Bird sounded like submarine sonar

Connacht

I was up the mountains here in Mayo about a month ago and heard a bird (presumably) in cliffs right in front of me that sounded exactly like a submarine sonar ping.
I stared and stared, but hadn't the bins and couldn't see anything.
Listen to the fourth recording on this page (35 secs long). It sounded exactly like this, but at a much slower rate and not so strong obviously.
http://www.soundsnap.com/tags/sonar
The area is typical Mayo - bog, treeless and rocky cliffs, altitiude ca. 300m.
I mentioned it to a knowledgeable birder who said the only bird that sounds like that is a Scop's Owl, but we don't have them in Ireland.
http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Otus-scops-1.mp3
The sound wasn't really like that anyway, it was more a single longer note and like a ping, dying out.
Any ideas ?

Desmo

Chough? They sometimes sound a bit like that but have to be near the coast. Their call is a bit like a jackdaw but can sometimes sounds like a kind of ping, trailing off at the end. Otherwise a bird of prey (merlin or buzzard or peregrine or kestrel or sparrowhawk?).
This site has calls for almost any bird you can think of
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Pyrrhocorax-pyrrhocorax?&view=3
The chough page has about 20 examples; some are very "caw"/jackdaw like; some are more ping like.

V_Moth

My best guess would be either Raven or Hooded Crow. Both species are very vocal and can make some unusual sounds. Have a listen to this Raven (at about 10 secs) for example:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/42224

Desmo

V_Moth wrote: »

My best guess would be either Raven or Hooded Crow. Both species are very vocal and can make some unusual sounds. Have a listen to this Raven (at about 10 secs) for example:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/42224

That is one weird noise alright (10sec in)!!
Good guess?

dodderangler

It could well be a scops owl
Plenty of falconers lose their birds
I spotted a male Harris hawk a few weeks ago near the fodder and have seen him twice since
Also spotted a goshawk near greystones

Ape Owners

dodderangler wrote: »

It could well be a scops owl
Plenty of falconers lose their birds
I spotted a male Harris hawk a few weeks ago near the fodder and have seen him twice since
Also spotted a goshawk near greystones

whereabouts in greystones ya see the gos??could be shaynes bird..

dodderangler

Was sittin in a on a lamp post just at the turn for greystones
I posted it up on the iff 2 or 3 months ago
If it the Shane I think it is then I think I rang him an told him
He lost his in glen of the downs Didn't he?

Ape Owners

in bray..thought you seen gos recently. sorry...

cuddlycavies

I've seen wild gos around Greystones before. We have a huge range of raptors in Wicklow