Just over a week ago, I made some recordings of Crossbills in the Banchory area of Deeside using a Remembird recorder. Attached are the three best recordings I made.
B is the clearest, and is probably the best recording. To my eyes there is a strong initial downward inflection (with just the hint of an initial upward movement) followed by a separate vertical note. This looks rather like fc3 or a Scottish type, from looking at the Sound Approach.
Hi Andrew,
I've just found this post and thought I'd risk a comment on C. I'm no expert and recently had some named crossbill sounds and sonograms on BF corrected by Griffin. So I'll proceed with caution.
In the very useful Summers et al paper in Ibis (2002) there's an Fc3 image similar to yours at 0.8 and 2.0 seconds (see attached file created using Raven). The paper defines Type 3 as a high energy downward component after a short or no upward component, with a lower energy vertical component occuring after the main component.
So it may mean Scottie but best to wait for expert confirmation.
Andrew Whitehouse; said:It seems that the consensus, both on here and through private correspondence, that the B recording above is of an Fc3 Scottish type.
Hi All,
Andrew alerted me to this thread on Sunday after sending me a Remembird file to compare with my own. I must confess I only looked at the sonograms as it was getting late and agreed that it looked like the Fc3 in SA, though excercised caution with the identification of that particular bird as "Scottish". Also, Scottish 'type' birds had been sound recorded and observed at this particular site previously.
Having now had a chance to listen to the calls I don't think they sound the same as those in SA, though they are similar. Andrews call is also slightly different on the sonogram in that the second element, if it is an element, rises at a slight angle rather than pointing straight up (as SA). Also, in SA the second element starts at the inflection of the first element whereas in Andrew's specimen the second element is starting from the lower part of the first element.
I am also slightly bothered by the cadence of the call for a crossbill, though it is reminiscent of a single cardueline finch in flight trying to locate the flock eg. these are contact calls.
So, it is a Fc3 in features ( two elements, freq. seems to match) but whether it is definite Scottish 'type' crossbill I cannot be absolutely sure - I haven't got this particular call for any of the released live-trapped birds I have recordings for and cannot account for the data of others. In the field I tend to get the two other Fc3 type calls, and have recorded few, if any, of the type Andrew recorded. I think the classification of the calls needs to be re-evauated and this is something I am working on, which is why I may at times appear evasive to some of you - this is very much a 'life's work' for me (or will be) and not merely a passing whim. Those of you who get the NESBR will have noticed the very careful wording regarding classification of crossbill calls !
The bottom line is I don't have all of the anwers (yet !).
Lindsay
I was back in the same area yesterday and made quite a few recordings. I don't think I got any more Fc3s though. Here's what I did get. I think we're talking 1B Parakeets, as Paul has been getting.
Lovely clear sonograms Andrew. How close were you?
I suppose the closest ones were overhead at treetop height but most were a bit further.
Hi Lindsay - thanks for your detailed analysis, which has helped me a lot to look more closely at the sonograms and to listen more carefully to the recordings. I can hear small differences between the SA Scottish flight call and the one I recorded and can see what you mean about the two elements on my sonogram. As I say in post 3 my main interest at the moment is in learning to read the sonograms and to distinguish between the different sounds I'm hearing. At this stage I'm pleased that I can both see and hear the differences between the bird from November, whatever it was, and the ones I recorded yesterday. I'm quite happy to leave the November bird as a 'possible Fc3'.