Is the song of the cuckoo heralding the start of spring a thing of the past?

HAS anyone heard a cuckoo this spring (Letters)? I’ve heard more in different locations than in years. Considering it is only the male that sings, there must be plenty about.

ROLAND GRIFFITHS, Nantwich, Cheshire.

I HEARD the cuckoo in midApril, earlier than usual. I have heard these birds herald their arrival every spring for the past 40 years.

K. VASEY, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks.

THE only cuckoo call I hear these days is from our old worn-out clock. The call of the cuckoo was almost continuous when I moved here in 1971. Now I never hear them. Future generations may never experience the wonder of those incredible birds. It is a tragedy, but a warning to us all. I fear the decline in these birds is down to the rise in the use of pesticides.

RICHARD BRUCE, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.

MY HUSBAND and I heard cuckoos at Chase nature reserve and Hornchurch country park. we’re so lucky to have these beautiful green spaces to explore.

Maureen daViS, elm Park, essex.

LAST week, I heard a cuckoo singing for a full minute during a walk along the old railway line between Bedford and Willington.

KaY & SteVe CrOWtHer, Bedford.

A FRIEND heard a cuckoo in the village of Marton last week, the first time one has been heard in this area for years. neVille Slater, Congleton, Cheshire.

I HAVE been lucky to have heard a cuckoo in my area for the past few years. I was amazed on a recent walk when one flew in front of me.

Mrs S. farndell, Chelmsford, essex.

How odd that I should hear the first cuckoo this spring after reading the letter from a reader disappointed he hasn’t heard one. It must be the first one I’ve heard for at least ten years. e. leGGOtt, Sturton by Stow, lincs.

EXCHANGING notes with my auntie, who lives in Andover, Hants, we realised we had both heard the first cuckoo of spring on May 1.

CarOline CaMPiOn, Banbury, Oxon.

IF YoU want to hear a cuckoo, turn on the TV. The BBC has them in abundance.

P. GraHaM, Witton Gilbert, Co. durham.

FOR cuckoos, just listen to the ministerial broadcasts and the witterings of the trades unions. allan Mcdean, nantwich, Cheshire.

I wAS walking the dog along the Studley Grange section of the wilts & Berks canal when I heard a cuckoo. Not only was it the first I’ve heard this spring, it was also the first I’ve heard since my childhood in the Fifties.

Peter eSliCK, royal Wootton Bassett, Wilts.