Amazing bird song at Waneka Lake, Boulder County; do you know what it is?

[Ted Floyd]

Hey, folks.

Less than an hour ago, I smartphone-recorded a beautiful bird song at Waneka Lake, Boulder County. Here's a link to the audio:

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/243680291

Can anybody guess what it is? (I saw the singing bird, so I know what it is.)

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County

[Dave Hyde]

Ted, I thought at first this was a flycatcher or a thrush but none of the written descriptions seem to match. So, I dunno…

    But perhaps you or anyone on CObirders can help me i.d. a bird I heard here west of Loveland at 7000’ on May 31^st. I have only my mnemonic and brief notes. I never saw the bird: “whit-d-d-d-d-dow” fast, breathy, repeated about 8 secs apart.

     I expect soon someone will identify your mystery bird. Thanks – Dave Hyde/nr Storm Mtn, Larimer Cty.

 

 

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

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[Dave Hyde]

Thanks, Diane, but Spotted towhee wasn’t it. I’m sure this bird had only one opening ‘whit’

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

From: Diana Beatty
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 11:22 AM
To: pink...@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Amazing bird song at Waneka Lake, Boulder County; do you know what it is?

 

If you listen to Spotted Towhee, was it similar to that song?

 

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******

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

 

 

 

[Allison Hilf]

Sounds like the very end of a Common Yellowthroat flight song?   But I’ve only heard them skip the rest of the song 1-2 times before returning to complete song?

Given Waneka Lake habitat, it’s my best guess.

Allison Hilf

Aurora, CO

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[Sebastian Patti]

Really interesting . . . as I wrote to Ted earlier a familiar bird singing a totally UNFAMILIAR song . . . I'm leaning towards a member of the blackbird family and I had suggested meadowlark to Ted earlier, but now I'm wondering if it might be an oriole????

sebasti...@hotmail.com
Sebastian T. Patti
770 S. Grand Avenue

Unit 3088

Los Angeles, CA 90017 
CELL: 773/304-7488

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ted Floyd <tedfl...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2020 10:13 PM
To: Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Amazing bird song at Waneka Lake, Boulder County; do you know what it is?

 

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[Joe Roller]

My guess is Red-winged Blackbird.

I have an image of that sonogram next to a photo of the bird.

Joe Roller, Denver

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[Sebastian Patti]

Oh course we can't judge size, and the quiz master didn't tell us how FAR he was from the critter, but it sounds loud and it strikes me as being from a medium to a medium-large bird.  The bird is probably singing from a relatively exposed perch, immobile, and doesn't appear to be bothered by a bunch of humanoids carrying on nearby.  At secs. 59 and ~ 114 we can hear Red-winged Blackbirds, and between secs. 113-117 I THINK there's a Common Grackle; House Finches and Black-capped Chickadee(s) are intermixed.  The bird's song to my ears has a flute-like quality that makes me think Icterid, and I'll change my earlier vote (if I might Quiz Meister) to Bullock's Oriole. 

sebasti...@hotmail.com
Sebastian T. Patti
770 S. Grand Avenue

Unit 3088

Los Angeles, CA 90017 
CELL: 773/304-7488

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From: Joe Roller <jrol...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 2:55 PM
To: Sebastian Patti <sebasti...@hotmail.com>
Cc: Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com>; tedfl...@gmail.com <tedfl...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Amazing bird song at Waneka Lake, Boulder County; do you know what it is?

 

[Nicholas Komar]

I believe it is a Red-winged Blackbird. 

Nick Komar 

On Jun 16, 2020, at 2:33 PM, Sebastian Patti <sebasti...@hotmail.com> wrote:



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[Caleb A]

Hey Ted!

Fun bird song quiz here--it sounds like a Red-winged Blackbird calling to me. I'm not sure what else it could be...I'm basing my guess entirely off of the timbre of the sound.

The birds are happy, and so am I

~Caleb Alons, Larimer County

[Caleb A]

[Thomas Heinrich]

There’s something about the strength, clarity, timbre, and regularity in terms of timing, of the song that makes me think of Western Meadowlark.  I was over at Heil Ranch a couple of weeks ago and was surprised by a W Meadowlark’s unusually simple song using the same several notes (4 or 5) covering a fairly limited pitch range, a very consistent rhythmic pattern, a fair amount more variation than this recording, but not the glassy arpeggios that seem to cover a big range.  If not a W Meadowlark maybe an exotic?

Thomas Heinrich

Boulder, CO

Nyc...@aol.com

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[Thomas Heinrich]

On the other hand, the spectrogram of this recoding does closely resemble, as Joe pointed out, one next to a Red-winged Blackbird in an excellent field guide to bird sounds. ;-)

[Joe Roller]

Thomas is referring to the most excellent field guide to bird sounds,

"Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America" by local favorite,

Nathan Pieplow. Page 468.

Joe Roller

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[Thomas Lechleitner]

Sounds Oriolish! Like possibly on the line of a Baltimore Oriole. Couldn’t match anything to sibley’s! I’ll continue to figure this one out!!
Tom Lechleitner

[Donald Jones]

How about a truncated Song Sparrow song?

[Doug Ward]

Ted,

I've got it!  The joyful sound of little kids playing (@ 0:11).  Seriously, don't tell us yet - think I have it, but want to give a little more thought.

Thanks for putting this out there as these sorts of mysteries are loads of fun and can be played at home...while at work in many of our cases.

Cheers,

Doug

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[Susan Rosine]

I am also going with Red-winged Blackbird.
Susan Rosine
Brighton

[David Tønnessen]

Intriguing sound! It reminds me of one of the many variations in Baltimore Orioles, but I don't know you to make quizzes out of rare birds. So perhaps another Icterus or a species that learned the wrong song altogether. :)

Tonnessen

[Paula Hansley]

I guessed Great-tailed Grackle....

Paula Hansley

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 17, 2020, at 12:09 PM, David Tønnessen <davidto...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Intriguing sound! It reminds me of one of the many variations in Baltimore Orioles, but I don't know you to make quizzes out of rare birds. So perhaps another Icterus or a species that learned the wrong song altogether. :)
>
> Tonnessen
>

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[mblackford]

Hello Dave,  

I was wondering if you've checked song sparrow.   Might be worth comparing that to what you heard.  

Maureen Blackford

Boulder County