[thenovice]

Just wondered if anyone has heard one yet this year? In my part of kent, numbers were really down last spring, I only heard one a handful of times. With such a wet cold summer, there would have been few catapillers about for them, so im a little concerned. Saw my first swallow of the season on the 16th of april, late this year, so would like to know what you folks have seen and heard around the country. 

[thenovice]

Sorry, just noticed the other thread. Heard and saw the skylarks, in the field next door a couple of weeks ago. First chiff chaff on the 11th of this month. Heard the black cap last sunday, at Sissinghurst Castle lake.

[Backinwellies]

cuckoo here in Brecfa Forest  Carmarthenshire yesterday.

[thenovice]

Heard it this evening, whilst mending some stock fencing, wonderful. Its amazing what you can see and hear, because you are out in the fields because of being a smallholder.   

[colliewobbles]

Heard my first one this morning at 6am when I was walking the dogs - we are in South Norfolk.

[Marches Farmer]

No cuckoos here in the Marches yet. Skylark has been singing intermittently for about 6 weeks, swallows arrived on the 15th.  Found a wren's nest between two hay bales at the back of the stack yesterday and she'd laid one egg so far.

[colliewobbles]

We also had a blackbird that had fledged about a week and a half ago - fully feathered - which I thought was very early.

[luckylady]

Saw a yellow budgie in the hedgerow yesterday - had to do a double take but, yes, it was definitely a budgie in the middle of the countryside.  Does that count? 
Have heard the woodpecker hammering away but not a cuckoo yet.

[Possum]

No cuckoos in Somerset yet. But we've had swallows for about 10 days. Heard a chiffchaff and a whitethroat a couple of days ago.

[Greenerlife]

Spooky.  Heard my first Surrey cuckoo this morning! 

[mwncigirl]

We heard the cuckoo here two days ago, Snowdonia, North Wales. Really exciting!!!
 

[MAK]

Yep cuckoo here too ( La Creuse, Limousin).
has anyone watched Cuckoo on BBC TV - Love it.
Can you eat Cuckoo ?

[thenovice]

For me eating a cuckoo would be like having a giant panda steak, black rhino bbq ribs, or tiger curry, not very conservation minded. Mind you, on the continent they shoot and eat anything that moves, and couldn't give a monkeys. They have the If it moves, its fair game mentality 

[MAK]

So true - they eat anything here in France and I was being ironic.
I think rural poverty meant that the meat from a rabbit's jaw or eating a small bird whole needs to be kept in persepective - at the same time of eating anything that moves they made bread from chestnuts and habitual meals still include a dandelion salad as much as anything that can be shot over the winter.
Back to the cuckoo.

[thenovice]

Sorry, it was said a little tongue in cheek  . Being honest, we are all a little jealous of the French markets, and their attitude to food, and the fact,  as you said they still eat all the local goodies. How do you find living in the Limousin? That area of france looks wonderful