any id suggestions for these calls, bird unseen - thanks (1 Viewer)

[Andy Mids]

Any suggestions for these quite strident calls, bird unseen in private gardens in north London 2nd November, melted away. ThanksView attachment 7PdkKtPm7FFWgWIb.mp4

 

[John Tindale]

My rule is that if I don't recognize a call it's almost certainly a Great Tit!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Andy,

I wrote this, but hesitate to comment. I first had the same thought as John, but after hearing the recording several times, I think now its one for really good speakers/device and with much experience with Humes YBW (dont have experience with this) or Yellow-browed Warbler.


If you hear such calls, its easy to say the words "if you dont know what it is, its an Great Tit". But this seems the right answer imo here.

Reason?
The second of the double note call seems "pushed in or added". This distracts me from a Chiffchaff, which mostly has a softer quality to his calls.
A Short-toed Treecreeper would be rare at least, I assume. A Common Treecreeper normally has a sharper and fainter, more Goldcrest like quality. These two species also gives this "pushed in or added" double calls.
There is an interesting paper in german language about mixed singer and calls in an old Limicola journal and I know, that both Treecreepers can give calls similar to the twin species.

Conclusion? During writing this, I heard the recording several times and became unsure. Imo its either a Great Tit or a Treecreeper (in Germany I would jump to the Short-toed, I must admit). But yes, Great Tits can imitate this=having similar calls in their repertoire (the use of the equal sign is typical for a Great Tit).
Edit: after hearing clsely I think I can imagine to hear the "lispeling", White Wagtail -like quality of a YBW call here.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Sounds fine for Coal tit to me.

 

[jogresh]

It's not YBW and don't think it's Coal Tit, it does resemble Humes but it has a ringing quality, i think it's a Great Tit but i certainly wouldn't bet a significant sum of money on it.

 

[KenM]

Sounds a bit Yellow-browed to me, especially after listening to a number on xeno canto.👍

Cheers

 

[Andy Mids]

Any suggestions for these quite strident calls, bird unseen in private gardens in north London 2nd November, melted away. ThanksView attachment 1413858
View attachment 1413859

Thanks to all for your replies and discussion.....usually I recognise coal tit and great tit calls quite easily....well for a bunch of experienced birders the response isn't uniform. I will have to listen again to short-toed treecreeper....I once recognised one in song from the window of a slowing train in Switzerland, and have twice had very odd treecreeper calls in UK. I guess it's more likely to be something common, wish I'd been able to see it. Thanks, Andrew

 

[Butty]

usually I recognise . . . great tit calls quite easily

You may well recognise some easily but you certainly won't recognise all of them - because, if I recall correctly, over 200 distinct calls have been described.

 

[jogresh]

I think the double call (which i've just noticed Alexander refers to) steers it away from a warbler, it sometime does a single, and sometimes a double.

 

[PYRTLE]

S.T. Treecreeper would be exciting away from Dungeness. I would say the calls are variable, it could be two birds, ranging as mentioned from Yellow Browed Warbler to Coal Tit, hence Hume's thrown in the mix. But sonogram afficianardo should clinch the identification.