Silence in the countryside is usually a good thing. If that means the absence of road traffic, aircraft noise and man-made bustle allowing us to better appreciate the sounds of nature. But not if silence is a gaping aural void left by something as familiar as the cuckoo. We are too far into the decline… Continue reading
Posts tagged BTO
Exit cuckoo, pursued by climate change?
‘The cuckoo then, on every tree, Mocks married men; for thus sings he, “Cuckoo; Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O, word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear!’ (When Daisies Pied and… Continue reading →
The BTO casts light on the murky plight of the absent cuckoo
It is April 25, 2016, and I’m still listening, I fear increasingly in vain, for what we describe as “our” cuckoo. For a bird that advertises itself so clearly and unmistakably, the cuckoo and its movements are clouded in mystery. It could be that the cuckoos, and their progeny over many years, are not returning… Continue reading →
Why the cuckoo failed to show, and how the BTO might find it
What became of “our” cuckoo? That must sound odd. The cuckoo is the last bird anybody could claim ownership to. This is a free spirit, notorious for its irresponsible parenting, shamelessly exploiting many (in the current parlance) hard-working bird families. How can we possibly speak of “our” cuckoo? If you want an annual visitor to… Continue reading →
The computer game that could help save the cuckoo
I hardly ever pay attention to new computer games. I don’t play, and while I admire the skill of the designers, I conclude that they are only peripheral to children and young people’s learning experience, good for hand/eye coordination and not much else. And if there are educational games, are they not terribly worthy, and… Continue reading →