You're lucky and I envy you. All I've managed this year is to unearth a flat
black plastic disk with a hole in its middle. I was wondering if this is a
record?!!
Best Wishes flayb to reply.
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...

I heard my first cuckoo of the season today (and first swallow spotted
yesterday)

Janet (Isle of Arran)

That would be reason enough (aside from Maine being so disagreeable most
Aprils) to make a visit to the parts of Britain where this sound may be
heard. We can become quite starved for spring sounds at this moment of the
year. Still, with ice now out, we have the loons back on our lakes, and the
"peepers" every evening in the wet areas recently thawed (tree frogs) the
red-wing blackbirds (back by March 26) and some of the boreal warblers are
returned to the spruce forest. I understand the best is yet to come, next
two months, for both Maine and large areas of the UK. Unlike most of the US,
ours is a very delayed spring in this corner, much like adjacent Canada.
--
__________________________________
Personal site with eastern Maine and Yellowstone 2000 photos; new Lamoine
web cam: http://www.lamoine.dns2go.com/
Albums of Winter 2004 ice, winter work, and Yellowstone 2002:
http://community.webshots.com/user/plantplanman


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...

I heard my first cuckoo of the season today (and first swallow spotted
yesterday)

Janet (Isle of Arran)

On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:47:00 -0400, "Scott L Hadley"
wrote:

That would be reason enough (aside from Maine being so disagreeable most
Aprils) to make a visit to the parts of Britain where this sound may be
heard. We can become quite starved for spring sounds at this moment of the
year. Still, with ice now out, we have the loons back on our lakes, and the
"peepers" every evening in the wet areas recently thawed (tree frogs) the
red-wing blackbirds (back by March 26) and some of the boreal warblers are
returned to the spruce forest. I understand the best is yet to come, next
two months, for both Maine and large areas of the UK. Unlike most of the US,
ours is a very delayed spring in this corner, much like adjacent Canada.

My wife saw a stork standing in a field yesterday and the sparrows are
back.

On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:47:00 -0400, "Scott L Hadley" said:

] That would be reason enough (aside from Maine being so disagreeable most
] Aprils) to make a visit to the parts of Britain where this sound may be
] heard. We can become quite starved for spring sounds at this moment of the
] year. Still, with ice now out, we have the loons back on our lakes, and the
] "peepers" every evening in the wet areas recently thawed (tree frogs) the
] red-wing blackbirds (back by March 26) and some of the boreal warblers are
] returned to the spruce forest. I understand the best is yet to come, next
] two months, for both Maine and large areas of the UK. Unlike most of the US,
] ours is a very delayed spring in this corner, much like adjacent Canada.
[]

Hi Scott,

Are you in Lamoine? Quite chilly still, I expect. My sister gardens in Gouldsborough,
and as it happens I just sold my old house in Hancock. Can't say I miss
those downeast winters, though we had a nice visit in July last year: gorgeous hot
days with cool nights, perfect Maine. Took the kids swimming in Tunk Lake, had
the lake to ourselves. Then got back to France just in time for the heatwave...

We've had the cuckoos sounding for a month or more here in Normandy. Spring
is quite advanced, the orchards are in flower, late daffs and tulips going. Most
trees are well out. But it is very dry, even with 20 mm of rain last week.

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...

I heard my first cuckoo of the season today (and first swallow spotted
yesterday)

Janet (Isle of Arran)

Yea I saw my first swallow only last week and im based in Oxfordshire, shows
they dont' take long to make it all the way up there.
Duncan

A pair Sat 24th between Beverley and Driffield whilst I was out cycling.
Also a Buzzard the same afternoon. Only the third I've seen here in 5 years

Trevor

East Yorkshire





"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...

I heard my first cuckoo of the season today (and first swallow spotted
yesterday)

Janet (Isle of Arran)

The message
from "Scott L Hadley" contains these words:

That would be reason enough (aside from Maine being so disagreeable most
Aprils) to make a visit to the parts of Britain where this sound may be
heard.

Nice to see you again Scott. Other spring sounds here are the curlews
on the field beside the house; the crooning noise of the eider ducks,
skylarks on the hill above, and lawnmowers.

Janet

The winters are not the problem! At least for me. I love a boreal/Canadian
winter. But, as so often happens here, winter can break off nice and early,
and not necessarily leave us with spring. The between-times mean mud season,
maritime air, and an almost total absence of spring as most people know it.
April is seldom good here, (again, not complaining about late snows) it is
the seemingly endless G-weather (grim gray, grot, and many other g-words)
The hard freeze this weekend past was not too welcome, but the brief snow
squalls were of little bother to me. At least we got sun between squalls!
Whatever it takes.

Lamoine it is. We have mostly finished with snowdrops, and the early crocus.
Now early forms of Narcissus. No tulips yet. I see swollen buds on lilacs
and even the Philadelphus, and the not terribly numerous oaks here. Most of
the native maples are trying to bloom. The non-native Norway maple, as we
call it (Acer platanoides) doesn't bloom till nearer leaf time. I do see
stirrings of wooly croziers of interrupted ferns (Osmunda claytoniana) and
it does seem a little early for them, for whatever reason. I'd have thought
it cool enough to hold them back a little. Even in a nice year we don't
expect tree leaves until well into May.

Hastening to finish this winter's renewal pruning on apple trees, shrubs.
Really getting late for that sort of thing now. The moment we get some
strong sun, it will definitely be too late.
--
__________________________________
Personal site with eastern Maine and Yellowstone 2000 photos; new Lamoine
web cam: http://www.lamoine.dns2go.com/
Albums of Winter 2004 ice, winter work, and Yellowstone 2002:
http://community.webshots.com/user/plantplanman

Nice to see you again Scott. Other spring sounds here are the curlews
on the field beside the house; the crooning noise of the eider ducks,
skylarks on the hill above, and lawnmowers.

Janet

I'd almost settle for the sound of lawn mowers at this point. That starts
early May. Skylarks are new to me.

Scott L Hadley28/4/04 1:52



Nice to see you again Scott. Other spring sounds here are the curlews
on the field beside the house; the crooning noise of the eider ducks,
skylarks on the hill above, and lawnmowers.

Janet

I'd almost settle for the sound of lawn mowers at this point. That starts
early May. Skylarks are new to me.


No cuckoos here, lots of buzzards, first swift and swallow. The loudest
spring sound here comes from our rookery where it sounds at times as if an
avian war is breaking out. As always, one part of the garden which is a
path leading past the church, is 'bomb alley' due to all the nests above our
heads!
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

Who are you trying to fool?
This newsgroup is full of cuckoos.

Just look in the mirror, broccoli!

Are you saying when you do a cuckoo, you like to swallow?


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...

I heard my first cuckoo of the season today (and first swallow spotted
yesterday)

Janet (Isle of Arran)