When I was out with Ollie on a warm sunny afternoon today, I heard a cuckoo calling.
I didn’t hear one at all last year, so it was very enjoyable to be standing near the tree where the bird was calling from.
I remembered somthing from my past about ‘The First Cuckoo’, so I looked it up.
‘There is quite an extensive folklore tradition concerning the cuckoo, for instance on hearing the first cuckoo in spring one must run three times in a circle, with the sun to ensure good luck for the rest of the year. There is another slightly strange custom and that is if you hear a cuckoo on the 14th of April you should immediately turn over any coins that you have in your pocket. If you are stood on hard ground you will have bad luck but conversely if the ground is soft then good fortune will follow. April the 14th is considered one of the ‘evil’ days of the year and interestingly enough it was also the day the Titanic sunk. If you wish to know how many years of life you have left then the old thinking was that on hearing the cuckoo you had to count how many times it called, each call equated to one year of life.’
I didn’t do any of that, as when I was walking around Hoe Rough, I couldn’t remember it.
But I heard a cuckoo, even if I have never seen one.
And that made me feel good today. Nature goes on, virus or not.
Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
News from Beetley….
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What a beautiful bird! I have never seen one. You must have smiled for hours. Thank you for the gorgeous photo, Pete.
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Thanks, Jennie. I have never seen one, so sourced that online. Your American cuckoos are very different, see my reply to Cindy below, with a link. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I immediately thought of Cindy when I saw the bird! I will check out the link. Best to you, Pete.
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Lack of humans and nature comes alive…it is a good thing….chuq
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It certainly is. It doesn’t need us spoiling everything, that’s for sure.
Best wishes, Pete.
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😎
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Those old folklore traditions are mostly very silly, aren’t they? People really believed them in the past, though, when superstition held sway. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a cuckoo either, so perhaps they are relatively shy birds, as well as being nest usurpers? Not unattractive visually, though. Cheers, Jon.
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Thanks, Jon. Many folklore sayings are strange, but one is very true, as I have found out to my cost.
‘Ne’er cast a clout, ’til May be out’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nature is most certainly thriving
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It certainly is, Shweta. It is amazing to see how quickly it is recovering because of the lack of pollution.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nice Folklores. Cuckoo in India is indicative of the Mango season…so Good news anyway! We have been hearing her call all week, so anticipating Mangoes soon
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Enjoy those mangoes, Shaily. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, my husband just bought
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You are really a lucky man, Pete! Here you have to leave the village, and only more than a few kilometers away you possibly can hear one. Think its too loud in the village itself. Michael
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‘Nature goes on, virus or not’ that line made me feel a surge of hope. I really hope everything goes back to being normal soon. More cuckoos!
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Thaks, LuLu. Nature can recover so quickly, once we are not around to interfere with it. 🙂
The positive effects of shutdowns and less pollution are plain to see.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t think we have cuckoos here. I never hear anyone saying they saw one or the wives tales that surround seeing one. The picture you included is quite helpful as I wouldn’t know one if I saw it. Until today! Looks like a fancy pigeon.
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You do have them, but not all over.
‘There are three types of cuckoos found in North America. The Black-billed Cuckoo is the most common of the group and has a range throughout most of southern Canada and across the American plains down to Texas and into Florida. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is seen less in Canada but its habitat extends into Mexico.’
Our one is like a fancy pigeon, I agree. Your cuckoos are completely different.
https://www.birds-of-north-america.net/cuckoos.html
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Well, aren’t you all that and more! I learned something new today. Thanks 🙂
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I kid you not, my cuckoo clock sounded as I was reading this! 🕊
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Ha.. mine has been going of since Jan. 20, 2017.
You’ll have to excuse me.. I need my Lysol injection for the day.
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Omg, for real. 😰
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Well Doug, after listening to your messiah of a president, I quaffed down a bottle of Dettol. I don’t think it cured the virus, but my breath smells of a pine forest. So something positive!
Why doesn’ someone just shoot that buffoon, and put him out of his misery? It’s not as if you lot are averse to gunning down anyone, including the odd president.. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Well, old chum.. that fact that you just stated that sentence likely means the Secret Service has a head’s up on a suspect Brit national with pine forest breath threatening the Prez. He might call his buddy, Boris, to extradite you.
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I could do with a change of scene. 🙂
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I’m sure you would receive a warm welcome here. 🙂
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I like to hear such coincidences, Snap. They make me beilieve in ‘Spooky’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Me too! Quite cool. 🕊
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BRILLIANT Pete. We hear them sometimes from the woids on the Rudge just above our house. Amazing.
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I do like to hear that unusual sound, Lorraine. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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That’s great, Pete – such a distinctive sound. Though when they keep it up it does drive you a bit nuts – or cuckoo! I didn’t know about the April 14 date but have always believed when you hear the first one you must turn your money over and if you have no money in your pocket you’ll be poor all year.
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I love old wives tales and folklore. But I rarely carry cash, so had no money to turn over. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve never seen or heard one.😔
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I never had, in London. It has to be somewhere quite peaceful to hear them. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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A welcome sound to hear, lucky you. I haven’t heard one this year but its one that stands out amongst the chatter 🙂
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It made me feel strangely calm.
Cheers, Pete.
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Nice to hear it, yet to happen here though 🙂
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It was so loud and distinctive today. Very peaceful. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Not self-promoting here, but “cuckoo” automatically makes me think about Greg’s journey into Cloud-Cuckoo-Land where he hopes an alliteration will grant him eternal life. (Source: “Pope on the Dole”)
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Feel free to reference POTD anytime, David. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nature does indeed, Pete…the birds around my house are louder than ever, and yes, my neighbor’s goose sings daily as well!
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A neghbourhood goose? That’s a new one on me, John. 🙂
Best wishes,Pete.
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Pete, we wondered if it was legal nd sadly it is…a noisy animal!
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We used to hear them regularly in the spring and summer when we lived in Michigan. Warmest regards Theo
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I never heard one in my life until I moved here. So distinctive. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t think I’ve heard a cuckoo in London, but now that the traffic noise has stopped, and there’s no planes, I’m surprised at how unbelievably inconsiderate birds are! Tweeting and twittering from dawn to dusk! Who knew?
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Yes, I found that out when I moved here! Mind you, the seagulls in Camden could make a racket.
Cheers, Pete.
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This is such a lovely post, Pete. I enjoyed the folklore. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Thanks, Robbie. I like to post something ‘nice’ occasionally. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Beautiful. I’ve certainly heard of a cuckoo bird but I don’t think I’ve seen them here in the Northwest.
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I have never seen one, but their distinctive call really carries. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve never heard them either. I don’t think we have them in the Pacific Northwest.
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Not heard one here yet. And last year I am sure it was later in the year. I am waiting for our Batty to come out of hibernation and then the swifts.
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Yes, I love to see the bats too. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Nature loves the receding human presence
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It’s a pleasure to see that, Sue.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hehe.. I saw the title and thought I’d see a pic of Trump. 🙂
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I wouldn’t soil my blog with his face! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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