Can you help identify a bird?

Jimy1971 · 30-01-2014 11:22am #1

Hi lads,

I was out last night and I heard the weirdest sounding bird. The only way to explain it is,,it was a low quivering sound. None of us knew what it was. About 2 weeks ago I heard the same noise in a different place and saw a bird around the same size as a crane fly out over the splash. Its a new 1 on me so if you know what is is,please let me know. Mad to find out. If you listen to the golden plover sound in the link,you will hear the bird for a couple of seconds right at the start.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/bird...ver/index.aspx

Thanks in advance,

Jim

dodderangler · 30-01-2014 11:52am

That small id go with wren or gold crest.

Grizzly 45 · 30-01-2014 12:17pm

Jimy1971 wrote: »

Hi lads,

I was out last night and I heard the weirdest sounding bird.

Proably my better half trying to sing...:D

OpenYourEyes · 30-01-2014 12:57pm

I'm open to correction on any of this, but:

The bird in the background of that Golden Plover clip sounds like a Snipe to me - though I'm not sure if that call is restricted to the breeding season or not. If it is you might have heard something different.

Snipe, then, are nowhere near the size of a Crane, which would indicate that you heard one bird and saw a seperate bird. Unless you saw any other specific features execpt the size, it seems likely that it was a Grey Heron you saw - they're quite a common bird, whereas only a handful of Cranes usually turn up in Ireland each year.

What was the habitat like where you heard and saw the birds?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 30-01-2014 1:16pm

The quivering in the background is certainly snipe "drumming" and is common at this time of year. The comparison to a crane I assume is reference to a Heron - as many around here insist on calling them cranes. A snipe is no where like the size of a Heron but then again not many birds are. I suspect, as Openyoureyes says, the OP heard one bird and saw another. The latter being a heron and the former a snipe.