Check out this sweet Yellow billed Cuckoo that I spotted along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh this past weekend.
It watched me intently cocking it’s head side to side kind of like a curious dog as I took a few photos. I’ve been keeping an eye on a pair of Cuckoos at this spot since April and think perhaps there might be a nest nearby since they seem to frequent this particular tree often.
It would be neat to see young Cuckoos out and about here at Mid Pines this summer 🙂

Although they occasionally lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, the Yellow billed Cuckoo usually constructs its own nest of loosely arranged sticks, grass and pine needles to serve as home to raise its young.
Interestingly, these guys have one of the quickest breeding cycles in the bird world with egg incubation lasting 9 to 11 days and the young fledging just 3 weeks after hatching!

I’ve had the best luck finding Yellow billed Cuckoos near ponds, swamps and streams where they seem to favor the Willow trees for hunting insects.
They also may be found along the wood-lines of open fields and orchards.
Look for these gorgeous birds from late March through late October across North Carolina.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds