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Unidentified bird call

FordPerfect
14/09/2022 22:44

I Live in rural Midlothian, Scotland. We're surrounded by woods and fields. This Summer I've heard an unusual Bird call a few times but haven't spotted the bird yet.

It's a very distinctive 'Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow'  call, heard only in the daytime and I assume the bird is sitting in the tree when making the call. It'll repeat a few times over a number of minutes. Going by the depth of the call I'm guessing it'd be about Wood Pigeon size.

Any help much appreciated! Let me know if you have any questions!

  • 0 15/09/2022 13:38

    Without a recording we are into guessing territory based on your description. My first suggestion would be the call of a Stock Dove which approximates to your description. Have a listen to recording below to see if you think I might be on the right track.

    Stuart Fisher, XC32006. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/32006

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • 0 15/09/2022 14:33
    Hey TeeJay

    Thanks for your response. The stock Dove sounds similar but the call I'm hearing is a higher pitch and less of a hoot/cooing sound. Imagine you said 'Bow Wow!' like a like you would for a dog noise description, like that 'wow' sound but higher pitched and slightly quicker!
  • 0 15/09/2022 15:31

    Just listened on rspb and I'm afraid not, too shrill and not big enough sounding. It almost sounds tropical! I'll try recording my best impression which my wife thinks is pretty good!

  • 0 15/09/2022 15:34

  • 0 15/09/2022 15:42
    Ha! It's an oddity alright, a friend suggested a possible exotic escapee? I'm going to make a big effort to record and spot it next time.
  • 0 15/09/2022 16:26 in reply to FordPerfect
    Thanks for your attempt at mimicking the call. I'm afraid I can't offer any further suggestions either.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • 0 16/04/2023 12:35
    Sounds exactly like one I've just heard in Strathmiglo, Fife. Pity no-one has identified it yet. I'll keep trying though.
  • 0 16/04/2023 14:42
    I THINK I've got it. (The one I heard anyway)
    I think it might be a Hoopoe. Listening to the call on A Youtube video by Vicky Marble Run ASMR, it certainly sounds close to what I heard. It's similar on the RSPB site Though that one seems stuck to 4 repetitions and the one I heard did 2 or 3 at a time.
    (I originally included URLs but it got flagged as spam - should be easy enough to track down though.)
    From what I can find out, hoopoesare rare visitors on migration - April-May and August-September with a handful a year as far north as Shetland. So it's certainly a possibility. I've only seen them in the South of France before.
  • 0 17/04/2023 12:15
    Afraid not! Glad you might have found yours though. Mine has more of a gap between calls and less of a hoot and more of a wow! I will try and record this year!!
  • 0 13/03/2024 02:40

    Hello, I have just found this old post while searching for info on this exact unidentified call. I hear it often in our woodland, (Perthshire) and have managed to capture it several times on my most recent Merlin app recording, but it hasn't popped up as any recognised bird. Your attempt at mimicking it is very good. I have heard the bow wow vocalisation clearly when the bird is nearer. When it is further away it sounds more whistly and less vocal, almost like a hoot. I'd agree that the bird is probably about pigeon or jackdaw size and in the trees when it calls. On the visual of the Merlin recording it registers around the same frequency of the carrion crow calls and is easy to spot with it's pattern, just the same five/six short calls, repeating after a few minutes. We have a number of birds in the area that are that size, including woodpeckers, jays, magpies and many types of pigeon - but all of those have very distinctive calls, none like this at all. It's a puzzle!