I've been hearing this bird singing at night the last couple weeks and I didn't know what it was. We have moved way out in the country. It has the funniest sound, but we never could see it, it was always deep in the woods
Tonight I noticed a bird on the ground and it was one I'd never seen before. I looked it up in my book and it is a yellow-billed cuckoo. I realized after reading more that this was the mystery bird I keep hearing. I guess that's one way to figure out a mystery, but I hope there are more so I keep getting to hear him sing.
It apparently flew into one of our windows.
We also have something that sounds like a whippoorwill in our woods, but I hear it's very hard to see those. I hear there is another related bird here in our area but it's similar to a whippoorwill.
Poor little guy!
Not my preferred method of bird identification!
I love hearing whippoorwhills in the woods at night. I just heard one over memorial weekend. They were abundant in the woods near my grandparents house when I was a child. They are one of those species that are declining rapidly due to habitat destruction.
I saw one once, but it was a long time ago. It was nighttime and the moon was bright and it sounded like it was in my grandma's backyard. I slowly crept outside and looked around and saw it sitting on the ground at the edge of the woods. It was hard to see but the moon was bright enough I could make out the tufts - if I hadn't heard it, I would have thought it was a small owl.
Don't know where Poolville is, but here we have Chuck-Wills-Widows that are very very very vocal!!! They are related to the whippoorwills and in my bird book, I can't see a difference.
Fearless, one in our woods came within ten feet of my family and sat nearly on the ground in a bush until it saw its next meal on the ground about 20 ft. away. They don't start singing until dusk. I wonder if they attract their meals with their song like the pied piper? They are not quiet until morning!
Wow I wish I could see one! I only get to hear them so far.