Hi Everyone,
Thanks a lot to people that suggested a few ideas!
I have summarized below what is different between what I heard and what has been suggested. But before I would also like to mention that I am basing my judgment on recordings I found and my limited experience in Australia. So there might be some variations that I am unaware of and that could fit better what I heard. Also, it is quite hard to describe a call with words.
– Lewin’s honeyeater: The call I heard was not a rifflegun call. It was a series of equally spaced single notes. Does the Lewin’s H. has a non riffle gun call? – Sacred kingfisher: The sound of each note was very different, somehow smoother than that of a sacred. Additionally, notes in the series were more spaced out. The series I heard were loud but somehow peaceful. – Restless flycatcher: Notes were more spaced out and not quite disyllabic. Series were longer. Unless again, there is a variation that goes in that direction. – Eastern yellow robin: The call I heard was longer (at least 8 notes per series), the space between each note was longer, each note was sightly longer and the notes all sounded the same to me (on some EYR recordings, the first note differs from the next ones).
It might be an unusual EYR or Restless flycatcher call, or another bird, but nothing I have heard so far really fits what I heard. Obviously it isn’t a YSH and I have the feeling it is going to be something really trivial in the end. But I want to learn and figure this one out so I will probably try to go back there on the week-end. This time bringing my camera and a recorder in case I don’t see the bird again.
Thanks to everyone who contributed!
All the best,
Vivien ===============================
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Hi everyone,
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the discussion, either on the list or in private. I have listened to all calls I found (did not checked the BOCA Field Guide to Australian Birdsong that Alastair suggested, though). I have not been convinced by anything I heard and unfortunately, my search for the bird this week-end turn out to be a “flop”. I also did not hear any of the birds that were suggested in the discussion.
I am afraid this bird will remain a mystery! But thanks again to everyone, I learnt quite a lot.
To make the trip worth it, I pushed to the coast and took a few shots that I uploaded on my website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivienrollandphotography/
A great holiday break and a happy new year to everyone!
Vivien ===============================
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Has anyone gone through the Morcombe app and compared the selection of calls with those on the BOCA CDs?
It’s hard to get an idea how many there are because you have to go into each species to see its calls list, but the few I’ve looked at seemed fairly good.
Peter Shute
And xeno canto has a lot of calls as well – not sure if that is moderated though so I am not sure if they are always correct (although the ones I have listened to certainly have been)
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Vivien, Don’t forget that if you are relying on sound recordings on the iPhone Morcomb app, it has a very abridged selection of calls. You probably need to review the BOCA Field Guide to Australian Birdsong.
Regards Alastair
Hi Everyone,
Thanks a lot to people that suggested a few ideas!
I have summarized below what is different between what I heard and what has been suggested. But before I would also like to mention that I am basing my judgment on recordings I found and my limited experience in Australia. So there might be some variations that I am unaware of and that could fit better what I heard. Also, it is quite hard to describe a call with words.
– Lewin’s honeyeater: The call I heard was not a rifflegun call. It was a series of equally spaced single notes. Does the Lewin’s H. has a non riffle gun call? – Sacred kingfisher: The sound of each note was very different, somehow smoother than that of a sacred. Additionally, notes in the series were more spaced out. The series I heard were loud but somehow peaceful. – Restless flycatcher: Notes were more spaced out and not quite disyllabic. Series were longer. Unless again, there is a variation that goes in that direction.
It might be an unusual EYR or Restless flycatcher call, or another bird, but nothing I have heard so far really fits what I heard. Obviously it isn’t a YSH and I have the feeling it is going to be something really trivial in the end. But I want to learn and figure this one out so I will probably try to go back there on the week-end. This time bringing my camera and a recorder in case I don’t see the bird again.
Thanks to everyone who contributed!
All the best,
Vivien ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
===============================
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Of all the threads I remember from recent times, I think this has been the most constructive and useful.
My vote (not that I’m a calls expert) is for Eastern Yellow Robin. For me, this call fits the description of “peaceful”, being calm and having less of an attack, as against similar calls (such as the Eastern Spinebill) which seem a little quicker and more irregular, making it sound maniacal or panicked. The EYR has a long, regular series of calls, which can go on for ages, much longer than the Sacred Kingfisher, which comes in fits of about five. The EYR is a relatively quiet call, but can sound loud if the bird is calling from a hidden perch nearby.
I’m also not certain that the EYR has a different first note in the series. I’d certainly think of a White-Throated Treecreeper for a different first note followed by a long series of beeps, but you wouldn’t get a WTTC there, I think.
Many thanks to Vivien and all the contributors for the great discussion.
Bill
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