Irish Birds That Fly & Call By Night

Bluefrog

This one has been bugging me for a while. Often during the summer months when I let the dogs out last thing at night I hear a bird calling as it flies around overhead. It usually makes 3 tones in an 'aa a a' pattern and I'm very curious about that it might be. I guess at that time of night it must be some kind of owl and I have definitely never heard it during the day.

Anyone have any suggestions?

IrishHomer

Where do the sound occur?

I would put money on it being either a Woodcock or else a snipe.

Bluefrog

I'm in Glasnevin in Dublin - pretty close to a local park which seems to have a great variety of birds but no water or boggy area so I can't see it being snipe

had a listen to a Woodcock sample online and that's not it either.The sound isn't raspy/reedy like a woodcock. Definitely sounds more like a bird of prey.

UPDATE: Just found some snipe audio too - definitely not that - the mystery continues...

star-pants

Nature & Birdwatching might help

Bluefrog

Thanks, can you move the thread - the more I wonder about this the more its driving me crazy

star-pants

Moved from Animals & Pets

boneless

I wonder if it was a buzzard you heard?

Run_to_da_hills

I used to hear the storm petrels at night when I worked on the Skelligs.

Bluefrog

Nope, don't think its a buzzard - had a listen to one at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.asp - call pattern is different and while the tone is somewhat similar the call I hear is not as strong as this sample - seems like a smaller bird.

The call is 3 notes, first longer than the second two and the pitch decreases slightly throughout the call.

Checked out the storm petrel as well http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/stormpetrel/index.asp and not it - nothing like that.

Looks like I'll have to invest in night vision goggles

ronbyrne2005

Bluefrog wrote: »

Nope, don't think its a buzzard - had a listen to one at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.asp - call pattern is different and while the tone is somewhat similar the call I hear is not as strong as this sample - seems like a smaller bird.

The call is 3 notes, first longer than the second two and the pitch decreases slightly throughout the call.

Checked out the storm petrel as well http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/stormpetrel/index.asp and not it - nothing like that.

Looks like I'll have to invest in night vision goggles

I too am in Glasnevin. I think u are mistaking bats for birds. Theres a load of them around this year for some reason, there are bat boxes in Botanc gardens area.

Bluefrog

Have seen bats myself in the evening when walking the dogs in the park at DCU but didn't know they made audible calls. Very well could be a bat though I am surprised at how loud they are if it is. Will hunt down some more information on what species live here tomorrow and try to find audio samples and see.

Will post back if I discover what it is - thanks for the new direction to investigate.

marlin vs

Could it be a curlew.

stevoman

marlin vs wrote: »

Could it be a curlew.

i would also say a curlew. they can be very avtive in the late eveining and make that sound.

Bluefrog

Well, I checked the curlew sample at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/audio/2008/jun/06/nature.birdsong.curlew (brought back some childhood memories of playing in the sand dunes ) and it sounds nothing like that but perhaps they make other calls. I always associated curlews with pretty desolate places and not suburban Dublin but I'm no expert.

The call I hear is always the same. Hopefully I will get a chance later today to check out the bat theory. The call is louder than I would expect from a bat but then again, I can't see how high this thing is flying and if it was low I guess it would sound louder.

I have noticed that there seems to be a much wider range of bird species around here than there was when I lived in Rathfarnham - I hear a lot more different calls but maybe that's just a proximity to the park thing.

Calvin141170

Looking through the thread you seem to have already ruled out most of the usual suspects! It's tricky to pin down without hearing the sound yourself.

It's almost certainly not a bat.

While some bats do make audible sounds at roosting sites, I'm pretty sure none of the 10 species of Irish bat produce sounds that we can hear while on the wing.

Check out the Curlew again -- the recording on the RSPB site might be better than the guardian one. A number of other waders can also be very active at dusk.

Calvin141170

Looking at your original post with the "a-aa-aa" description I was wondering if it could be a collared dove with insomnia?

The call would match your description perfectly, although they usually call at rest rather than on the wing, and during the day for that matter!

Bluefrog

The start of that sample sounds a little bit like it in tone but not at all in the pattern of the delivery of notes and they are always the same - bursts of 3, first one slightly longer than the others and slightly higher in pitch. Nearest water would be the Tolka about 20 minutes brisk walk from here and its reasonably fast flowing, only wader I have seen there is a herron but it could be a sea/estuary bird as I do see lots of seagulls round here - way more than I did in Rathfarnham even though I don't think I'm much closer to the sea here.

Still at least now I feel better that I'm sharing the misery of the intrigue

Bluefrog

Nope not the collared dove either though they are definitely around here - sometimes tormented with them at dawn. The tone is very different and when I compare it to the dove I realise that it speeds up slightly as the call unfolds - yeah, I know, it's impossible to imagine these things. Its also less rounded in tone than the dove, more falcony if that makes even the slightest sense.

I think all the mics I have to hand here are close ones and won't pick it up but next time I hear it I'll give recording it a try. The dogs will think I've lost the plat...

Bluefrog

Well I had a look on the excellent Bat Conservation Ireland site at http://www.batconservationireland.org/php/bats.php and I'm thinking its really not likely to be a bat. All the sound samples I could find of the various species are ones recorded through bat detectors, not audible calls. Hopefully tonight I'll hear it and get a recording.

fistikuffs

Maybe an Oyster Catcher or Whimbrel? I don't know the area too well so i could be way off.

boneless

Ah...the investigation continues ! This is the kind of thing that I love!

Bluefrog

Well boneless, I'm not feeling the love much today cause I waited until 1am last night for the thing to appear so I could record it and it stood me up!

Will keep an ear out and if/when I hear it again will try to record it and post it here.

Oh and ruled out the two species mentioned above using the audio samples at the RSPB site - great resource, hadn't visited it 'til all this started.

jmkennedyie

Just to say I have heard bats on the wing - abrupt/high pitched/clicking sound. Nothing like an aaaaa sound (which reminds me of collared dove mentioned already)

Bluefrog

I think the 'aaa' thing might have actually confused the issue more than clarified it. I wasn't getting so much at the vowel sound of the call so much as the length of the various parts of it. If anything it sounds more like an 'e' to me but these things are really subjective I know.

RonMexico

I have bats around my house and I hear their high pitched calls on the wing every night. I have good hearing

bernardo mac

Glad you brought the night sounds up Bluefrog.Be interesting to identify.Have heard the barn owl[a variety of rough screech like calls]and hope to hear the short eared owl, that is I believe back.I've heard high pitched calls at various times of the year but have not positively identified them yet.Hope to do so and report back

Baneblade

could it be a swallow usually see them overhead in the evening but not sure how late they stay out

Bluefrog

Haven't heard the flippin' thing since I posted here originally but it didn't sound anything like the swallows I remember from being a kid. I'm assuming most good swallows are in bed by midnight too.

bdo

you may be hearing swifts as they call late in the evening as they move up in the night sky?

bing3

One night call that stumped me for ages was the juvenile Long Eared Owl.
Cry is quite different than the adult.
Try
http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Asio-otus-5.mp3