Bird sound, potentially a pet, York, UK (1 Viewer)

[James111]

I've been hearing this near my house near central York for years, including today. It's a soft, dove-like, three-note sound, which it repeats with long pauses (>10 seconds or minutes) in between. It's not the normal, three-note collared dove sound. To me it sounds like it's saying "Who are ya", like the football chant, but with the notes more separate as opposed to merging into each other. The first and last note are a similar pitch and the second is lower.

I'm wondering if it's someone's pet bird, partly because I can't work out what else it could be, and also because it always seems to come from the same direction. I only hear it when the weather is warm, which could be due to that just being the time of year that it sings, or because it's when its owner has their window open... Or maybe I'm missing something obvious?

The attached is the best recording I've managed to get of it, as I can't get very close to the source. It starts just before 4 seconds and you can't really hear the third note very well but it's definitely there.

Volume needs to be quite high to hear it above the noise.

View attachment UnknownBirdInYork.mp3

Thanks in advance!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello James,

one idea that came into my mind:
the call reminded me of some artificial Cuckoo sound and there are two potential sources: either one of the famous "Kuckucksuhren" or an exercise with a flute? (with the usual caveats you know)

(but then you must hear repeats of the call,reflecting the time, so thats unlikely)

Or a family playing hide and seek? Or a cage-bird? Maybe you can locate the direction of the source and can ask? No offense you know, and I agree with you, about the potential most likely solution(s)

 

[Derbyfella]

Can anyone clean this up?

 

[martyrynin]

Tick, tock, doors open, cuckoo

 

[Derbyfella]

Hmm I hadn’t seen Alexander’s post when I posted….

 

[James111]

Thanks Alexander, it does actually sound quite a lot like an artificial cuckoo, I hadn't thought of that. However, it doesn't happen at any specific time, and can sometimes happen consistently for quite a while with large breaks in between, and not at any specific interval. Also it's definitely three notes and not two. It might be coming from a large building with multiple flats and I don't think I'll be able to work out which.

I might try and work out how to clean up noisy audio files at some point as you suggest Derbyfella, and update it here. But I'll probably never know, never mind.

Thanks all anyway

 

[Mono]

Cleaned it up a bit. It does sound like a cuckoo clock.

View attachment cleaned.mp3