"A Sand County Almanac"

"THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT WILD THINGS AND SOME WHO CANNOT."
"FOR US IN THE MINORITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE GEESE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TELEVISION.".....Aldo Leopold




"LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE, AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER".....Albert Einstein


“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”.....John Muir


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

I have had an almost life-long familiarity with the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and I didn't even know it.  As a youngster, growing up in West Virginia, the calls of this bird were often heard, but it was rarely seen.  In fact, I never saw one until much later when my interest in birds intensified.
My dad, and everyone else, called it a "rain-crow" due to its' habit of calling before summer storms.  Even after learning the "true" identity of the cuckoo I had a hard time spotting one. Just yesterday my luck changed and I found myself parked in an area where two of these interesting birds were easily seen and readily photographed...


 
Because of their fondness for hairy caterpillars, cuckoos are beneficial to gardeners and horticulturalists...
 

 
There are two species of cuckoos found in Maryland. Now, my goal is to find the other one, the Black-billed Cuckoo.

2 comments:

  1. Great shots Steve. I got a shot of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo early last year but it isn't nearly as nice as these.

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