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Mystery bird - south west France (1 Viewer)

Susan K

Member
France
Hello, I've just discovered this forum and am hoping to learn more about the birds here in south west France. The one that brought me here today is a complete mystery to me. We have a lot of house martins every year, behaving as house martins do. But this year there seems to be a different bird living with them. It is about the same size or maybe a little bit smaller, brown all over I think (although it's difficult to get a close look). It perches on the roof and makes a loud clicking sound when I or the dogs are outside near the house martin nesting area. I'm wondering if the clicking could be an alarm or warning sound. When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in with the house martins as they are flying. Any ideas what it can be?
 
Hello, I've just discovered this forum and am hoping to learn more about the birds here in south west France. The one that brought me here today is a complete mystery to me. We have a lot of house martins every year, behaving as house martins do. But this year there seems to be a different bird living with them. It is about the same size or maybe a little bit smaller, brown all over I think (although it's difficult to get a close look). It perches on the roof and makes a loud clicking sound when I or the dogs are outside near the house martin nesting area. I'm wondering if the clicking could be an alarm or warning sound. When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in with the house martins as they are flying. Any ideas what it can be?
Welcome to Birdforum Susan, my first thought was of the House Martin’s cousin, the Crag Martin, which is brown plumaged and can also nest on houses. But it’s chunkier than House Martin so the other possibility is Black Redstart, which typically does the loud clicking when it sees dogs and cats
(and humans!) coming near to its nest or recently fledged young. The females and 1 year old males are grey all over, though in certain light can look brown/grey. When they fly you should see an orangey tail as well. Their shape is like a Robin rather than Swallow/Martin. Keep watching and let us know!
 
Welcome to Birdforum Susan, my first thought was of the House Martin’s cousin, the Crag Martin, which is brown plumaged and can also nest on houses. But it’s chunkier than House Martin so the other possibility is Black Redstart, which typically does the loud clicking when it sees dogs and cats
(and humans!) coming near to its nest or recently fledged young. The females and 1 year old males are grey all over, though in certain light can look brown/grey. When they fly you should see an orangey tail as well. Their shape is like a Robin rather than Swallow/Martin. Keep watching and let us know!
I would suggest spotted flycatchers as well, they commonly nest on/around rural houses.
 
My first thought was a Black Redstart too (clicking sound, on a roof) but ''When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in with the house martins as they are flying.''

Can't imagine a Redstart flying with House Martins.
 
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My first thought was a Black Redstart too (clicking sound, on a roof) but ''When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in with the house martins as they are flying.''

Can't imagine a Redstart flying with House Martins
That’s what confuses me as well, both mainly insectivores though- potentially just happen to be feeding in the same area.
 
Anything noticeable about the birds behaviour, does it fly like a martin? Potentially a recently fledged house martin asking to be fed.
I've seen it join in flying with the house martins and its flight pattern seems very similar but it's all so quick so hard to be certain. But the other behaviour, perching on the roof and clicking loudly then swooping down to the ground and back up again, doesn't look like a martin fledgling. Also, its appearance is very different from the house martins.
 
Try and listen out for other noises, if a male is around it’s likely to still be singing it’s not very melodic song, it starts with a peculiar noise that sounds like electricity wires short circuiting!
 
Try and listen out for other noises, if a male is around it’s likely to still be singing it’s not very melodic song, it starts with a peculiar noise that sounds like electricity wires short circuiting!
Or someone cycling over crisps ...


Behaviour sounds straight up for Black Redstart, female. I can imagine sometimes flight happens at the same time as the House Martins, or if the House Martins panic flight at a perceived predator other passerines on the roof will take flight at the same time too ...
 
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Hello, I've just discovered this forum and am hoping to learn more about the birds here in south west France. The one that brought me here today is a complete mystery to me. We have a lot of house martins every year, behaving as house martins do. But this year there seems to be a different bird living with them. It is about the same size or maybe a little bit smaller, brown all over I think (although it's difficult to get a close look). It perches on the roof and makes a loud clicking sound when I or the dogs are outside near the house martin nesting area. I'm wondering if the clicking could be an alarm or warning sound. When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in with the house martins as they are flying. Any ideas what it can be?
Hi Susan and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. You seem to be getting a lot of help with your mystery and I've nothing else to add that hasn't already been thought of.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.
 
Or someone cycling over crisps ...


Behaviour sounds straight up for Black Redstart, female. I can imagine sometimes flight happens at the same time as the House Martins, or if the House Martins panic flight at a percieved predator other passerines on the roof will take flight at the same time too ...
Sounds reasonable, it can also happen when there is a swarm of flying ants above the house. Martins, Redstarts, Flycatchers, Wagtails, will all go up and catch them.

Still, the confusing part is: ''When not perching on the roof, it seems to be joining in...''. This means that it happens several times a day.
 
We cannot assume that this important flying part doesn't exist, unless the OP makes a correction.
I've only seen it happening in the evening when the house martins have a crazy hour, but it has been on more than one occasion. There's no activity around the house at the moment, they're flying higher up, but I'll check again when they return.
 
I've only seen it happening in the evening when the house martins have a crazy hour, but it has been on more than one occasion. There's no activity around the house at the moment, they're flying higher up, but I'll check again when they return.
Another thing you can do, if you feel like it, is get a phone photo of your bird perched on the rooftop and post it here. (Not entirely necessary perhaps ;-) ) Or keep a scientific diary log of when it flies ...

;-)
 
Well, mystery bird is back, ticking away. I think it IS a black redstart, brownish grey with an orangey flash under the tail when it flies. Same as before, it's flying around the barn area where the house martins are nesting, it goes into the martins' crevices and even into a little hut where there are two martin nests. The martins hadn't returned when I was out there but the redstart looks as though it was waiting for them. I have taken some photos of it up on the roof (attached) but they aren't clear because of the distance. Attempts to get a closer picture failed because it's too dark under the roof in the open barn area where it spends most of its time.
 

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We cannot assume that this important flying part doesn't exist
I would. Long experience demonstrates that It's completely normal in this forum, when assessing a description by an inexperienced observer (no offence to the OP! 👍🏼), that one commonly has to disregard substantial parts of that description in order to arrive at the correct solution. That's simply how it is. In my opinion.
 
I would. Long experience demonstrates that It's completely normal in this forum, when assessing a description by an inexperienced observer (no offence to the OP! 👍🏼), that one commonly has to disregard substantial parts of that description in order to arrive at the correct solution. That's simply how it is. In my opinion.
It is known that inexperienced observers have trouble finding the source of a sound, so in this case it's possible that the Redstart is calling out of sight and a totally different bird is flying with the Martins. Another assumption, that's why I start with the original description and ask questions.
 

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