2023: A Great Year for me to Photograph the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
This year has been a good one for me when it comes to photographing the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Over the years, this has been a difficult bird for me to photograph. I hear them all the time, and I get glimpses of them. I even have one that hangs around my backyard. But to get a good, clean photo of one has been a real challenge.
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to photograph two Yellow-billed Cuckoos mating, with the male bringing the female a dragonfly. That was definitely one of my most exciting cuckoo photos ever! You can see that shot here [The Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s Mating Ritual].
Today’s photo is not as dramatic as that one, but I’m still thrilled to have captured it. I was driving the auto tour road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I noticed some movement in a nearby tree. I quickly pulled over and parked. Soon I discovered it was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and it was even out in the open! I was able to snap a photo before it disappeared behind the tree limbs.
While not my most amazing cuckoo photo, it’s still a shot I’ve been trying to get for years. I’m calling 2023 my Year of the Cuckoo! With a little luck, I’m hoping there will be more great cuckoo sightings and photos before the year is over.
Steve Creek, Wildlife Photographer
Equipment Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS R5
- Lens: Canon RF 100-500 mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Technical Details: First Photo
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date and Time Taken: July 12, 2023 (08:57A. M.)
- Exposure Mode: Manual
- Aperture: f8
- Shutter speed: 1/2000
- ISO: 2000 (Auto)
- Exp. Comp.: 0
- Focal Length: 500 mm