Bird sound quiz

[Mike Britten]

Folks,

I really enjoyed Ted Floyd’s recent bird sound quizzes (I did not get the correct answers). I heard and recorded a new (to me) sound several weeks ago in my yard near Florissant Fossil Beds NM (west of Colorado Springs) which seems like a good candidate for a bird sound quiz.

The recording is on my e-bird checklist for July 22^nd at about 8AM (https://ebird.org/checklist/S71722064). I saw several of the birds making this vocalization. I entered it as “unknown passerine” since e-bird doesn’t allow “unknown bird” (I am not saying it isn’t a passerine however).

The area is an open ponderosa pine woodland with meadows all around at about 8,500 feet elevation.

Does anyone know this species? I’ll be embarrassed if everyone knows it right off the bat,

Mike Britten

[margo171]

To me, it sounds similar to the Lesser Goldfinches around our feeders

. 
Margo Constable

[John Ealy]

Black-headed grosbeaks?

John Ealy

Roxborough Park, Douglas County, CO

On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 5:13:14 AM UTC-6, Mike Britten wrote:

[John McConnell]

I've been hearing that around our house now for several weeks. It somewhat coincided with the return of a huge flock of evening grosbeaks. We also live in a pine wooded area around 8400 ft. We have a few pairs of black headed grosbeaks with young, several western tanagers, and every woodpecker/nuthatch you'd expect here. After listening to sound samples online, the closest thing I came up with was the evening grosbeak 'type 5' sound. It doesn't have the little lilt or lift your sound sample has (which is exactly like what I've been hearing at my house) but it's close. The sounds come and go much like the flock of grosbeaks. Sometimes we'll hear it all over, then it's gone. Our evening grosbeaks do make the more traditional rasping gym teacher whistle type sound when they are on our feeders. I've spent some time trying to ID who is making this sound and am confident I will find the bird making this whistle soon and will let you know for sure who it is. 

We only have a few goldfinches vist once or twice a year and they never stay more than a few days so it's definitely not them. It's a loud sound you'd expect from a grosbeak sized bird.

John McConnell

Evergreen, Jefferson CO

On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 5:13:14 AM UTC-6, Mike Britten wrote:

[Mitchell, Christina]

Hi, folks—

 

To my ear, this sounds like late July/August at our house in pinyon-juniper habitat in Frémont County—the incessant begging calls of young Black-headed Grosbeaks.  We don’t live there anymore, but the sound immediately transported me back.

 

Tina Mitchell

formerly Lakewood/Coaldale; currently, Oceanside, CA

 

 

 

On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 5:13:14 AM UTC-6, Mike Britten wrote:

Folks,

 

I really enjoyed Ted Floyd’s recent bird sound quizzes (I did not get the correct answers). I heard and recorded a new (to me) sound several weeks ago in my yard near Florissant Fossil Beds NM (west of Colorado Springs) which seems like a good candidate for a bird sound quiz.

 

The recording is on my e-bird checklist for July 22^nd at about 8AM (https://ebird.org/checklist/S71722064). I saw several of the birds making this vocalization. I entered it as “unknown passerine” since e-bird doesn’t allow “unknown bird” (I am not saying it isn’t a passerine however).

 

The area is an open ponderosa pine woodland with meadows all around at about 8,500 feet elevation.

 

Does anyone know this species? I’ll be embarrassed if everyone knows it right off the bat,

 

Mike Britten

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[John Ealy]

I concur with Tina Mitchell: Young black-headed grosbeaks in my neck of the woods make the same calls when begging to be fed. It's a plaintive, descending sound, often as a single note but usually followed by one or two quicker ascending calls and resolving on that descending note. It's like a wolf whistle, but sung sad with a one-note intro. Listen a few minutes, and the telltale squeaky "chip" of an adult arriving usually follows.

I have been watching five or six juveniles in my backyard do this over the past few weeks. Until Mike's recording, I hadn't heard this call for the species on various online guides.
John Ealy
Roxborough Park, Douglas County CO

[Hugh Kingery]

Juvenile/fledgling Black-headed Grosbeaks make that call. We have listened to them for several years.

My recording abilities don't extend very far so I haven't succeeded in posting these calls.

Hugh Kingery

[John McConnell]

Just following up since I said I would. I did confirm what others have already stated. Juvi Black Headed Grosbeak. I got them on video making the sound today.

John McConnell

Evergreen, Jefferson CO

[mikebr...@gmail.com]

Folks,

I'm impressed. This is indeed a grosbeak, a juvenile black-headed grosbeak. There were two family groups in my yard the day I made this recording, at one point 7 or 8 were making this call simultaneously.

I couldn't find the call on my Sibley app or on other on-line guides either. I checked xeno-canto there were ~6 or 7 juvenile/fledgling calls of black-headed grosbeaks posted (out of ~180 recordings). Several were described as juvenile begging calls; that seemed like what was going on in my yard. They are still around but the begging calls are diminishing.

Thanks,

Mike