All,
Black-billed Cuckoo, Bicknell's Thrush (continuing), and possible
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Monticello today.
Early this afternoon, two Northern Virginia birders stopped me at
Monticello, telling me they had just seen a Black-billed Cuckoo in the park.
They
described this bird as being a cuckoo, with red eyes, a dark bill, and small,
scalloped tail feathers. These birders first located the cuckoo from the North
stream bank, perched fairly low in a tree just below the first stream ware.
Eventually, they watched this cuckoo flying back and forth across the stream
several times before it flew off.
Fifteen minutes later, at about midstream, from the North stream bank, I
watched a cuckoo fly into and perch midstory in a tree located about 25 yards
from the stream. My view was unobstructed, and this bird was indeed a
Black-Billed Cuckoo. It was not vocalizing. Within the hour, two other
birders, Rob
Hilton, and a birder who does not want his name posted to the List Serve,
also located and observed the Black-Billed Cuckoo. To my knowledge, late or
not,
this is the first Black-billed Cuckoo that has been reported at Monticello
this spring.
Later, Rob Hilton and I observed either a Gray-Cheeked or a Bicknell's
Thrush bombing around the understory just above the stream's North bank. This
bird was not vocalizing, but it was clearly a "big deal thrush," showing a
fair
amount of red in its tail. Both Rob and I had an unobstructed view of this
thrush. This bird was definitely not a Veery, Swainson's, Hermit, or Wood
Thrush. Just as Rob and I were discussing the fact that this bird was
obviously
either a Gray-Cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush, the thrush flew across the stream
into the understory on the South side of the stream. A very short time later,
a thrush began calling from somewhere near top of the ridgeline on the South
side of the stream. This bird sounded like a Bicknell's Thrush to both Rob
and me. (Rob later remarked the call sounded like the last Bicknell's call
that
can heard on the Stokes CD's.)
Finally, later in the afternoon, between the second and third stream wares,
again from the North stream bank, I observed a bird moving low in tree
branches just above the understory directly across the stream from me. I
believe
this bird may well have been a Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher. This bird was not
vocalizing, but is was clearly a flycatcher, with a bold, complete, eye ring,
very distinct whitish wing bars, and a bright yellow wash showing from the
bird's chin through its entire breast and belly. I do not believe this bird
was
a Peewee, Acadian, Least, Phoebe, or GC Flycatcher, all of which have been
reported at Monticello this year.
Unfortunately, even through I had three or more very close, completely
unobstructed looks at this flycatcher, in a pretty pitiful bit of "bird
craft," somehow I managed not to look at the entire bird before I lost it. For
instance, I did not look at relative head size or shape, bill shape or color,
or
relative tail length. Consequently, I cannot say for sure that the bird I had
was actually a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, but I have a very strong suspicion
that it was. For the record, another birder posted a Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher at Monticello recently. I reported my observation to other birders
in the
park, but my bird was never relocated.
Also, observed at Monticello today:
Bald Eagle (transiting)
Cooper's Hawk
EW Peewee
Acadian Flycatcher
GC Flycatcher
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird (CO-CN, CO-NB)
Northern Parula (m)
BT Blue (m&f)
BT Green (m)
Redstart (f)
Ovenbird
C YellowThroat (f)
Canada (f)
Scarlet Tanager (m&f)
Blue Grosbeak (m)
... and the rest of the usual suspects.
Paul Kane
Falls Church, VA
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