Three generations of yellow-billed cuckoos banded at CVCA

On July 7^th 2009, we captured a yellow-billed cuckoo at Cibola Valley Conservation Area near Blythe California. We named him Screech La Rue, put 3 color bands and 1 uniquely numbered gold band on his legs, then glued a radio transmitter to his back to keep track of him. Here's Lindsey about to release Screech with his new transmitter.

About a week later Screech started nesting, and 15 days after that we banded his 3 nestlings each with a yellow band on one leg and a gold band on the other leg. Here is Screech Junior, estimated to be 5 days old.

We never saw any of them again, and weren't sure if they had even made it, until July 31^st this year, when Screech Junior (the oldest of the 3) flew into our mist net. He still had his gold band, but his yellow band had fallen off. (Diane was very happy to see him again). We gave him 3 new color bands and attached a transmitter to him as well….

…and soon discovered that he was nesting, just 135 meters from his birth place! This shows that at least some cuckoos have high natal site fidelity. On August 14^th we banded his 3 nestlings, and they all successfully fledged by August 18^th. Here is his nest high in a cottonwood.

Hopefully next year they will all return to breed, and we will be waiting for them!

TGB Recapture

This morning Diane Tracy, Shannon McNeil, Anna Fasoli, and I went to one of the restoration sites along the Lower Colorado near Blythe, CA to try and capture the mate of one of our radio tagged cuckoo, TGB. TGB's mate has not been captured so we dont have any information or samples from it. By 6:30 we had the net set up near the recently fledged nest and a cuckoo was nearby calling. We started calling back with various recordings including contact calls, alarm calls, juvenile calls, and cuckoo "screams". The cuckoo was very interested and kept coming in close to the net but would then fly farther away, only to come back in close a few minutes later. This went on for a while before finally, the cuckoo flew into the net. We ran over, only to find out that we had recaptured TGB....at least this gave us an opportunity to weigh the bird again, and take a few more pieces of data along with more pictures. TGB was first captured on June 24th.

Here is Anna and Shannon extracting TGB from the net. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

TGB's head profile, right side. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

TGB's head profile, straight on. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
TGB (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Underside of TGB's wing. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

For more photos by Alex Lamoreaux of cuckoos from this season, visit this Picasa Web Album.

27th Cuckoo Capture of the 2010 Season!

Welcome to the Cuckoo Scoop! On this blog, researchers from the Southern Sierra Research Station's Yellow-billed Cuckoo Project will be posting information and photos about the cuckoos we survey for, capture, and radio track throughout the late spring and summer. We will be trying to post as often as possible, so check back often!

Today Shannon McNeil, Diane Tracy, and two field techs, Anna Fasoli and I went, to one of the riparian restortation sites near Blythe, California to attempt to capture a cuckoo that Anna and I had seen carrying food yesterday morning. A cuckoo carrying food long distances usually means it is taking food to nest full of chicks, or fledglings. Prior to setting the canopy mist net up, the four of us postioned ourselves around the area where Anna and I had seen the cuckoo fly to with food yesterday. We could hear cuckoos vocalizing and at one point a cuckoo came out in the open right in front of me and I was able to get the photo below! This cuckoo ended up most likely being the same one we captured about an hour later.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo prior to be captured. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Once we had the net set up nearby, we began calling for a cuckoo. At least one cuckoo responded instantly but was about 50 meters away and didnt seem to be coming any closer. A few minutes later the cuckoo finally flew in closer and was calling right near the net. Some fancy calling techniques on Shannon and Diane's part had the cuckoo fly into the net seconds later! This was the 27th cuckoo we have captured so far this season.

As Shannon and Anna were extracting the cuckoo from the mist net, we noticed that the cuckoo had flown into the net carrying a prey item; a praying mantis! This is the first time we have ever captured a cuckoo that
was carrying prey! Mantis seem to be an important prey item for them here on the Lower Colorado River, as we have seen adult cuckoos feeding praying mantis to their chicks in the nest on one nest cams!

Praying Mantis the cuckoo flew into the net with. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

We tried to give the cuckoo its prey back, but it was more
interested in just getting away from us.

(photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

This is how we measure the wing chord of the cuckoo. (photo by Anna Fasoli)

Here is a nice profile of the cuckoo we captured today. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Here is Alex, Diane, and Shannon taking measurements. (photo by Anna Fasoli)

Left wing and body profile (photo by Anna Fasoli)

Here is a photo of the topside of the cuckoo's tail. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

When we capture a cuckoo we take various measurements and samples. Some of the measurements we take are wing chord, tail length, bill length and width, fat, weight of the cuckoo, and tarsus length. We also take blood samples, toe nail samples, and feather samples. All these pieces of data will help us to learn more about the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Here is Diane Tracy releasing the cuckoo. (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

For more photos Alex Lamoreaux has taken of the cuckoos we have captured and banded so far this season, visit this Picasa Web Album.