Where did all the cuckoos go in Kirklees?

May 29 2009 by Katie Grant, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and so timing is critical.

Mr Melling added: “If they lay their eggs early – and there isn’t a full clutch of about four or five eggs, the other bird will realise that there’s an alien in the nest and reject it.

“If they do it too late the other chicks will hatch earlier and will be fed, and the cuckoo might starve.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Many birds that are declining throughout England are surviving in local habitats.

Mr Melling said: “The yellow hammer is still holding it’s own in the Denby Dale area.

“Certainly I know of at least half a dozen, and they’ve also been seen around Castle Hill.

“They like mixed farmland which we still have in the area so the yellow hammer is doing okay.”

The lapwing is surviving in local habitats with both arable farms and pasture providing sources of food.

House sparrows and starlings are also doing well in areas such as Shepley.

Mr Melling pointed out that Kirklees was one of a handful of boroughs that still saw twites.

“They can be found in moorland areas like Marsden and Meltham and they feed on seeds in traditional hay meadows.”

Nationally, one in five of the UK’s bird species have been ‘red listed’ by the RSPB, meaning they are of the highest conservation concern.

Dr Mark Avery, RSPB conservation director, said: “An increasing number of charismatic, widespread and familiar birds are joining the list of those species most in need of help; this is scandalous.”