Southern California, USA - Bird or Bat?? (1 Viewer)

[bpwsource]

Hi all. I'm new here and live in Southern California in the US next to a small, suburban park. Ever since I was a kid I've heard these really loud and high pitch "birds" at night in the park but I've always wondered if they were really bats.

I really love birds but I'm not very learned on various species and I haven't been able to get any kind of video or pictures because I only hear them at night and I only hear them in the park next to my house.

I recorded them tonight and have attached the audio files. Let me know if any of you have any ideas based on what you hear. I'd love to get some insight on this. Thanks!

 

[birdmeister]

Those are Killdeer. These plovers are often very active and vocal at night.

 

[bpwsource]

Those are Killdeer. These plovers are often very active and vocal at night.

So interesting as I've never seen these birds at the park during the day so they must just come by at night to feed on the insects? I see they're shorebirds too. We live about a 15 min drive to the beach so perhaps they spend their days on the sand.

Thanks you for your help!

 

[nartreb]

Some killdeer do visit beaches, but many live extremely far from the coast. They feed in mowed, plowed or short-grazed fields, and nest in dry spots with open ground.
They can be surprisingly hard to spot, though if you happen to pass close to a nest you might get to see the old broken-wing trick.

 

[bpwsource]

Could they just be visiting the park at night and go elsewhere during the day or do they usually stay in one place?

I pretty much only see Western Bluebirds, Sparrows, Finches, Black Phoebes, Doves, and Crows.

These Killdeer must be good at hiding/blending during the day!

 

[Butty]

Unless you routinely use binoculars to scan large areas of open ground you're probably not going to notice them.

 

[bpwsource]

So, is there any possibility these could be bats or are the sounds I shared pretty conclusively belonging to Killdeer? I'm asking only because most people in my neighborhood that live around this park also think that they might be bats, but the more I read on bats the more I'm realizing that you don't hear most of the sounds that they make because they're outside of the spectrum that we can perceive. I've never seen a killdeer at this park before, and I've definitely been looking very closely the past few weeks during the day, but my guess is that if they are in fact killdeer, then they are solely migrating to the park at night for the unrestricted access to the food in the freshly cut grass. I'm guessing they don't have much competition during the evening and night then they would during the day, plus there aren't any people to disturb them.

 

[connorco]

So, is there any possibility these could be bats or are the sounds I shared pretty conclusively belonging to Killdeer? I'm asking only because most people in my neighborhood that live around this park also think that they might be bats, but the more I read on bats the more I'm realizing that you don't hear most of the sounds that they make because they're outside of the spectrum that we can perceive. I've never seen a killdeer at this park before, and I've definitely been looking very closely the past few weeks during the day, but my guess is that if they are in fact killdeer, then they are solely migrating to the park at night for the unrestricted access to the food in the freshly cut grass. I'm guessing they don't have much competition during the evening and night then they would during the day, plus there aren't any people to disturb them.

Definetly Killdeer. There's probably a good chance they live at the field during the day and just hunker down, but it's definitely possible that they fly in at night.

 

[KC Foggin]

Killdeer! I hear them every night

 

[bpwsource]

Ok ok, thank you for confirming!! I really appreciate it. Perhaps I just need a quality night vision camera (which I don't think is realistic for me to ever acquire 😂) to capture one at night just so I have undeniable proof staring straight at my face. But, by and large, I trust this community so thank you for your expertise!

 

[01101001]

⁹Ok ok, thank you for confirming!! I really appreciate it. Perhaps I just need a quality night vision camera (which I don't think is realistic for me to ever acquire 😂) to capture one at night just so I have undeniable proof staring straight at my face. But, by and large, I trust this community so thank you for your expertise!

How about borrowing one, though?
You can listen to Killdeer calling at Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus - Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird and Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) :: xeno-canto. Some sound recognition apps (for birds only, not for bats): BirdNET and Merlin Bird ID (apart from recording the bird via one of these apps, you may also upload a .wav file to Merlin Bird ID or the BirdNET website).
Welcome to the forum from me!