[TomW]

Nope, faffed for half an hour and it won't do it. I think the file size may be to large?

[TomW]

ok lets see if this works

[TomW]

That seemed to work
Here's the other one.

[Bananafishbones]

Cheers TomW
But what are your thoughts?

The only bit of the Water Rail recording that sounds like mine is between 17 seconds and 10 seconds from the end, and I have to admit that those 7 seconds do sound the same, however most of the Corn Bunting recording (although not as deep as my call recording) does have the "key jangle" at the end of each set of calls. I can see why Keith would think Corn Bunting and others think Water Rail.

I know this is not an important matter, but it does show how things are not always what they seem. I wish I had recorded another minutes call on my phone just to see if anything changed in the repetative call or not.

Dave

[martin kitching]

It sounds like a Water Rail, it doesn't sound like a Corn Bunting. That's why it's a Water Rail

cheers
martin

Originally Posted by Bananafishbones

Cheers TomW
But what are your thoughts?

The only bit of the Water Rail recording that sounds like mine is between 17 seconds and 10 seconds from the end, and I have to admit that those 7 seconds do sound the same, however most of the Corn Bunting recording (although not as deep as my call recording) does have the "key jangle" at the end of each set of calls. I can see why Keith would think Corn Bunting and others think Water Rail.

I know this is not an important matter, but it does show how things are not always what they seem. I wish I had recorded another minutes call on my phone just to see if anything changed in the repetative call or not.

Dave

[TomW]

I like these recordings as they cover a variety of the calls made by each bird. The recording of the water rail in opus only gives the pigsqueal grunt, which if it was the only thing you heard would hardly equip you for the other sounds the bird makes.

I agree there is a superficial similarity between the pattern of some of the Water rail's call and the Corn bunting, but the speed is different, the pitch is different.

Bird calls vary between individuals and location, with regional variation, urban Blue tits for instance have a higher pitch call than their country cousins, to cut through traffic noise.
All you can do is get out there, look and listen.

Just for information: the first 40 seconds of the water rail recording are of an advertising male, the second 13 seconds (the corn bunting soundalike) are the courtship song of a female.
Information and recordings taken from "British bird sounds on CD" from the National Sound Archive, published by The British Library. (1992)

[ben_lewis]

I did exactly the same as you this spring Dave, I heard the call on the recording and thought it sounded very odd, recorded it and played it to various people who got quite excited by it. All sorts of suggestions came in including a host of rare buntings and crakes, in the end it was as has already been stated a Water Rail. A bit of further research lead me to believe that it is the call given by an unmated female, an oddity in itself. At least I've learnt a new call from a bird I thought I knew quite well.
( sorry just realised I have repeated the above post)
Cheers