Re Sach's thoughts on a possible recent influx of Cuckoo's...
While returning from shopping at CK's in St Davids, we took a short detour to avoid roadworks. We stopped briefly at the Dowrog, our first visit since March. It was a mizzly early morning and skylarks were feeding young which was nice to see. To my delight we then heard a cuckoo which seemed to be approaching from the direction of Tretio. They were a common sight where we lived in Pen Caer, twenty odd years ago and the spring and early summer resonated with their calls as well as the females bubbling reply.
And then ten or more years ago it was as if someone turned off the tap. I heard odd birds early on but none stayed. Some years I heard nothing of them at all.
We hung about at the eastern end of the Dowrog, as it seemed to be getting closer. Its call varied from the usual Cuckoo to Cuck -uk -coo. Eventually i saw its flickering flight as it approached landing on a telegraph line about half a mile away. Sadly it came no closer flying off towards the recycling centre/ St David's Airfield.. I vaguely remembered that at some time there was a variation in call so rang Graham Rees to pick his brain . As usual hew came up trumps and reminded me of the old country rhyme:
'The cuckoo comes in April, sings the month of May, changes its tune in the middle of June, and in July he flies away.
More like the middle to end of May, in this case but i am none the wiser as to why it changes its tune!
