The 14th April is St. Tiburtius Day and is traditionally when you will hear the first cuckoo, as celebrated in Rudyard Kipling’s Cuckoo Song:
Cuckoo, bring your song here!
Warrant, Act and Summons, please,
For Spring to pass along here!
The cuckoo migrates north from Africa and the date of its arrival, although traditionally the 14th April, varies in different parts of the country.
The first sighting is often in the far South West, in the Isle of Scilly and then gradually moves northwards. In recent years the cuckoo has tended to arrive on average five days earlier than usual, likely due to climate change.
On hearing the first cuckoo in spring it is traditional to pen a letter to The Times, but you can also send your reports to us – we’d love to hear from you. Just let us know when and where you heard or saw it.
Every year we get lots of people telling us they’ve heard cuckoos well before April, but cuckoos are very unlikely to have made their way back from Africa in January, February, or early March, so it’s probably a case of mistaken identity.
If you think you’ve heard a cuckoo very early on have a read of this for more information.