Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus (Linnaeus, 1758)

  1. One male, adult, 27th April-5th May 2000 (N.R. Milbourne).
  2. One male, adult, 28th April-5th May 2001 (N.R. Milbourne).
  3. One male, adult, 14th June 2003 (N.R. Milbourne).
  4. One male, adult, 28th May 2004 (N.R. Milbourne).
  5. One male, adult, 23rd June 2006 (N.R. Milbourne).
  6. One male, adult, 5th May 2007 (N.R. Milbourne).
  7. One male, adult, 22nd April 2009 (M.I. Pearce).
  8. One male, adult, 3rd-7th May 2011 (R. Mielcarek, N.R. Milbourne).
  9. One male, adult, 24th April 2014 (N.R. Milbourne).
  10. One, adult not sexed, 21 June 2014 (N.R. Milbourne).
  11. One male, adult, 20th June to 5th July 2015 (M. Patch, S. Davies, N.R. Milbourne, M.I. Pearce, S. Hale).
  12. One male, adult, 15th-25th May 2016 (M. Hynam, N.R. Milbourne, S. Davies), rising to two adult males, 26th-17th June (S. Hale, M. Hynam, N.R. Milbourne, M. Gillett), then one adult male to 28th June (N.R. Milbourne).
  13. Records since 2016 to be added…

The Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus become increasingly rare at the lake since the start of the century, so I’m gathering as many records since 2000 as I can to see if this is actually the case. There was certainly a drop in numbers recorded, but in the last few years there does seem to have been a slight turn-around, although it will be interesting to see if this is maintained. If you can add to these records, please send them for inclusion.

Andy Davis wrote that Cuckoo is “probably under-recorded with only 15 records…” in the 20-year period covered in his paper (1963-1983). So, it would appear that it has not been particularly common at the lake in recent decades, although there were five birds on 2nd May, 1964. Davis also records sightings of several juveniles including one with a Dunnock Prunella modularis. The British Trust for Ornithology has been radio-tracking Cuckoos in a bid to understand why they are declining. Today, the Cuckoo, once such a familiar harbinger of spring, is undergoing a rapid decline in England and moderate decline in Europe.

Bibliography (sources of information):

  1. British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) website
  2. Davis, A.H. Birds at Blagdon Lake 1963-1983. Bristol Ornith. 18: 102-116. Bristol Ornithological Club.
  3. Mielcarek, R. pers. comm.
  4. Pearce, M.I. in litt.

Last update: 5th December 2024