It has frequently seemed to me over recent years that the decline in cuckoo sightings is less marked in reedbed areas than in other sites. Which leads to the tentative conclusion that the reason for decline is loss of winter habitat, and that the cuckoo which nest-predates Reed Warblers overwinters in an area where habitat los is less of a problem than it is for nest-predating Meadow Pipit and Dunnock cuckoos. This is purely a personal theory and there may be other explanations. Can anyone shed light on this situation please - I would love to know the real reason for the decline!
