Help identify this bird, London UK (1 Viewer)

[Zoeelise]

Hi, I heard this unusual bird sound last night and my bird identifier app Merlin wasn’t able to identify it. Does anyone know what this is!?

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Welcome to Birdforum. Your bird is a (male) Tawny owl. I'm surprised that Merlin couldn't ID this!

 

[Zoeelise]

Welcome to Birdforum. Your bird is a (male) Tawny owl. I'm surprised that Merlin couldn't ID this!

That’s pretty cool! I’m surprised to hear an owl where I am in London. Thanks for helping me identify it!

 

[SpinySoftware]

Merlin has to be very confident about a result before it will show it. This means that it is prone to not giving a result at all. If you want a more sensitive app that would have identified the sound, I recommend that you try the ChirpOMatic app

 

[THE_FERN]

(tawny owl widespread in central London including famously in Hyde park)

 

[delia todd]

Hi Zoeelise and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

(tawny owl widespread in central London including famously in Hyde park)

Indeed, as an example here is the ebird data for (roughly) London (inside of the M25 - I believe this is how London is defined!):

 

[Paul Chapman]

Indeed, as an example here is the ebird data for (roughly) London (inside of the M25 - I believe this is how London is defined!):

View attachment 1622025

The London Recording area is defined as a 20 mile radius circle from St Paul's. eBird I would expect has Greater London but it is rather random in some of its geographical classifications. As a reviewer, I had an outstanding request for our local boundaries to be sorted out for a number of years. I gave up. It caused difficulty in setting filters and reconciling with the local bird reports.

All the best

Paul

 

[dwatsonbirder]

The London Recording area is defined as a 20 mile radius circle from St Paul's. eBird I would expect has Greater London but it is rather random in some of its geographical classifications. As a reviewer, I had an outstanding request for our local boundaries to be sorted out for a number of years. I gave up. It caused difficulty in setting filters and reconciling with the local bird reports.

All the best

Paul

I can imagine that is quite frustrating Paul - it that due to the software having an American origin, or the complexities of the UK Watsonian vice-county system?
I've fallen foul of this in the past, apparently one of the Rose-coloured starlings I bumped into a number of years ago wasn't in Somerset, but some mysterious foreign land called "North Somerset"

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. My daughter and her husband live in north London and have tawny owls in their garden.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I can imagine that is quite frustrating Paul - it that due to the software having an American origin, or the complexities of the UK Watsonian vice-county system?
I've fallen foul of this in the past, apparently one of the Rose-coloured starlings I bumped into a number of years ago wasn't in Somerset, but some mysterious foreign land called "North Somerset"

The response was - "we use X system for our counties ....". I looked it up and the underlying authority had it how I would want. I pointed that out.

The response followed - "we have now put it on our updates list".

Years have passed. So long that it would take me a long time to find the details. Five years maybe? No change. To be honest, this is pretty standard in my experience of substantive discussions before I ceased being involved.

All the best

Paul

 

[Southern Viking]

Lived in areas around Hendon, Hamsptead and Golders Green in the past and Tawnies were perfectlly common there. The London bird recording area has always overlapped with others. I think Kent/Essex Bridled and White-winged Terns for example in the time I used to live there. Staines Res is in Surrey and the London recording area, Rainham in Essex and London etc etc