Mangrove Cuckoo - Life Bird #228

        There is an old saying that "it's better to be lucky than good."  We believe that it's better to be blessed than not.  Acting on a report, we traveled to Emerson Point Preserve in Palmetto on Saturday April 12th, in search of the Mangrove Cuckoo.  We arrived, got our cameras and binoculars ready, then headed for the trails.  Seconds later, we met a man from Virginia, who was just leaving after birding for three hours.  The man asked, "are you looking for the Cuckoo?"  When we told him that we were he said, "follow me."  We walked less than 100 yards to the spot where he had been looking at the bird.  The poor guy had only gotten a quick glimpse or two and a couple of poor photos for his efforts.  He then played a sound recording of the Cuckoo on his cell phone, the bird responded vocally.  It was so exciting for us to hear the bird calling while we stood there surrounded by mangroves.  He played the recording several more times and within minutes the Cuckoo appeared right in front of us.  Had we arrived five minutes later than we did, we would have missed the man entirely, and possibly the bird.  We didn't get lucky, we were blessed.  We spent the next 45 minutes observing the bird from "point blank" range, getting incredible close-up looks and hundreds of great photos and videos. 

        So, today's featured feathered friend is the Mangrove Cuckoo.  A year-round resident of southern Florida coast lines.  They can also be found in the coastal areas of Mexico, the Caribbean and northern South America.  This species is commonly found in mangrove swamps and hammocks, hence the name.

        Mangrove Cuckoos are long, slender birds with long, narrow tails.  They are grayish-brown above with a dark mask surrounding the eye and a yellowish eye-ring.  They are white below with a Cinnamon wash to the under parts.  The bill is long, heavy and down-curved, black on top (upper mandible) and yellow on the bottom (lower mandible) with a dark tip.  The under side of the tail is black with bold white tips.  Males and females are similar in appearance.  They are around 12 inches long, weigh nearly three ounces and have a 16-inch wingspan.  Juveniles are similar to adults, but lack the dark mask.
        We would like to thank the Virginia Gentleman for being our guide on a very warm and humid afternoon.  If not for your help, we might have "dipped" in the Mangroves.
        Enjoy these photos of the Mangrove Cuckoo, our 228th life bird.....tweet.....tweet!!

     
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mangrove_Cuckoo/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_Cuckoo