Probable Oriental Cuckoo Yamba, NSW

I was carrying out banding and flagging of Pied Oystercatchers in the Clarence Estuary near Yamba on Wednesday when I saw a large grey cuckoo flying across the water from Dart Island to the Clarence Estuary Nature Reserve. My initial impression was that it was an Australian Hobby and Gary Eggins thought it at first looked like a Collared Sparrowhawk. Once it could be seen more clearly it was obviously a cuckoo. Oriental and Pallid Cuckoos can look very hawk-like at first glance. On size, colour and shape I am fairly confident that it was an Oriental Cuckoo however it was some distance away and I could not see the underparts and so did not see any prominent barring which is characteristic of the Oriental. It could possibly have been a grey male Pallid Cuckoo but I don’t think that it was. If anyone is in the Yamba area it would be good to look out for this bird. Regards Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide | PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460 | 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/ =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================