This morning it was slow birding in our yard in Northern Loudoun County.
A few of our regulars were present, but not much else. After 8am, the
pace picked up. At least 8 Pine Siskins are still around and hanging out
at the thistle feeder, and a single White-throated Sparrow was heard.
The real excitement came when a cuckoo showed up. Quiet as it was it
would show it's bill clearly for a while. Once it turned around the
black bill was clearly visible. Wow, a Black-billed Cuckoo. This is
species 135 for the yard :) As it was feeding on the tent caterpillar a
second black-billed cuckoo chased it away. Both bird were nice enough to
hang out for several minutes before moving deeper into the forest. This
was the first time I actually saw a Black-billed Cuckoo, I had heard
them before.
Gerco
Leesburg, VA
