#ABArare - Common Cuckoo - California UPDATED Sep 30

This is one of those finds where the ABA checklist code doesn't begin to capture the true rarity of the sighting: A Common Cuckoo was found on Sep 28 at Watsonville, CA. It's a Code 3 (defined as rare; a species that occurs in very low numbers, but annually, in the ABA Checklist Area), but that's due to sightings from Alaska, mostly from the Bering Sea region. Outside of that, it is almost entirely unknown in the ABA Area. The only previous Lower 48 record is from Martha's Vineyard, MA, where one was found May 3-6, 1981.

photo by Dinuk Magammana

photos by Steven Tucker, used with permission

Found during a Santa Cruz Bird Club field trip led by Steve Gerow, the cuckoo was first spotted by Lois Goldfrank. Gerow wrote the following directions to the Monterey Bay Birders listserv: "...the bird was just off the Ford St./Kearney Street loop, where it borders Watsonville Slough. This reached from Walker Street, a left turn if you are coming from the south (Beach Street) end, and [a right turn] from the north (Walker Street becomes Harkins Slough Road just a bit to the north of this area). We saw it in a grove of willows across from Farmer's Cold Storage. Part of the grove had been cut, and there is a lot of wood on the ground." Roger Wolfe created a map of the location; it can be found here.

Common Cuckoo is very similar to Oriental Cuckoo, a Code 4 vagrant to western Alaska, so identification can be tricky, but this individual appears to be an adult female hepatic morph. In this plumage, Common Cuckoo has an unbarred rump while the rump of an Oriental is barred. [Note: while writing this, a post to Monterey Bay Birders mentioned that it had a white spot on the top of its head, suggesting it may be an immature. This may complicate the identification, though it has narrow barring on the underparts, another good mark for Common, and in the photos I have seen, it does appear to be an adult female.]

The cuckoo was found at 11:30 AM and was being seen as late as 4:45 PM. This is a developing story so check back again. I hope to have photos, but in the meantime, some can be seen here, here, and here.

UPDATE: The cuckoo has been refound today, Saturday Sep 29, though it is not always visible. It was first seen at 8:15 AM. It then disappeared after 9. Apparently it was seen again after that, but it is not in view at this time (11:50 AM).

UPDATE 2, Sep 29: Sightings continue until at least 3:15 PM, Sep 29. The cuckoo has been moving around, so check Monterey Bay Birders and Calbirds for the latest location of sightings and other news. Over 100 birders were out today. Sharon Hull provided some photos of the festivities:

Birders on Sep 29. Photo by Sharon Hull

The Santa Cruz Bird Club was providing free coffee and doughnuts. Photo by Sharon Hull

UPDATE 3, Sep 30: The cuckoo is still present as of the morning of Sep 30. Two new maps have been created to show locations where the bird was on Sep 29, one by Michael Feighner and the other by Steve Hampton