THE call of the male cuckoo, usually heard in April—but sometimes earlier—is firmly associated with the arrival of the British spring. So much so that, into the middle of the 20th century, The Times published first cuckoo letters from readers, following the birds’ arrival from their African wintering grounds.
The sound may be as close as you get to the bird, as cuckoos are secretive. However, if you do spot one, you may be surprised at its size. In the years before migration was an accepted fact, some thought their absence for most of the year could be explained by an ability to change into a hawk and back again. In fact, with their long wings and tail, as well as black barring across the chest, cuckoos can, indeed, look like sparrowhawks.
Although the evocative cu-coo, heard in the distance on a gentle spring day, is one of Nature’s great delights, that’s about as charming as this bird gets. In truth, if the cuckoo were human, it would be considered a rogue, a fraudster and, not to put too fine a point on it, a cheat.
The only British bird not to rear its own young, the common cuckoo makes no nest of its own, instead using other birds to handle incubation and feeding duties. Favoured host species—or dupes—include meadow pipits, robins, dunnocks, reed warblers, pied wagtails and willow warblers. The targeted hen birds proceed to hatch the egg and rear the cuckoo chick, even after the hatchling has ejected all the other, ‘legitimate’ eggs or chicks from the nest, sending them to their deaths.
Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2020 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2020 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery