Cuckoos are back

Flanders Moss NNR

It is always a pleasure when you hear your first cuckoo of the year. And this pleasure is getting harder to get each year as what was once a common bird declines. Flanders Moss is an excellent place to hear cuckoos.  As I went about the site on Monday there were at least 4 males cuckooing like mad. According to the twitter sphere the first bird was heard at Flanders on 20 April which is actually quite early, I didn’t hear my first till the 27 April (I don’t get out much) but from now onwards for the next couple of months you stand a good chance of hearing one there.
And why is Flanders such a good place?  Partly it is that there is a big population of song birds (another good reason to visit) and so plenty of nests for females to lay their eggs in but also there is a plentiful supply of big hairy caterpillars, cuckoos favourite food.
So why not take a walk sometime soon and get your cuckoo fix for the year.