NO one brought more atmosphere and amusement to the traditional pub taprooms than 'Cuckoo' Mower who gained his odd nickname because of his fame as an impersonator of bird calls.

Cuckoo (real Christian name Jimmy) was the granddad of reader Mike Ryan's best mate and he came from the now demolished Somerset Street in Parr. Born some time around the turn of last century, he was around his mid-60s when Mike, from Dearnley Avenue, Blackbrook, first knew of him.

Mike sets the scene. "He was a swarthy little chap, always with a nice sun tan, and before retiring he worked as a chef at Burtonwood air base".

But down Parr way he was better known for serving up taproom entertainment than dishing out the grub. He was regularly to be encountered at many, now long-lost, pubs and clubs on his Fingerpost beat - among them the Druids, Hand & Heart, and the local British Legion club (known universally by the unflattering nickname of The Blood Tub).

He was recognised as being one of the finest bird-whistle performers in the business.

Pub regulars would shout out requests, such as "Give us a cuckoo!" (prompting his unique nickname).

And with a pint or two inside him, Jimmy would happily oblige.

He'd go through his whole repertoire of singing birds, from thrush to nightingale and blackbird to wren.

"I've heard him myself", says Mike, who recalls that he reproduced the sounds through thumbs pressed together against his mouth.

"He was also a dab-hand on the harmonica", recalls Mike, "a real character who gave a lot of pleasure to people and was always up for a laugh!"