Dotterel flight call query (1 Viewer)

[markgrubb]

I was at Torness in E Lothian yesterday. On getting out of the car I heard a bird flying over. It was calling continuously- a piping call with a descending note repeated quickly. 3 expereienced birders heard it too and the consensus was that it might have been a dotterel.

I listened to my Roche CD when I got home but it only had dotterel song and alarm call. Does anyone have experience of dotterel flight call? Does anyone know of a recording that is net based?

 

[bitterntwisted]

The calls on the BWPi DVD are the same as those on the Roche CD, although on BWPI they are labelled 'flight calls and song'

I can't find anything in the description to match the call you describe, either...

Calls of Adults
(1) General contact and alarm calls. (a) Main contact call a soft but penetrating 'pweet-pweet-pweet', heard in flying flocks (P J Sellar); 'pilk-pilk-pilk' (Kapitonov 1962) or 'tititititi' in low-flying courting parties (Marra 1964). Intention-to-fly indicated by 'pit-pit'; in flight, a hard 'püt-püt-püt' (Rittinghaus 1962; Köpke 1967). (b) Take-off call (occasionally heard in full flight or on landing). A trilling 'píöööör' or 'píööö' (Rittinghaus 1962); a clear ringing repeated 'pyurrr' (Vasilchenko and Unzhakov 1977); 'pjürr' (like Dunlin Calidris alpina) and thin, high-pitched chirping 'djürredjürredjürre' (Köpke 1967a); soft 'teeur' or 'peeur' often the first and commonest call heard, sometimes 'peeuri' repeated irregularly at intervals of c. 3–5 s (P J Sellar). (c) Flock calls of migrants a ringing 'kirr-dit-dit-durrr' (Rittinghaus 1962). (d) Soft 'kwip kwip' heard from feeding flock (Nethersole-Thompson 1973; see also for variants). (e) Alarm call given by single bird or pair flying off in response to remote danger a soft, tinkling, rising 'wit-wit-wit wita-wita-wita-wee' (Nethersole-Thompson 1973); 'wit-e-wee wit-e-wee wit-e-wee' (see Witherby et al. 1940); 'whit-whit-whit' (Meares 1917). (f) Creaking-call. Likened to regular creak of unoiled wheel-barrow (Blackwood 1920); given under similar circumstances to call 1e, by bird on ground or in the air (Nethersole-Thompson 1973). (g) Ting-call. A single, sharp, explosive but rather thin 'ting', given in various situations eliciting moderate anxiety or excitement, usually from bird on ground in breeding season, e.g. when ♂ flushed from eggs; also heard in flocks (Nethersole-Thompson 1973). (h) On flushing in extreme alarm, a trill, rendered 'twrr' when bird rose at intruder's feet; similar to C. alpina (Blackwood 1920) but softer and less angry (Nethersole-Thompson 1973); also rendered as a harsh 'wer-r-r-r' (Meares 1917), 'skirr' or—less intensely—'whirr' (Nethersole-Thompson 1973), and a rattling 'tirrr' (Köpke 1967a).

 

[KnockerNorton]

Whimbrel?

 

[markgrubb]

Thanks for that-it makes dotterel more unlikely-just can't think what it was

The calls on the BWPi DVD are the same as those on the Roche CD, although on BWPI they are labelled 'flight calls and song'

I can't find anything in the description to match the call you describe, either...

Calls of Adults
(1) General contact and alarm calls. (a) Main contact call a soft but penetrating 'pweet-pweet-pweet', heard in flying flocks (P J Sellar); 'pilk-pilk-pilk' (Kapitonov 1962) or 'tititititi' in low-flying courting parties (Marra 1964). Intention-to-fly indicated by 'pit-pit'; in flight, a hard 'püt-püt-püt' (Rittinghaus 1962; Köpke 1967). (b) Take-off call (occasionally heard in full flight or on landing). A trilling 'píöööör' or 'píööö' (Rittinghaus 1962); a clear ringing repeated 'pyurrr' (Vasilchenko and Unzhakov 1977); 'pjürr' (like Dunlin Calidris alpina) and thin, high-pitched chirping 'djürredjürredjürre' (Köpke 1967a); soft 'teeur' or 'peeur' often the first and commonest call heard, sometimes 'peeuri' repeated irregularly at intervals of c. 3–5 s (P J Sellar). (c) Flock calls of migrants a ringing 'kirr-dit-dit-durrr' (Rittinghaus 1962). (d) Soft 'kwip kwip' heard from feeding flock (Nethersole-Thompson 1973; see also for variants). (e) Alarm call given by single bird or pair flying off in response to remote danger a soft, tinkling, rising 'wit-wit-wit wita-wita-wita-wee' (Nethersole-Thompson 1973); 'wit-e-wee wit-e-wee wit-e-wee' (see Witherby et al. 1940); 'whit-whit-whit' (Meares 1917). (f) Creaking-call. Likened to regular creak of unoiled wheel-barrow (Blackwood 1920); given under similar circumstances to call 1e, by bird on ground or in the air (Nethersole-Thompson 1973). (g) Ting-call. A single, sharp, explosive but rather thin 'ting', given in various situations eliciting moderate anxiety or excitement, usually from bird on ground in breeding season, e.g. when ♂ flushed from eggs; also heard in flocks (Nethersole-Thompson 1973). (h) On flushing in extreme alarm, a trill, rendered 'twrr' when bird rose at intruder's feet; similar to C. alpina (Blackwood 1920) but softer and less angry (Nethersole-Thompson 1973); also rendered as a harsh 'wer-r-r-r' (Meares 1917), 'skirr' or—less intensely—'whirr' (Nethersole-Thompson 1973), and a rattling 'tirrr' (Köpke 1967a).

 

[markgrubb]

Whimbrel?

No-I am quite familiar with whimbrels call. the calls were evenly spaced maybe every 2 seconds or so. Slower than the quick peal of calls you get with whimbrels. thanks for the suggestion anyway

 

[MSA]

Hi Mark

Are you sure it was a wader? Might be well off the mark (I find it very hard to turn descriptions of calls into sound) but have you considered Woodlark, for example?