I would like to report what I believe to have been a Black-eared cuckoo
at the Uriarra picnic area today. The details are below. Although I
didn't have my camera, as I was watching the bird a visiting Japanese
professor walked by. I asked if he had a camera with a zoom lens and he
did. Unfortunately, the two images he sent only show the body and
undertail feathers. There is no face. They may still be useful but are
rather large images so I won't attach them now.
Oh, other birds of note were Brown falcon, Gray currawong, Satin
flycatcher (singing).
Here are the details.
Date: October 9, 2007
Time: 12:30 13:15 pm
Location: Uriarra picnic area parking lot, near the bathrooms, in the
causarinas (sp?) between the parking lot and the river.
Lighting: Sun with partial cloud
Weather: 20 C, Fine with negligible wind
Closest viewing distance: 4 meters at 30 deg gaze angle
Average viewing distance: 6 meters at 60 deg gaze angle
Optics: B&L 7X36 Elites
Details
Size: The size of a bronze cuckoo. Comparison species was YFHE in same
tree. This bird was larger and seemed proportionately more chunky.
Tail: About the length of the body.
Primary projection: Considerably shorter than tail.
Bill: black, slightly decurved and slender. In fact, almost delicate and
not at all conical.
Upper parts: Gray, including crown. Some downy feathers on scapulars.
Lower parts: White. No steaking or barring on breast, belly or flanks.
Face: Black eye stripe extending from base of bill to auricular area and
slightly decurved. Rather dirty border with a white supercilium that was
of equal width.
Undertail feathers: Edged white with white barring on gray ground.
Underwing pattern: Not observed.
Why not either likely cuckoo-shrike? Size, white supercilium, thin bill,
lack of barring on breast and barring on undertail feathers.
Chip Scialfa
Calgary and Canberra
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