Where did you come from, where did you go?

No, I'm not talking about Cotton Eyed Joe. I'm talking about cuckoos. Every time we visit our field sites, we find a different number of cuckoos. One of our restoration sites, for example, has been particularly confusing. Early in the season there were no birds. Then one. Then two. Every subsequent visit seemed to produce more birds, until we were up to at least 6 birds, 2 of which we were able to capture and attach tiny radio-telemetry units to. Seems like that should make things simple, right?

Wrong. One bird we caught never seemed to pair up and unsurprisingly vanished a few days later, only to re-appear and then vanish again, seemingly for good this time. The other bird appeared to find a mate, as it was observed several times in the close company of another bird, often in the same tree. A nest seemed imminent, and we would be sure to find it. And then, one day, no signal. Gone, into thin air. Soon, the tail began playing out all over our study sites. Birds that had stuck around for weeks, appearing to set up territories and attract mates are MIA.

Soon all 6 birds had seemingly departed from one of our plots, leaving behind countless White-winged Doves and Western Kingbirds, but no cuckoos. Or so we thought, until today when another cuckoos appeared, not 100m from where our happy pair had once staked a claim. Not one of our telemetered birds, we could only shake our heads and wonder; where did you come from, and where will you go? North, to cooler forests and wider rivers? South, to valleys passed over weeks ago that now look more inviting than the LCR? East or West, searching for greener lands outside the burning desert? Or do you just wander aimlessly, not knowing what you seeking but seeking it nonetheless?

We may never know. But if this is your destination, if you've found what you're looking for, will you do us a favor? Will you build yourself a nest, strong and sturdy and well shaded? If you do, you can bet we'll be looking for it. And wherever you're going, I hope you find what you're looking for.