We were up in the Rothbury Hills yesterday, and serenaded by at least four cuckoos at various points around the circuit - these being the first of the year for me.
The sound of this bird is, of course, absolutely characteristic - being a repeating and loud minor third (i.e. three semitones) descending interval; and was immortalized by Handel in the delightful second movement of his organ concerto in F No. 13 - coming-in after about fifty seconds:
(Delius made a good stab at the subject too.)
This is something I've not heard before; although slightly-'wrong' tuning (slightly less than a minor third) is reasonably common.
It struck me as a deliberate act of musical subversion, by a cuckoo with a grudge.
2 comments:
You are certainly aware of my penchant for cuckoos. I find this all quite interesting. I have never heard the sort of dissonance you describe. Sounds like very individual behavior. All the same, I'll keep my ears open in the next couple of weeks -- before the cuckoos change their calls in June.
@Frank - I think he was a maverick - perhaps unique... I can't imagine any other cuckoo wanting to breed with such a weirdo in case the change was hereditary, and cuckoos lost their USP.
Post a Comment