Where's Sherlock
Holmes
when you need him?
The great detective
Sherlock Holmes, could track down any elusive criminal. We could
use his help here in southern Utah to track down the Yellow-billed
Cuckoo. This specie seems headed for extinction.
Changes in habitat both in its breeding and wintering ranges has caused
its number to decline rapidly. So if you choose to go
searching for this Cuckoo, you will need more than a pipe and a
magnifying glass. In fact, your equipment will be totally
different. Binoculars, water bottle, bird book, and a great deal
of luck.
Most birders
would like to add the Yellow-billed Cuckoo to their Life List.
When they do, generally it’s by accident, while searching for another
specie. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo hunts quietly, listening
for insects. Due to this hunting technique, it is extremely
hard to detect. I have birded for 20 years, and
am still waiting to put one on my Life
List. But, I'll keep right on looking, and hoping to find this
elusive bird. Searching and finding a rarely seen bird is like
going prospecting for gold and coming up with a mother
load.
am still waiting to put one on my Life
List. But, I'll keep right on looking, and hoping to find this
elusive bird. Searching and finding a rarely seen bird is like
going prospecting for gold and coming up with a mother
load. Many Utah
birders saw a Cuckoo along the Provo River Parkway. Several
others have seen them throughout Utah and at Cedar Pockets. This
sleek, elegant Yellow-billed Cuckoo breeds east of the Rocky
Mountains. Finding it takes patience, skill, and
luck. A really cool fact about the Cuckoo is... their young
mature at a very fast rate. They have to because their food
supply of caterpillars is only available for a few short weeks.
Around day 6 or 7, the chick’s feathers burst out of their sheaths, and
they are completely feathered within two hours, ready to leave the nest
when Mom’s ready. Their yearly diet is hairy caterpillars,
insects and larvae, small lizards, frogs, birds' eggs, and small fruits
and berries. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are found in woodlands, thickets,
and orchards. They have a rapid, throaty call of
ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp.
(Who could mistaken that song?)
Most people
love a hunt. Why not make your hunt the “The Hunt for the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo”? Brenda Rusnell has illustrated another
great picture so we might recognize the Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Thank you Brenda.
Saturday, November 17,
is the Red Cliffs Audubon Field Trip to Quail Creek Reservoir,
Grandpa's Pond, and Washington Fields. Meet at the BLM at 8:00
a.m. Laura Tomlinson, DWR Wildlife Biologist, will lead the field
trip. If you have questions about this field trip or the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, call Marilyn Davis at 435 673-0996.