CUCKOO

A first!

While the flowers began to show themselves late January, Spring is now well underway and the temperatures warming up. Next week’s forecast is for 80-81 F on two days. So I turned off the heat last week and began to open the windows. I love the light breeze and fresh air of Spring – especially at night. It makes for great sleeping. 

Between 6:30 and 7 this morning, I heard the birds singing their songs and the cooing of the pigeons. Added however was the call of the Cuckoo bird – a first! 

When in the Dordogne in central France in the year 2000 with my family, we heard them every morning and it was delightful. I had never heard it before in nature. But they apparently don’t make it this far south because, until today, I had never heard them here.

I’ve since learned they migrate to Africa for the winter months and head as far north as Scotland in the summer months. The heat of summer is no doubt too great for them here.

As an aside, the word “coucou” is one used in greeting. It mimics the sound of the cuckoo bird and sometimes used in the same way we use “peekaboo” in English.

There is also a French superstition that if you rub a coin when you hear a cuckoo, then money is in your future. I didn’t know that this morning so will be better prepared next time.

So, yes, Cuckoos really do exist and maybe one day if you are lucky, you too will have a chance to awaken to their call.