Sightings June 22: suddenly a Yellow-billed Cuckoo

After not receiving any hint of their being a cuckoo in my neighborhood all spring-summer, one was calling stridently in my back yard this morning.  It was giving the resonant but monotonous cuuk cuuk cuuk cuuk ... call.

It is hard for me to believe it has been around all nesting season undetected- I suspect a lovelorn male wandering with fading hopes of attracting a female.  

Yellow-billed is the only cuckoo in our area during the nesting season; indeed, even when Black-billed does occur in spring and fall migration, they are still greatly outnumbered by Yellow-billed.  Active skilled birders will miss Black-billed most years in our area.

Peter