What birds (are you/have you been) watching? What birds have been watching you?

[Bryn]

Well I think you should log it on BirdTrack at the very least, or contact RSPB/BTO - given the interest in cuckoo movements, a major event. Plus there should be info on cuckoo records further south....acc. to the BTO, the cuckoos being tracked are still in Africa..... - so be prepared for some scepticism....

I am all too well used to the call of collared doves, with their double 'hoo' followed by a 'huh after a brief hiatus. They perch on my chimney cowling and their calls echo down the chimney into my living room. No, what I heard earlier, through the open window, was the call of a cuckoo. It is early, I know, but one was also reported around this time last year. The most recent report of a tracked bird in Africa I can find is from late February this year. On the off-chance of it being heard tomorrow, I will set up my little Zoom H2n in the garden, with its hairy hat on. Set to record at 320kbps mp3 it will run through the day on a single charge.

[greenilex]

I imagine climate change has its consequences in the cuckoo world too?

[Padraig]

I imagine climate change has its consequences in the cuckoo world too?

. I used to hear the cuckoo every year

[oddoneout]

I imagine climate change has its consequences in the cuckoo world too?

There appear to be several factors involved in the decline. The effect of climate change on the nesting times of the 'host' birds is thought to be one. I used to hear several birds, especially when working on my allotment but over recent years the numbers have dwindled and last year I didn't hear one, whereas my sister in the far NW of Scotland hears more and more each year. One memorable telephone call to her last year was to a loud soundtrack of two competing birds who were in her back garden in full view about 15 foot away from her conservatory. Apparently an alternative migration route from the Congo has led to numbers increasing in Scotland.

[ardcarp]

Last time I was on the Isles of Scilly in the Spring (must have been 2015) each island seemed to have its cuckoo. On St Mary's, we had the unusual experience of seeing one for several minutes as she perched on rocks. I hope they are still there. Haven't heard one in Devon for years.

[ardcarp]

Siskins on our seed feeders for the past few days. Pretty birds.

[doversoul1]

The first yellow hammer has arrived. One yellow hammer does make the start of the gardening season.

[Vox Humana]

I'm not long back from three days in Singapore and five weeks in New Zealand that were full of the most amazing birds. A friend in Singapore whisked Mrs Humana and me round some of the local birding spots. Highlights included a White-bellied Sea Eagle, crackingly close views of a Yellow Bittern, four different types of Kingfisher, Long-tailed Parakeets and Pink-breasted Parakeets. Javan and, particularly, Common Mynas occupy the ecological niche that Starlings do in Britain. Red Junglefowl now ignominiously joins Wild Turkey and Helmeted Guineafowl on my world list.

New Zealand was full of amazing birds (not to mention the scenery). Autumn was just beginning and the wader roost at Miranda on North Island held a few thousand Bar-tailed Godwits, many Pied Stilts, over 1,000 Wrybills (a small wader with a bill that bends slightly to the right) and other things. My favourite birding spot on North Island, though, was Zealandia, which had almost all the lowland forest birds, including the flightless Takahe (a large, blue football on legs), Kaka (a large parrot) and Stitchbird (an attractive, endemic passerine only found on islands and in predator-proofed reserves). In the Arthur's Pass area on South Island we saw some of the upland specialities, including the notorious Kea (a parrot with a reputation of pulling the rubber bits off cars). Particularly memorable were the seabirds: Yellow-eyed Penguins and Little Penguins (aka Blue Penguins), five species of albatross, five of petrels and half a dozen types of Shag/Cormorant. I can highly recommend the boat trip shown in this video.

[Serial_Apologist]

Something remarkable I heard this afternoon was a male blackbird twice answering the call of another, at a distance of about 100 metres, with exactly the same call. I have heard about this phenomenon somewhere, but never myself observed it. After that second call and response, the initiator repeated the same motif, to which there was no response this time, and then reiterated it one final time, as if to say, "Hey, you out there, didn't you hear me the first time?"

[Richard Tarleton]

I passed my annual hearing test this morning - grasshopper warbler.

Vox - all pretty mouth-watering!

[Richard Tarleton]

PS....this from the BTO re cuckoos. Daily tracking.

[vinteuil]

.

... swifts!

Along the Thames at Hammersmith.

Always a special day




.

[ardcarp]

Thanks for the cuckoo link! I didn't see any lines coming from The Isles of Scilly...where we're hoping to go in May and where, in the past, we've always heard and occasionally seen cuckoos.

As for swifts, ours (or should it be 'ours') haven't returned yet. Sand martins are back though.

[Richard Tarleton]

Saw my first sand martin today! A few swallows about, but so far no swifts (lovely, vints). My first spring migrant was....a garganey - wheatear slow to catch up, but I've now clocked or heard most things I should - including whitethroat and lesser whitethroat, grasshopper and sedge warbler, white wagtail....one or two hoopoes knocking about the county....

[HighlandDougie]

Although I'm just a touch further south than Hammersmith, I was delighted to be greeted this morning by a small flock of swifts swooping around the balcony and the eaves of the rustic slum. Late this year but at least the suddenly very warm weather means that there are plenty of insects for them on which to feast. I heard a cuckoo yesterday, the short-toed eagles are back and the olive trees, which I thought had been killed off by the awful weather last month, seem to be perking up a bit - so all seems better with the world.