The Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos at Wehr Nature Center in Franklin Wisconsin on May 27, 2017

A Black-bill Cuckoo was reported at Wehr Nature Center in Greenfield Wisconsin on and off the last week or so. This morning I gave it a shot to try to see this bird that has avoided me since I have started birding in 2009. After a good walk around the nature center grounds, coming to full circle, I spotted a Black-billed Cuckoo near the nature center entrance, what a beautiful bird, finally! The bird dropped down from a branch perched about 10 feet off the ground and appeared to feed on something, doing this action twice. The bird hung around for a few minutes but then left the viewing area. A while later while, Bruce joined me at that  parking lot and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew into the area and perched in front of us. That bird also perched and feed, but moved out of the area to the prairie area. Then Janet and Jeanine joined me after I texted them as they were looking for these species in a different area at the nature center, they also wanted this species on their life list. Once in the prairie area, both cuckoos showed  and were present at the same time, in fact at one time they both appeared to land in the same square foot in a grassy area. From there they moved down the hill to the south giving great views as they feed and perched, what cuckoos do. We kept a distance to just enjoy the great views and captured a few images to share. All and all, a fun morning for all present! Images were taken on May 27, 2017.

Black-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

5 Responses to The Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos at Wehr Nature Center in Franklin Wisconsin on May 27, 2017

  1. Edward Means says:

    Good shots. I am glad they came out in the open for you. Who else was with you. I guessing this made your day. I on the other hand could not going birding. Had to take down and tree and get the backyard cut. Just the way it goes.

  2. Nan Wisherd says:

    Great that they posed for you! Thanks for sharing.

  3. Tom O'Malley says:

    Great pictures of these rare birds Jim.

  4. Mary Korkor says:

    WOW! What a treat. Thanks for sharing again!

  5. Terressa Campbell says:

    This is the first time I’ve never seen one. Unfortunately it crashed into our window in Boscobel and I had to identify it. It was a yellow-billed cuckoo. Such a beautiful bird I tried to save it unfortunately I couldn’t. Are they common around Wisconsin?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *