Sound of my Childhood.

With spring a distant memory & this summer’s past it's peak. Did anyone hear the sound of my childhood? I can remember the sound clearly as we lined up after the bell rang at Lee Common School at break time in the eerie silence all those years ago. What am I reminiscing about?  The sound of the Cuckoo; once common during the spring (remember the rhyme). Hardly hear it in the village nowadays, I suppose if you’re new to the area & never heard it before, it’s like they say “what you haven’t had, you never miss,” Becky heard one calling last year at five in the morning, guess that was just passing through. I remember one about eight years back; that spent most of the morning calling from various spots around the village & lots of folks remarked about hearing it…. I guess it’s becoming like the Turtle Dove, Willow Tit & Dinosaur in our area EXTINCT.

The reasons are unclear; obviously changes in land management haven’t helped, along with the increasing urbanization of the countryside, many folks seem to move to the country then proceed to destroy it upon their arrival, with their modernization plans. Though a few have bucked the trend by planting native hedging & I've heard of an ambitious project to plant plenty of new hedging from one land owner, while a local farmer is creating a couple of wildflower meadows, so not all bad. With the birds only spending a small percentage of their lives with us & most of their lives in Africa. The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) began a Satellite Tagging programme back in 2011 to try & understand why there has been such a steep decline in their numbers in recent years. Click on the following link for more information   www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking?dm_i=IG4%2C5SV1S%2CQK10C6%   
 

We can all do our bit to help; let hedges grow taller & cut them later in the year or every other year, use less pesticide/herbicide, all will help encourage food & nest sites for the young Cuckoo’s foster parents; as well as other wildlife. As with all environmental issues, it’s a continuing uphill battle.

Don.