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Duck sounding call... bird of prey neath

Treecreeping
26/04/2019 14:31

 I was in neath area woodland the other day and heard this noise like a duck or goose. Sometimes it sounded like a yappy dog mixed with a goose. Then I saw a bird of prey land on the top of a tall thin tree and do the exact call I'd been hearing earlier on the walk. It flew off to look over the river then landed back on the same tree and did the same call again. It didn't look right for a buzzard and the call wasn't right for what I've seen on YouTube etc. It was dark almost black, probably the size of a buzzard and the hooked bill was almost black. It looked like an eagle and a buzzard in ways, but can't have been an eagle if they are not in Wales, but the call wasn't right for a buzzard from what I've seen online so far and it was way darker than any buzzard I've ever seen. Any ideas? Do buzzards ever look almost black and sound like a duck? It is annoying me !! Annoyingly I thought when I got home it would be an easy id so I wouldn't need to record a duck sound coming from a bird of prey as it shouldn't be hard to find info..I was wrong.
Thanks for any help!

  • 0 16/08/2020 18:40

    Apart from the bill (yellow rather than black) it sounds like it could be a Harris hawk.  Search for Parabuteo unicinctus on xeno canto... or this video on youtube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmlCivy2oc

    They do look sort of eagle-y...

  • 0 14/09/2020 15:53 in reply to Chris B

    Hi Chris,

    Sorry not to have replied sooner – I wasn’t sure how to!  But have, as you can see now worked it out!

    Many thanks for listening and trying to work out what it could be.  Strange isn’t it!  No its not like an eagle.. I think it’s more like a crow….  I am now wondering if it is just a crow with a mutant call! J The 3 or 4 calls in succession is similar, but of course my mystery bird is much more melodic/’sweet toned’.

    Whatever it is, it’s still in the large trees nearby, moves around – and was also in our area last summer as well as this one.

    Really strange isn’t it!

    Best wishes

    Hilary

  • 0 22/09/2020 15:35
    Hi all!
    I am not a birder per-se but I came to this site/thread with a similar question.

    I know the Common Raven has already been suggested but I thought this was relevant.
    ebird.org/.../catalog

    Today I observed a Raven and at least 2 Buzzards wheeling above Bubbenhall Woods (Warwickshire) for the duration of our visit. They seemed to be happily sharing the same airspace although I am sure I saw a minor mid-air altercation.
  • 0 10/10/2021 18:43
    Hello,

    I've just been searching on google for a duck-sounding bird and came across this thread. I've recently been hearing this sound around our garden in Neath. It's really distinctive and has 2 parts to the sound. Did you ever find out what it was?
  • 0 08/01/2022 10:26
    A few days ago in RSPB Nagshead, Forest of Dean I heard something just like you describe then saw a large winged bird glide away but didn’t see much of it through the trees. It was sunrise (08:14) and facing over a small wooded valley. I found your post trying to work out what it might have been.

    The call was just like a duck quack or goose honk. Called like this every ten seconds or so for about a minute. Wish I had the wits to record it.

    It wasn't like the one posted by HAH - community.rspb.org.uk/.../which-bird-makes-this-sound-any-ideas-anyone - More "honky" and less repetitive.

    Now wondering if it is a type of owl? However as you actually saw it you would have known if it was a blunt faced owl vs a pointy buzzard.

    The closest call I can find online is the Eurasian Eagle Owl!! - but that is very rare in Britain, and larger than the bird I saw. Here's are two videos but what I heard was even more of a honk/quack than this.
    www.youtube.com/watch
    www.youtube.com/watch

    I wonder if it could be one of the more common breeds of owl in Britain but making a call which is rarely heard. Maybe a Barred Owl?

    There are some documented cases in the Forest of Dean of an eagle owl - robwardwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/.../eagle-owl-shot-in-forest-of-dean.html

    Here's someone else hearing a honk and not knowing what it is: www.city-data.com/.../2429162-mysterious-goose-sound-barred-owl.html

    I could also believe it is a type of Hawk (like the Harris Hawk suggested) or Falcon. I could equally imagine a crow making something like this.
  • 0 07/02/2024 09:16 in reply to joeboon
    Hi - did you ever find out what bird this was. I’m in the Highlands - north of Inverness and saw and heard a large bird of prey at sunrise yesterday. It wasn’t bright enough to make out any colour. I initially thought there was a dog around and then realised the sound was coming from a bird. Sounded like a single ‘yap/bark’ from a smallish dog, ’ repeated every 10 seconds or so.