Any chance of a bird ID?

Kovu

Apologies for the crappy video, you'll have to really turn your sound up.

You can hear the bird in question at around the 7-8 second mark and again a single call at 14 seconds.
A quick Craaaark craark kind of alarm call. I think it was dark in colour with a white patch over its tail in flight as that's what I seen fly off when I went further down. There were a couple of them or maybe more so possibly a nesting site.

Del.Monte

Skylark?

Bonedigger

A pheasant perhaps? It doesn't sound quite harsh or loud enough for a pheasant though.

Kovu

I'm fairly sure it's not a pheasant, as it was coming from the top of two separate trees :P Skylark, perhaps, they're in the area. I was thinking some sort of predatory bird though. Dunno why! I'll have to go investigate again tomorrow morning.

Woodville56

Possibly a Jay ? White rump patch could be diagnostic and the hoarse screech fits ? What size was it ?
Sound recording of Jay's alarm call here

http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001494-1200V0

Kovu

Woodville56 wrote: »

Possibly a Jay ? White rump patch could be diagnostic and the hoarse screech fits ? What size was it ?
Sound recording of Jay's alarm call here

http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001494-1200V0

Oooh! That could be it. I never heard these screeches before so was totally stumped. I'll double check tomorrow morning to see if I can see them this time. Sounds like a parrot with a migrane

Birdnuts

I'd say Jay or possibly Mistle Thrush. Sounded a little like a Corncrake too but I don't want to be getting people excited as that would be a serious rarity in pretty much 99% of the country and I think Kovu said she was from Leitrim so probably very unlikely(though not entirely impossible as some birds do turn up in odd places year to year)

Kovu

Birdnuts wrote: »

I'd say Jay or possibly Mistle Thrush. Sounded a little like a Corncrake too but I don't want to be getting people excited as that would be a serious rarity in pretty much 99% of the country and I think Kovu said she was from Leitrim so probably very unlikely(though not entirely impossible as some birds do turn up in odd places year to year)

While corncrakes used to be here, they have not been here for a loooong time. I'm also fairly sure they wouldn't be up trees yabbering at me for being in their field

Woodville56

Kovu wrote: »

Oooh! That could be it. I never heard these screeches before so was totally stumped. I'll double check tomorrow morning to see if I can see them this time. Sounds like a parrot with a migrane

The alarm call is often likened to cloth being ripped , they're quite wary birds and will make a racket if they're disturbed so if they're still in the area you should have no problem on getting them going ! The do tend to fly off when disturbed so it's hard to get a good view, but they do have pinkish feathering with flashes of blue, black and white on wings, a white patch on rump over tail and a black tail.

Birdnuts

Kovu wrote: »

While corncrakes used to be here, they have not been here for a loooong time. I'm also fairly sure they wouldn't be up trees yabbering at me for being in their field

Oh - didn't read the "tree" bit:o

Kovu

Birdnuts wrote: »

Oh - didn't read the "tree" bit:o

The corncrakes are evolving :P

Thanks everyone. I'll go down with binoculars tomorrow and see if I can make a completely positive identity.