12/05/19 - Cuckoo arrival

Spring brings with it many wildlife delights and things to look out for, but one of the sounds most looked forward to has to be the call of a Cuckoo, usually first occurring in mid-April. Although numbers of this iconic summer visitor have fallen in many parts of the UK, (thought in part to be linked to the changes of abundance and distribution of their prey), numbers in the Lower Derwent Valley are still doing well. Whilst not as common as they once were, good numbers have arrived back following the first of the year recorded at Melbourne on 10^th April. From recent survey work around the Ings and Pocklington Canal, 27 singing males have been located so far. The Pocklington Canal area at Melbourne is a favoured haunt of these birds and a good place to listen out for the distinct ‘cuckoo’ call of the male, and the less frequently heard ‘bubbling’ call of the female. The Bank Island/Wheldrake Ings/Storwood area also has at least three calling males, whilst Skipwith Common is another reliable site. Many thanks to local wildlife photographer Mark Hughes for the image below, taken in Melbourne in the Lower Derwent Valley.