Spring brings many wildlife delights and things to look out for, but one of the most anticipated sounds must be the call of a returning Cuckoo, usually around mid-April.
Although numbers of this iconic summer visitor have sadly fallen in many parts of the UK (thought in part to be linked to the changes of abundance and distribution of prey), numbers in the Lower Derwent Valley are holding up. The new ‘Birds of the LDV’ lists one on the 2nd April 1995 as the earliest to have been recorded, followed by others on the 6th and 9th April 1996, 10th April 2000 and 12th April 2014. However, the main influx still occurs in late April and early May.
The first calling birds were heard at Wheldrake Ings last week on the 10th April (making them the joint fourth earliest to have been recorded). Another individual then appeared this week at Melbourne on the 14th, with more expected to follow in the coming days, so please do let us know if you’re fortunate enough to hear one. The section of the Pocklington Canal in Melbourne is a particularly favoured haunt, along with the pool at Wheldrake Ings, with both areas being a good place to listen out for the distinctive ‘Cuckoo’ call of the male, and the less frequently heard ‘bubbling’ call of the female.
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