The onset of spring in Britain may come quietly this year due to dwindling numbers of cuckoos, conservationists said. The Woodland Trust said numbers of the gray birds, beloved by Britons for announcing the end of winter with their distinctive cooing, has fallen by up to 60 percent since the 1970s. Amid fears cuckoos are falling victim to an ever more unsettled climate and aggressive modern farming methods, the charity asked Britons to go on alert for the noisy birds. "Everyone is needed to listen out for the first cuckoo they hear," the Trust said in a statement. "Even if you usually hear the cuckoo, but don't hear one this year, please let us know." Infamous for their habit of laying eggs in other birds' nests—a hen cuckoo can swap another bird's egg with her own in just 15 seconds *—the birds have always held a special place in British hearts as harbingers of spring. The Woodland Trust and the British Trust of Ornithology want nature-goers to send them information about cuckoo-sightings for a survey on changes to Britain's seasons. They have also asked for news of the arrival of swifts, swallows, bumble bees, queen wasps, and daisies.

　　环保主义者们说，由于杜鹃鸟的数量日渐减少，今年英国的春天也许会静悄悄地来临。林地信托基金会说这种灰色鸟儿的数量自70年代以来已经减少了60%。杜鹃以独特的咕咕声宣告冬天的结束，因此受到英国人的宠爱。由于担心它会成为日趋多变的气候以及掠夺式的现代耕作方法的牺牲品，该慈善团体要求英国人特别留意这种聒噪的鸟儿。“每个人都要留心倾听杜鹃的第一声啼鸣，”基金会在一项声明中说。“即便是你通常能听到它的叫声，而今年没有听到，也请(把这种情况)告诉我们。”杜鹃在其它鸟的巢中下蛋的习性早已声名狼藉——雌杜鹃能在15秒内用自己的蛋换走其它鸟儿的蛋——但它作为春天的信使一直在英国人心目中占有特殊的地位。林地信托基金会和英国鸟类学信托基金会希望去野外的人们把看到杜鹃的情况告知他们，以便完成一项关于英国季节变化的调查。同时他们也征集有关雨燕、燕子、大黄蜂、胡蜂后和雏菊花出现的消息。

　　Remarks：蕾切尔·卡逊警告过的寂静的春天(silent spring)正在向我们走近，也许将来春天的信使将不再是燕子和桃花，而我们只能对着沙尘暴欢呼：“啊，春天来了！”