MEMBERS of the public are being urged to report the sound of cuckoos on Dartmoor, in an effort to understand the reason for the drop in their population.

Dartmoor National Park is a stronghold for the cuckoo which has suffered a huge decline in the UK in recent years.

Earlier in the year the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) asked members of the public to help by informing the authority of when and where someone has heard a cuckoo on Dartmoor.

This is so the authority can build up a better picture of their movements and perhaps begin to understand what is causing this national decline.

So far this year the DNPA has gathered more than 1,000 records on Dartmoor alone, with nearly 200 more for the rest of Devon. 

However, the DNPA has said this amazing number of records does not mean that there are over 1,000 cuckoos in Dartmoor National Park, as some birds will have been recorded several times, but it does help to build a pattern of their distribution.

But now is another important time to tell the DNPA if you have heard or seen a cuckoo, as they are already starting to leave Britain for their wintering grounds in Africa.

Receiving dates for when the last cuckoos were seen is just as important as those dates of when they were first seen, as it starts to tell the story of how their behaviour might be changing in response to factors such as climate change or breeding success.

So please help the authority continue this work by submitting all your sightings, even if you've reported a cuckoo from that location before; it is all very useful data.

You can submit your sightings online by going to http://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/recording/cuckoos">www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/recording/cuckoos or by informing a member of staff at a Dartmoor National Park visitor centre.