[emo72]

well, would i hear one in lucan or surrounding area?

[jmkennedyie]

Lucan - unlikely. I think Irish cuckoos have a preference for meadow pipit host so you need to aim for that habitat. Have heard them where bogland and forestry meet in Kildare and Wicklow. E.g. Glendalough. Also Aran islands.

[Connacht]

Lads, am here recovering from having heard 5 and seen - yes, seen - 4 cockoos today! At Clonbur

[John mac]

heard one yesterday and today in Foxford
(sunday and monday)

[littlebug]

Originally Posted by Connacht

Lads, am here recovering from having heard 5 and seen - yes, seen - 4 cockoos today! At Clonbur

I spent an hour in Clonbur today and not one cuckoo to be heard

[trebor28]

Originally Posted by Connacht

Lads, am here recovering from having heard 5 and seen - yes, seen - 4 cockoos today! At Clonbur

what are these "Cockoo's" you speak of?

sorry couldnt help myself!

[romulus augustulus]

Originally Posted by marlin vs

There was one calling out in Holly Lake yesterday,and one calling out in Ballykinsella (Tramore road) today,whatever part of south Kilkenny you'r in you'r not far from the lake.

Thanks for that (and to Cardynal) . I'm not too far from Holly Lake , but am obviously too far to hear him .I remember hearing the Cuckoo around this area up to the early 80's , but not since . Numbers have declined alot since then I'm sure .

[darjeeling]

Originally Posted by trebor28

think i saw that programme.

another good point about them is how they can change the colouration of their eggs to suit whose nest they are laying in.

they also said that its a good strategy for them as they could lay about 8 eggs in different nests as opposed to just laying about 4 in their own nest.

The common cuckoo species as a whole does this, but individual females always lay eggs of the same colour, patterning and size, and stick to parasitising one host species - the one that originally fostered them.

Studies suggest that the genes determining the appearance of the egg are only inherited from the female bird (probably on the W sex chromosome), so females can mate with any males and yet still lay eggs with all the attributes needed to fool the host species. This is what stops the cuckoo from splitting into sub-species - one for each different host.

The evolutionary arms race between cuckoo and foster parents has fascinated biologists for years. A program on the radio a couple of weeks ago talked about some of the research done. It should still be available to listen here.

[Ardilaun]

Originally Posted by littlebug

Was this in the Woods/ along the trail? I'm a bit further south and I haven't heard a cuckoo in the 8 years I've been here. I must take a walk in the woods one of these fine days.

Littlebug I live down near Golden Bay and hear him most still mornings. Heard him this evening and went up the road to see how close I could get and spotted him on the very top of a very tall tree. This was about 45 mins ago and it was hard get photos on my phone. It was also getting dark. Managed to record him tho so thrilled with that

[Durnish]

The Donegal Dawros cuckoo has arrived. Just got a text message, not from the cuckoo.

[littlebug]

Heard my first cuckoo of the year just outside Castlebar this afternoon

[wgsten]

I was over in the west last week and i heard plenty of them calling in and around Oughterard. I managed to get a photo of one (a little hazy). They are very wary birds i found it difficult to get close to one to get a clear photo.

[magicbastarder]

heard one near drumlish in longford yesterday.

[artieanna]

I think the cuckoo numbers must be up in the west this year I heard four in different areas on one day last week and regularly hear her during the fine weather. One landed on a tree right over my head and was cooing her heart out. Another landed on esb wires a short distance from me. Apart from this only seen her once on top of a eircom pole, had binoculars to hand at the time was superb

They remind me alot of a sparrowhawk in their colouring and pattern on their feathers....

[romulus augustulus]

Originally Posted by artieanna

I think the cuckoo numbers must be up in the west this year I heard four in different areas on one day last week and regularly hear her during the fine weather. One landed on a tree right over my head and was cooing her heart out. Another landed on esb wires a short distance from me. Apart from this only seen her once on top of a eircom pole, had binoculars to hand at the time was superb

They remind me alot of a sparrowhawk in their colouring and pattern on their feathers....

Interesting that you should say that you think that numbers are up . As I have mentioned previously in this thread , there are no cuckoos near me , but it does seem to me that there are more summer migrants than usual, blackcaps , chiff-chaffs and willow-warblers are the ones that I have noticed there being more of than last year at least . Has anyone else noticed this too or is it just me ?