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Post by 4wd on May 28, 2009 12:39:14 GMT
Story on BBC today about their apparent decline. For once RSPB didn't lay in to their favourite scapegoat (!) Must admit there were less the last couple of years and only heard one this time - we used to have a lot. This area certainly isn't dominated by intensive agriculture, becoming ever-more extensive more like.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 13:48:50 GMT
The last 2 years we haven't seen or heard 'our' cuckoo though there is one calling a few miles away and he was quite near at 3am the other morning. We don't seem to have as many small birds who's nest the cuckoo might like either - probably blamed on the hedgehogs - but just as likely due to gulls or birds of prey. Only yesterday there were 2 large black backs over the loch where DH saw a mother mallard take her 8 chicks - haven't seen them again either. That same loch I put an injured swan on a few weeks ago - that became an otter's breakfast. I have read that there were various problems in Africa regarding birds habitats resulting in a decline in swallows - so cuckoos too?
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Post by 4wd on May 28, 2009 14:00:27 GMT
It really is a bit mysterious where they've gone. You could speculate the last two summers have caused some losses. A lot of birds seem to have cycles of boom and bust in their populations. Swallows seem as plentiful as ever here anyway.
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Post by daveb on May 28, 2009 17:26:04 GMT
In 2007, for the first time in my life [over 50 years] I didn't hear or see a Cuckoo although last year and this there have been a few around. It did seem very strange not to hear one at all. As for Swallows there appear to be more around this year than for a few years glad to say.
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Post by oxenboy on May 28, 2009 19:06:02 GMT
definitely not so many cuckoos this year but have buzzards,barn owls, king fishers,kestrels,sparrow hawks and our last chicken (to old even for Mr Fox)
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Post by wr on May 28, 2009 21:32:58 GMT
Went to visit the inlaws on Monday and heard the cuckoo there. They get tired of hearing it from dawn til dusk.
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Post by breadboy on May 29, 2009 7:09:05 GMT
We still get them!
I heard them compare the decline of cuckoos to the decline of lapwings, yet lapwings are with us the whole year whereas cuckoos are a migrant (I think) so there are other factors not in out country that effect their numbers!
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