Fourteen birders joined me on Sunday morning for a group walk at the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve in West Danby.
The highlight of our morning – indeed, for many of us, a veritable highlight of our birding lives so far – was an escalating sequence of BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO encounters. First we heard one repeatedly calling nearby, but it refused to show itself or even to divulge its identity with a vocalization clearly distinguishable from that of Yellow-billed. (We did hear a clear YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO later, and Bruce Packard probably saw one near the railroad tracks.) But then we saw one Black-billed Cuckoo on a low open branch in the island of trees at the bottom of the big slope. This bird stayed put for fine scope views. Another cuckoo then streamed into view, chasing the other up into a nearer tree. We could see both birds together at rest. More commotion ensued. A couple of our group members conclusively saw a third cuckoo in the scuffle. And then two Black-billed Cuckoos dashed into a shrub right in front of us, and then into another, where at once they provided more excellent views while also proving their incredible capacity for concealment. It was all just way beyond perfect, with all the rewards of birding wrapped up together – the thrill of an unusual find, the drama of unfolding interactions, the sheer pleasure of watching something very beautiful, and the human bonding from sharing all of this as a group. We had only a few brief warbler sightings (CHESTNUT-SIDED in first patch of woods, BLUE-WINGED in open area before railroad tracks, HOODED by Celia’s Cup), but heard many other species, including several PRAIRIE and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS. We had fine views of several other birds at rest, including two BROWN THRASHERS, a couple of INDIGO BUNTINGS, a singing ALDER FLYCATCHER, and a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. Among all of our finds this morning, eBird seems to think that a PIED-BILLED GREBE on Coleman Lake was the most exciting. Out of 21 checklists I’ve submitted for the Finger Lakes Land Trust Spring Bird Quest (SBQ) so far this month, this was the first bird that prompted the coveted eBird “details” prompt. Tomorrow I will lead two more SBQ walks – one at the Goetchius Wetland Preserve in Caroline starting at 6:30, and one at the Roy H. Park Preserve in Dryden starting at 8:30. I hope to see many of you there! Mark Chao Running SBQ tally: 114 bird species -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
