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First Cuckoo

First Cuckoo


Postby CharlesT » Sun Apr 12, 2020 7:46 am

The first Cuckoo heard this morning here in West Oxfordshire. Calling now from across the field opposite. That's about ten days earlier than previous years.

Something to be cheerful about for once.
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby Caberfeidh » Sun Apr 12, 2020 8:37 am

I love to hear the first cuckoo of spring, but soon it becomes a repetative pain in the ears; I was once stuck at Backhill O' Bush bothy in the Galloway Hills with a bloody cuckoo which would neither shut up nor go away, as I kept shouting at it to do.
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby CharlesT » Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:11 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:I love to hear the first cuckoo of spring, but soon it becomes a repetative pain in the ears; I was once stuck at Backhill O' Bush bothy in the Galloway Hills with a bloody cuckoo which would neither shut up nor go away, as I kept shouting at it to do.

You were in its territory and it was letting you know about it. I once camped near Ullapool and found myself between at least two competing Cuckoos who kept it going all night. It pales after a while.🙄
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby Caberfeidh » Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:20 am

CharlesT wrote:
Caberfeidh wrote:I love to hear the first cuckoo of spring, but soon it becomes a repetative pain in the ears; I was once stuck at Backhill O' Bush bothy in the Galloway Hills with a bloody cuckoo which would neither shut up nor go away, as I kept shouting at it to do.

You were in its territory and it was letting you know about it. I once camped near Ullapool and found myself between at least two competing Cuckoos who kept it going all night. It pales after a while.🙄


Indeed. And they're so difficult to hit with a catapulted stone... :shock:
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby MaximusGreatest » Tue Apr 21, 2020 6:47 am

I love to hear that, it must be a beautiful creature.
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby Marty_JG » Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:57 pm

BTW there's a cuckoo-themed horror movie out at the moment, Vivarium with Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg.

Well worth a stream.

Might put you off cuckoos a bit, though. :?
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby tweedledog » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:48 am

First cuckoo here in North Argyll yesterday (22nd April). Looking back at my records of the last 7 years that counts as slightly early. Most commonly they arrive around the 25th/26th, though one year one arrived as early as the 16th and issued plaintive solitary calls for a week or so before joined by others.
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby nigheandonn » Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:40 am

CharlesT wrote:That's about ten days earlier than previous years.

Something to be cheerful about for once.


Nah, just means you have to go back to worrying about global warming! ;)
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby CharlesT » Thu Apr 23, 2020 1:04 pm

nigheandonn wrote:
CharlesT wrote:That's about ten days earlier than previous years.

Something to be cheerful about for once.


Nah, just means you have to go back to worrying about global warming! ;)

It was only here for a couple of days before a bitter north easter returned and sent it scurrying south. It's warming up today so it may be back, more in line with its usual appearance.
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Re: First Cuckoo

Postby CharlesT » Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:15 pm

North Easterly winds abated, temperatures approaching 20's and he's back today. Hooray!
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