ID from call and behavior? (1 Viewer)

ID from call and behavior? - Central PA

I'm new to birding and am just starting to learn the calls (at least I know most of the birds in my state by sight). I was out walking a saw a brown bird with heavy streaking, about the size of a House Finch (a bit hard to tell in the branches). He was a happy fellow and kept repeating the same call over and over: a loud, clear, TWEET-TWEET-TWEET-TWEET-TWEEEEEET. The first four were sharp and fast, and the last one was like the sound you would make in your throat if you would imitate the neighing of a horse. Each time during the call he thew his head back, and on the last vibrating tweet, his whole body shook!

Any help here?

Sounds a bit like a Northern Waterthrush, both song and physical descriptions, but I don't know that I have ever seen one in a tree.

What was the habitat like where you saw the bird?

Mike

That kind of seems like a song sparrow to me. Their songs vary a bit, but what AJP described sounds like one of the songs I hear them do sometimes.

No water nearby. An open field on both sides of a row of trees, many of them dead. I checked Cornell's page and the description matches:

loud, clanking song of 2–6 phrases that typically starts with abrupt, well-spaced notes and finishes with a buzz or trill.

Click to expand...

I counted either 5, or more commonly 4, sharp TWEETS before the trill.

However, it's curious that most of the recordings showcase a variety of pitches within the call; the one I heard was all one note.

Curious and curiouser.

If it wasn't for the description of heavy streaking I would have suggested Field Sparrow.

Only the juveniles would have any streaking and I don't know if they would sing.

I'll bet that's what it is. I'm probably wrong about the streaking; didn't see him terribly close. Here's an audio (bird is not visible)--the same bird is in the same tree every day! His call is always 100% identical except the first tweets alter between 4 and 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQKOo6fiMQ8