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.