The humble cuckoo,”In April come he will,In may he sings all day”.

ps Panache - take no notice of any negative comments.

Some music to go with the topic:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHIhcstxUM

Thank you Fennel That was beautiful.
Time now for some Spring from Vivaldi.

I just found a poem I wrote recently, when pondering on the use of the cuckoo and why they leave their kids to be brought up by others. What else do they have to do from July onwards?

What does the cuckoo do all day?
He just sings ad nauseaum through April and May
By the end of June his work is done -
He's not interested whether it's a daughter or son.
He's free for the summer with nothing to lose
Do he and the missus go off on a cruise?

A very uplifting piece of music,thank you Fennel whilst as a lover of poetry, I enjoyed your thoughts on the Cuckoo and its habits JackyB.
I am now smiling picturing the cuckoo and his missus enjoying a cruise!!

Growing up in the middle of Manchester I don't think I've ever heard a cuckoo either. (or only from a clock!)

Ilovecheese I also grew up in Manchester and listened to the cuckoo in my nana's clock.
I remember my sense of wonder when I first moved to the countryside and heard a real cuckoo.

Panache, we heard our first one for this year last Tuesday (17th). We live alongside a nature reserve (South Coast) and I think we're one of the first stopping off points when they come across.
OH and I had a bet on for the first one to hear it this year, so I had to buy him a beer at the weekend as he heard it first! Have heard it almost daily since, sometimes very close to home - not seen one yet though, look forward to trying to do that through the summer.
We've also seen four swallows in the past week too. That and the sunshine last week convinced me to dust off my sandals, but I had to put my boots back on for work today ... four swallows and one cuckoo do not a summer make, apparently .
Hope you get a local cuckoo soon. x

Not heard one at all so far this year and I only heard it once last year too.

I heard the Cuckoo here in Loch Lomond National Park on Saturday. We always listen for it every year. We learned at school many years ago this verse:
The Cuckoo comes in April.
It sings its song in May.
It changes its tune in the middle of June and then it flies away.

The cuckoo comes in April
He sings his song in May.
In the middle of June
He changes his tune
And in July he flies away.

Sung in primary school, never heard it since.

Oops sorry rascal have duplicated that song....

Still waiting!!!
The house martins have arrived though and quickly settling back into their former nests and happily going haywire,
nose diving and teasing us as they fly around here in our courtyard.
Mind you it means we shall need to "be on the ball" as they certainly leave their mark underneath their nests!!!

No cuckoo here but the bats are back! Or rather, the bats have woken up and are flying around in the evenings.

The past couple of days the goldfinches have reappeared here. They tend not to come down into the garden much, sit on the tv ariels twittering away. Gorgeous little birds. We were walking in a wooded area of our local park last week and the trees were alive with nuthatches. No cuckoos yet though!

I heard my first cuckoo of the year on Sunday. I was also pleased to see and hear the skylarks.