It's all happening in the bird world.

Many thanks to readers who responded to my cuckoo question.A few were heard in the Surrey hills and on Wimbledon common a bird called for several days in May and June but in my old hotspot in Northamptonshire no cuckoo has been heard for the past two years.

According to the old verse," In June he must fly,in July fly he must" so his stay here is short.

Trees and bushes are alive to the sound of fledged youngsters especially great and blue tits while young robins parade with speckled breasts.My nestbox great tits finally flew after a frantic early morning feed of aphids gleaned from my lupins.

My three local blackbirds with territories only gardens apart have been very vocal at dawn,all having similar song structures with subtle variations,a phrase from one individual sounding like "whisky,whisky".

My comments about the red kite's appearance over Chessington led to one being seen the same week over the A3 while another,possibly the same bird flew over Wimbledon common,so it seems as if the kite is certainly prospecting further south from its heartlands.

The most amazing May sighting of all occured also in Surrey when no fewer than four hoopoes were recorded.In the past,singletons of this colourful,exotic southern species which sports an erectile Mohican-style crest(see picture)have rarely been seen in Britain.However,were the four birds escapees;released from captivity;blown off course during migration or is global warming responsible?

If the latter,then can we expect to see other species such as bee-eaters and larger egrets making home here?A fascinating prospect.