Cuckoo 2011

Gardener3

I've just heard the cuckoo for the first time this year!

St. Leibowitz

Heard one yesterday for the first time this year, near Keshcarrigan, Co. Leitrim.

Ardilaun

Heard my first for this year yesterday morning 17 Apr between Cong and Clonbur

romulus augustulus

I envy you all ! I haven't heard a cuckoo here in this part of South Kilkenny for many , many years . Falling numbers seem to have done for them around here . Would absolutely love to hear one again .

littlebug

Ardilaun wrote: »

Heard my first for this year yesterday morning 17 Apr between Cong and Clonbur

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.

glenkeo

Heard one outside letterkenny this morning

marlin vs

romulus augustulus wrote: »

I envy you all ! I haven't heard a cuckoo here in this part of South Kilkenny for many , many years . Falling numbers seem to have done for them around here . Would absolutely love to hear one again .

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.

IrishHomer

Cuckoo calling on Clara Bog on 20/04/11

Cardynal

romulus augustulus wrote: »

I envy you all ! I haven't heard a cuckoo here in this part of South Kilkenny for many , many years . Falling numbers seem to have done for them around here . Would absolutely love to hear one again .

One calling on Knockrory hill above woodstock estate in inistigue a couple of evenings last week , have also heard and seen them on the bunclody approach to Mount Leinster the past few years.

emo72

never heard one at all. wouldnt even recognize the sound. maybe someone could put up a recording of it?

whyulittle

Watched a BBC programme on the Cuckoo before, and it really is crazy.

As if laying the egg in another birds nest isn't enough, once it hatches, it rolls the other eggs/chicks clean out of the nest! :eek:

Birdnuts

The aunt in Castlerea Co. Roscommon heard her first one yesterday:)

quinnthebin

emo72 wrote: »

never heard one at all. wouldnt even recognize the sound. maybe someone could put up a recording of it?

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/cuckoo/index.aspx

remembering

heard one today!

trebor28

whyulittle wrote: »

Watched a BBC programme on the Cuckoo before, and it really is crazy.

As if laying the egg in another birds nest isn't enough, once it hatches, it rolls the other eggs/chicks clean out of the nest! :eek:

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.

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

Connacht wrote: »

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

Connacht wrote: »

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?:D

sorry couldnt help myself!

romulus augustulus

marlin vs wrote: »

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

trebor28 wrote: »

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

littlebug wrote: »

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

artieanna wrote: »

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 ?

Mothman

2 heard in Glendalough/Laragh area on Sunday 1st May and one heard at home on Monday 2nd

ch750536

Theres a few around here, can be heard most mornings.

Birdnuts

I can report good numbers of Cuckoos from Erris, Hollymount and Breaghy areas of Mayo this week as well as Lough Lynn in Roscommon:D

homerhop

heard one tonight south of Athy.

Birdnuts

Is it just me or has the number of Cuckoos and their range increased hugely in this country in recent years - Just today I saw two for the first time ever in woodland near Blessington that I have watched for over 20 years and never seen this species in all that time up until today. Cuckoos have also been sighted over the last while in areas where they haven't been seen for many decades including places like Baldonnel and the Phoenix park etc.

This is obviously most welcome given their steep decline in many parts of the country during the 70's and 80's - I'm wondering whats boosting their numbers now??

Could it be factors in their wintering range or is something going on here

thyme

Just the one here last week and here he is, not very good I'am afraid.

sfakiaman

Heard my first cuckoo of the year yesterday in south Mayo. There seems to be fewer the last couple of years.

Tinytony

I saw my first cuckoo ever a week or so ago. Flew low across me on a passage way.

littlebug

Finally! I heard my first local cuckoo this morning:). South Mayo.

whyulittle

Would Cuckoos still be about at this stage? Think I saw one today.

St. Leibowitz

whyulittle wrote: »

Would Cuckoos still be about at this stage? Think I saw one today.

I don't think so. The ones the BTO were tracking in the UK left in June/July. http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking

whyulittle

Was a Sparrowhawk, which is what I thought it was when I saw it first.

But looking at it back on the PC, it looked more like Cuckoo. Oh well.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

They are often confused but Sparrowhawk it most certainly would have been.