Calls, California (1 Viewer)

[mordovarot]

Hi,
The Merlin app suggested Lawrence's Goldfinch among Lesser Goldfinch calls (which probably wrong, but may be not) and Tropical Kingbird (which not common on the date of recording, but still possible).
Both recordings have been made in August 2023 in Southern California.
Sorry for the sounds in the background

 

[birdmeister]

The kingbird recording sounds quite good for Tropical Kingbird's high-pitched twittering. I'm not confident with Lawrence's vs Lesser Goldfinch song. I think both can include snippets of mimicry.

 

[mordovarot]

The kingbird recording sounds quite good for Tropical Kingbird's high-pitched twittering. I'm not confident with Lawrence's vs Lesser Goldfinch song. I think both can include snippets of mimicry.

I’m not familiar with Tropical Kingbird at all, but I found it good enough too. Could it by any other species?

 

[birdmeister]

I’m not familiar with Tropical Kingbird at all, but I found it good enough too. Could it by any other species?

I don't think so. Tropical is best identified by voice from other kingbirds, the calls are that distinctive.

 

[mordovarot]

I don't think so. Tropical is best identified by voice from other kingbirds, the calls are that distinctive.

Thank you! That means a lifer for me!

 

[Butty]

That means a lifer for me!

Did you not see it? Was it a kingbird?

 

[mordovarot]

Did you not see it? Was it a kingbird?

I didn’t see the bird, only voice.

 

[mordovarot]

The only candidate with the similar song I found is a Bushtit. Could it be the one? I mean the Kingbird recording. Thanks!

 

[rkj]

I cannot hear anything that sounds like a bird on the recordings, so mordovarot and birdmeister are picking up something I do not, but I would suggest that if you cannot tell if it is a Tropical Kingbird or a Bushtit, which do not sound much alike, it is best to leave it unidentified.

 

[rkj]

In an effort to be more useful, let me suggest that you would likely get better recordings with a little sound processing. This link: Preparing sound recordings for upload to eBird and the Macaulay Library gives directions for processing recordings for submission to ebird, but the techniques would be useful for any bird call recording. The page discusses different free audio processing apps. I used the Ocenaudio software, with no prior experience, and found it easy to use (following the tutorial linked to on the page) and that it greatly enhanced the quality of my recordings. I cannot promise that I will be able to identify the birds in your recordings if you do process them, but I think the chances that someone will be able to give you some more help will be significantly improved.

 

[01101001]

WavePad Audio Editor - Apps on Google Play

WavePad Audio Editor is a full-featured professional audio editing app.

play.google.com

free app for Android
no limit for trimming; normalise while you can (-3dB with default settings), then, reinstall & repeat

double-check with BirdNET--less reliable but still:

BirdNET

birdnet.cornell.edu

compare the shape of the sonogram: doesn't (perfectly) fit => it's not it

EDIT: BirdNET says Pigeon Guillemot and Lesser Goldfinch

 

[mordovarot]

Wow! That makes sense! Thank you!
Really useful! I have to learn this!

 

[mordovarot]

In an effort to be more useful, let me suggest that you would likely get better recordings with a little sound processing. This link: Preparing sound recordings for upload to eBird and the Macaulay Library gives directions for processing recordings for submission to ebird, but the techniques would be useful for any bird call recording. The page discusses different free audio processing apps. I used the Ocenaudio software, with no prior experience, and found it easy to use (following the tutorial linked to on the page) and that it greatly enhanced the quality of my recordings. I cannot promise that I will be able to identify the birds in your recordings if you do process them, but I think the chances that someone will be able to give you some more help will be significantly improved.

Thank you, you are right, most people (including myself) just don’t bother with recordings this quality.