Cuckoo!

Dave and I took a walk last night through the woods across the road from our house, and I took my camera along, hoping to photograph some flowers. Well, we got sidetracked by something much more interesting - some large bird flying around from tree to tree. Oh how I wished I had the binoculars with me, in addition to the camera. Always, always take the binoculars along for best views of birds and other things high up in trees!!!!! Luckily the bird came out into a relatively clear branch on a sycamore tree and I was able to snap a few shots. I was pretty sure it was a cuckoo, and sure enough, upon consulting my Peterson's field guide, my ID was verified - a yellow-billed cuckoo. Bet you didn't know we had those in Ohio, huh? This year I learned their call, thanks to a bird call CD. I have heard them calling in this neck of the woods, so I knew they were around, but this is the first time I've ever laid eyes on one. The photo's pretty crappy, at least from the standpoint of the type of bird pictures I like to take, and doesn't really do justice to the size of the bird (they range between 11" and 13" long), but it was the best I could get.

And on the way back to the house, we were treated to a lovely sunset.