UK, Horsell Common, Surrey bird call identification (1 Viewer)

F

FancyFlapjack

New member

• Apr 16, 2024

• #1

Hi,
I'm hoping someone can help identify the bird call in this audio clip recorded on 8th April on Horsell Common in Surrey, UK. The call starts at about 17s and repeats. It sounds like a squeaky wheel, but was definitely coming from the top of a tall Scots pine tree. The call was very penetrating - I was able to hear it from about 100m away. The only thing I could see were three or four jays hopping about in the trees and looking agitated. I'm pretty sure the noise wasn't coming from them. Horsell Common is a mix of heath with heather and gorse, deciduous wood and Scots pine. The Merlin app was unable to identify the sound. I'd love to know what it was! Thanks

 

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• 2024-04-10 08_44.wav

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lou salomon

the birdonist

• Apr 16, 2024

• #2

a duet song of Bullfinches.

 

Richard D

what was that...

Supporter

• Apr 16, 2024

• #3

I'm with lou, but obviously with Horswell Common you can't write off martians.

 

RichieTwitchy

YNWA

• Apr 16, 2024

• #4

Richard D said:

I'm with lou, but obviously with Horswell Common you can't write off martians.

Click to expand...

Funnily enough I was down there the other day and heard this 'call' coming from the woods...

 

Attachments

• Horsell Common bird song.mp3

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S

smiths

Well-known member

• Apr 19, 2024

• #5

At 41-44 seconds there are some clicking sounds added to the 'pew' calls, which I have never heard from Bullfinch.
Perhaps it is a Jay mimicking the call of Bullfinch?

 

Valéry Schollaert

Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s

• Apr 19, 2024

• #6

I would agree with Smiths and consider the Jay here.

 

01101001

All-knowing Idiot

Opus Editor

• Apr 19, 2024

• #7

This looks a bit like handling noise in the sonogram (top-to-bottom lines), and there are similar (but not so snappy) noises in other places, too.

 

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jogresh

Bimble and patch

• Apr 19, 2024

• #8

Just had a listen, pretty sure it's not Bullfinches.
I think Smiths could well be right with the clicking sounds indicating Jay, plus the strength/volume of the "hü" calls.

 

F

FancyFlapjack

New member

• Apr 26, 2024

• #9

Thanks everyone. I'm still baffled. There were jays in the tree, but they all appeared highly agitated by whatever was making the noise and were all hopping about, whereas the noise appeared to be quite stationary (from the thick foliage at tge top of the Scots pine). For what it's worth the sound was very loud and penetrating. I could hear it from at least 100m away. I walk on the Common almost every day and I've never seen or heard bullfinches there before. I've now heard this sound on three separate occasions - wasn’t able to capture it the other two times as by the time I got close enough to record, it had stopped. The first time I heard it, it sounded so mechanical I thought it was a human-made sound, but it definitely wasn't. Who knows? Maybe it is Martians!