Unknown bird song in Belgium (1 Viewer)

[Denzil]

Hello, anyone with an idea about this bird song?
Location: deciduous copse alongside river meadow.
Time of day: 09:30, Saturday May 2
Central Belgium

Thanks
Denzil

 

[Djerf]

I think it's a Brambling.
Joakim

 

[Slipymor]

I think yellowhammer

 

[KenM]

The fluted song is Blackbird....as to the single "zeeee", I'm finding it difficult to reconcile it with Brambling or Yellowhammer....dunno?

Cheers

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Well, I've never heard a Brambling singing in Belgium, but it sounds like one indeed.

 

[Nutcracker]

Agree; I've only heard song from late passage Brambling once or twice, they don't usually sing until they reach the breeding grounds.

 

[lou salomon]

yeah but the sound is very much like a brambling's song so i guess this is the recorded species.

 

[Djerf]

Brambling sings regularly on spring passage in Sweden, but that's of course a bit closer to their breeding grounds than Belgium

 

[Slipymor]

I compared with www.xeno-canto.org. The song of brambling consists only in one part. A striking 'suuuuue'.

But on the recording of the topic starter, the 'suuuu' is preceding by a 'dsip, dsip, dsip, ...'.

I still think it's the song of yellowhammer that sounds lower on the recording due to the recording quality. The more that the blackbird sounds also a bit odd to me on the same recording.

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

I compared with www.xeno-canto.org. The song of brambling consists only in one part. A striking 'suuuuue'.

Try to listen more individuals. you'll find some identical to our mystery bird...

 

[Denzil]

Original poster here. Thanks for your thoughts. Here are mine:
Brambling: the mystery bird song contains two parts. The second bit does sound like a brambling, but as Slipymor pointed out, the preceding "dsip, dsip, dsip" does not.
Yellowhammer: I know a yellowhammer song very well and this was not a yellowhammer. The second refrain goes down and not up, and the habitat was definitely not yellowhammer habitat: a copse, and not open fields.

My thought was an ortolan bunting. On Xeno-Canto.org there are some ortolan recordings that sound very close to this one.

Any further thoughts?

 

[Slipymor]

It sounds as low pitched as ortolan bunting, but the structure of the song is as in yellowhammer in my perception.

May brambling would be more likely... . Could anyone give us an example of a recording that is similar to the mystery bird? So with a rhytmical 'dsip, dsip, dsip,...' preceding the striking 'suuuuueee'?

 

[Andy Hurley]

The Yellowhammer/Greenfinch like tseeeee is not quite right to my ear fwiw, I'm pretty deaf to most bird song. To me the tseee is very strong and sounds exactly like Brambling from Xeno Canto. Quite often I only hear this part of theYellowhammer/Greenfinch song and your recording doesn't sound quite the same as the sounds of Greenfinch/Yellowhammer that I hear almost daily.

 

[Djerf]

I'm not sure, I agree that the 'dsip dsip dsip' is NOT typical for Brambling. It could be his first song tones this year and so he is a bit uncertain though stuttering/hesitating before singing out, but this may be a bit far-fetched... I would not 100% rule out the Emberiza (Yellow/Ortolan) suggestions.
Interesting call, anyway.
All the best Joakim

 

[Slipymor]

Some local specialists recognise water rail in it

 

[Denzil]

I have just been informed by someone more skilled than me, that it is a singing water rail. Checking up, it seems like this is the correct identification. Thanks for all your tips.

 

[Djerf]

Also I have had this interesting call examined by an expert (Dr. Martin Tjernberg). He says he's 100% sure the call is from a Water Rail. :t:
Joakim

 

[Warixenjalka]

Pygmy Owl whistle also... but maybe not this one? But it doesn't sound typical Brambling nether.

 

[jpoyner]

Also I have had this interesting call examined by an expert (Dr. Martin Tjernberg). He says he's 100% sure the call is from a Water Rail. :t:
Joakim

Would never have guessed this one. Just listened on Xeno-Canto and yep it is certainly a Water Rail.