Although my interest is in all the five satellite tagged Cuckoos, I decided to follow and sponsor Clement who has turned out to have been the bird to spring the biggest surprise on everyone by not only having left the UK at least one month sooner than anybody would have expected him to do, but hes also already near the southern tip of the south of France at the latest reading from his tag.
The Cuckoo is one of the UK's fastest declining migrants. Over 50% of the birds migrating between Europe and Africa have disappeared over the past 25 years. Knowledge about what the Cuckoo does once it leaves the UK is extremely poor, and not even basic information is known about the routes they take, hopefully this project will answer a few if not may of the questions about this enigmatic bird, the harbinger of spring, and the creature even the man in the street - who doesn't know a Robin from a Blackbird - can identify....the amazing parasitic Cuckoo.
Clement. Courtesy of BTO.
On a personal level, to date I've heard just four Cuckoos this summer, one on Birk Bank, one from Harrisend, and two in Bowland, on the negative side, despite five visits to Barbondale two reported there have escaped my attentions....but I'm intrigued to see what 'My Cuckoo' does next by following Clements Blog
I too am following the Cuckoo's pete. :-)
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to say the least with three of the birds having already left the country ahead of the norm. Perhaps something already being learned about the Cuckoo Warren.
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