue of Birdwatching magazine when a juvenile Cuckoo was seen a couple of times during November at Compton Verney (Warwickshire area) …………   a surprising sighting to say the least but genuine as there are photos to accompany the sighting -  so I guess the moral of the story is never say never when it comes to birds !