Next Term's Wildlife 3: Cuckoo

All Cuckoo shots for this post (c) 2011 Chris Cox

The Cuckoo's call is one of the most iconic sounds of Spring, but is becoming progressively harder to hear. However, my classes will be visiting at least 3 venues where you can still hear them, and we have more than a 90% chance of seeing them. One of these sites is private, but we have permission to visit, and this is the location where the above pictures were taken only a couple of days ago. Class members will hear male Cuckoos 'singing', but they will almost certainly hear females bubbling, and probably hear the males 'gowking' (a stange belly-laugh) call too. By the end of this term, they will have learned many strange facts about this fascinating, but declining species.