Common Cuckoo in Rhode Island ~ November 2, 2020

News broke about a Common Cuckoo that had been discovered in Rhode Island. An old birding friend and I left the house around 2:00 AM and made the 4-hour drive to Snake Den State Park near Johnston. We arrived right around sunrise and, soon after, Steve Schmit refound the bird perched in a tree bordering the field along Brown Avenue. It put on a nice show as it repeatedly dropped into the field to grab food, particularly Wooly Bear caterpillars. At one time, it flew up and perched above me so close that I had to back up to get the whole bird in the camera frame. Here are some of my favorite photos of it.

This was another bird that I never expected to see. From what I've heard, it represents one of only a few records for the eastern U.S. and only a handful or so for the entire 'lower 48'. More photos from the trip can be found in my Rhode Island Photo Album.

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