[texbirds] Re: Hay County Tough Weekend on Cuckoos
- From: Ervin Fleming <endersgt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: hurricanetg@xxxxxxxxxxx, naturalister@xxxxxxxxx, Tex Birds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2012 09:15:47 -0700 (PDT)
Evolutionarily speaking, have you seen any adjustment in their behavior (or in
the death toll) over the years as surviving parents teach their young?
________________________________
From: tony gallucci <hurricanetg@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: naturalister@xxxxxxxxx; Tex Birds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, July 9, 2012 8:53:11 AM
Subject: [texbirds] Re: Hay County Tough Weekend on Cuckoos
Hi Kurt,
for nearly 40 years i kept records of all birds i found DOR. Yellow-billed
Cuckoos are one of the most common species hit by cars. as early as the 1970s i
recognized that they seemed to be disproportionally hit on highways. i spent a
little time watching them around the place i was living at the time (Big
Thicket) and noticed their feeding routine involved sitting in trees adjacent
to
fields, pastures, forest openings. from their perches they would dives to just
above the levels of the ground cover and chase down bugs flying from about a
foot to three feet above ground, and then swoop up into a tree on the opposite
side of the open area. for birds using woodlands along a highway or road (which
serve the function of this 'open area') . . . well, you get the picture . . .
in
the years since i've seen hundreds of cuckoos do this very thing, swoop down
low
and across highways, and think to msyelf 'it's only a matter of time' . . .
speculation on my part, but with a basis in stats and observation . . .
all my best,
tony gallucci
ingram/hunt/kerrville, texas
________________________________
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2012 08:06:02 -0500
Subject: [texbirds] Hay County Tough Weekend on Cuckoos
From: naturalister@xxxxxxxxx
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Heading into town Friday I saw a DOR Roadrunner on the shoulder of Limekiln Rd.
and planned to pick it up on the return from my quick errand into town.
Buzzards or someone else must have gotten it as it was missing when I came back
but before I reached the house I came upon a second fresh DOR, a Yellow-billed
Cuckoo. That one went into the freezer for a future trip to CS. Yesterday
(Sunday July 8) again headed into town I arrived at the stop sign at Limekiln
and Post Rd. and there in the middle of intersection was another DOR
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Did not look o be in very good shape, and a busy
intersection, so was left.
We are a mere 4 miles from town on Limekiln but I see many birds DOR lately,
possibly cause I travel it so much and look for the things (there was also a
DOR
wren and what looked to be a young Scissor-tailed flycatcher at 45mph no brake
tap, now I am wondering if it was actually another Cuckoo) just in the past
week. Not sure why so many birds are getting themselves run over, maybe these
birds are this years crop and simply lack experience with cars.
For whatever reason, can't remember seeing a DOR Yellow-billed before, but this
weekend saw at least 2.
Kurt Johnson
Hays County, just outside San Marcos
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