What bird is making this noise?

Hello, can anyone help me identify this bird? It’s not the magpie, I’ve seen this pair twice in a small green space near me in Forest Hill, South East London, they chase off the much bigger magpies but I can’t identify the bird from the RSPB identifier. Very distinctive sound, imagine it’s very easy if you’ve heard them before.

  • Hi Chris

    It sounds like the alarm call of a Mistle Thrush.

    It may be they are starting to nest somewhere and see Magpies as a threat

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    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • Thanks Tony, that was my number one suspect but they were bigger than I expected them to be, and couldn’t find an example of their alarm call.
  • They are noticeably bigger than Song Thrushes although not quite as bulky as Fieldfares for example. Their alarm call is often likened to one of those old fashioned rattles used at football matches.

    The calls on the RSPB website are often limited to a single song and doesn't cover the full range of vocalisations. A useful site for bird calls is xeno-canto although you have to know what you are looking for in the first place.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • I’ve seen it a few times now and it’s definitely a Mistle Thrush pair, were even chasing squirrels away!