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Small bird with a 'rusty hinge' call?

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Jim Elbrecht

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Feb 19, 2013, 7:30:08 AM2/19/13
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I'm in NY near Schenectady. My neighbor and I share an acre or so
'clearing' in a deciduous forest of 50-100 acres with several 10-15
acre lawn/parkinglot businesses nearby. So there is a variety of
habitat available.

Last spring this little fellow showed up with the most obnoxious and
persistent call. It took me a while to place it but it was a lot
like the Blue Jay's 3-4 note rusty hinge call. But the bird just
never stops. [or I don't notice him unless he's 'singing-- and then
he goes on and on for 30 minutes before he flies away] Usually an
early morning bird-- but I've heard him in the afternoon, too.

He doesn't come through often, and is usually up in a tree a few
hundred feet away. In 10 tries or so, I've never gotten better
than a glimpse of a bird much smaller than a Blue Jay flying away.

As the summer went on his voice got better and it eventually sounded
like a 'tuned up' Blue Jay. Last week I heard him again-- Now
he's added a warble to at least the first couple notes. Pretty for
a few minutes-- but it is still the same song over and over.

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Thanks
Jim

jmcquown

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Feb 19, 2013, 10:27:40 AM2/19/13
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Could this be a mockingbird? Sometimes called 'catbirds' by people
north of the south. <G> They are often hard to spot but they break out
into song in the wee hours of the morning.

Many years ago when I lived in TN I had a friend visiting from NY. One
night we stayed out until the wee hours. As we were getting home a
mockingbird started singing. She said, "What kind of bird sings at
3AM?!" LOL

And yes, they do add to their vocal repertoire. I love to hear them.
If you can whistle, sometimes when you hear one you can get it to give
you a call back :)

Jill

Jim Elbrecht

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Feb 19, 2013, 2:03:23 PM2/19/13
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jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net> wrote:

>On 2/19/2013 7:30 AM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
>> I'm in NY near Schenectady. My neighbor and I share an acre or so
>> 'clearing' in a deciduous forest of 50-100 acres with several 10-15
>> acre lawn/parkinglot businesses nearby. So there is a variety of
>> habitat available.
>>
>> Last spring this little fellow showed up with the most obnoxious and
>> persistent call. It took me a while to place it but it was a lot
>> like the Blue Jay's 3-4 note rusty hinge call. But the bird just
>> never stops. [or I don't notice him unless he's 'singing-- and then
>> he goes on and on for 30 minutes before he flies away] Usually an
>> early morning bird-- but I've heard him in the afternoon, too.
>>

-snip-
>>
>Could this be a mockingbird? Sometimes called 'catbirds' by people
>north of the south. <G> They are often hard to spot but they break out
>into song in the wee hours of the morning.

I don't think so- if I'm seeing the right bird he is too small. And he
is more shy than any mockingbirds I *have* seen.

So far I haven't noticed the calls before 5am-- but I'm not a light
sleeper by any stretch.

>
>Many years ago when I lived in TN I had a friend visiting from NY. One
>night we stayed out until the wee hours. As we were getting home a
>mockingbird started singing. She said, "What kind of bird sings at
>3AM?!" LOL
>
>And yes, they do add to their vocal repertoire. I love to hear them.
>If you can whistle, sometimes when you hear one you can get it to give
>you a call back :)

I was walking along a path one day and stopped to talk to a guy with a
huge lens on his camera. While we were talking his phone rang and
we went in different directions. About 5 minutes later I heard that
ring tone behind me and turned to see he was *way* too far away. then
I heard it again. . . and again. . . and finally spotted the
mockingbird. He nailed that ring perfectly. The guy with the big
lens was a regular on that part of the trail, so maybe the bird had
been working on it a while-- but he was perfect.

Jim

Howard Lester

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Feb 19, 2013, 2:31:07 PM2/19/13
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"Jim Elbrecht" wrote

> I'm in NY near Schenectady. My neighbor and I share an acre or so
> 'clearing' in a deciduous forest of 50-100 acres with several 10-15
> acre lawn/parkinglot businesses nearby. So there is a variety of
> habitat available.
>
> Last spring this little fellow showed up with the most obnoxious and
> persistent call. It took me a while to place it but it was a lot
> like the Blue Jay's 3-4 note rusty hinge call.

Jim, I live about 25 miles NE of you. Tufted Titmice have starting singing a
rather raspy few notes, and I wonder if that's what you're hearing. They are
small gray birds with big black eyes and a crest. Cute little guys.

Howard in upstate eastern NY

Bumper7

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Feb 20, 2013, 1:14:42 PM2/20/13
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Sounds like a nuthatch.

Howard Lester

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Feb 20, 2013, 3:42:50 PM2/20/13
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"Bumper7" wrote

> Sounds like a nuthatch.

I am not aware of a nuthatch call that is other than "yank-yank" -- at least
not a White-breasted.

jmcquown

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Feb 21, 2013, 10:34:18 AM2/21/13
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On 2/19/2013 2:03 PM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
> jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> And yes, they do add to their vocal repertoire. I love to hear them.
>> If you can whistle, sometimes when you hear one you can get it to give
>> you a call back :)
>
> I was walking along a path one day and stopped to talk to a guy with a
> huge lens on his camera. While we were talking his phone rang and
> we went in different directions. About 5 minutes later I heard that
> ring tone behind me and turned to see he was *way* too far away. then
> I heard it again. . . and again. . . and finally spotted the
> mockingbird. He nailed that ring perfectly. The guy with the big
> lens was a regular on that part of the trail, so maybe the bird had
> been working on it a while-- but he was perfect.
>
> Jim
>
That's funny! Nature's little mimics. Mockingbirds are more
entertaining (to me) than parrots.

It could be a titmouse as someone else suggested. But the ones around
my house aren't particularly shy. They are a little skittish if I move
fast but they don't hide in the trees. If I've ever heard a nuthatch I
doubt I've ever seen one. :) I hope you can figure out the identification.

Jill

Larry Sheldon

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Feb 21, 2013, 3:06:29 PM2/21/13
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On 2/21/2013 9:34 AM, jmcquown wrote:
If I've ever heard a nuthatch I
> doubt I've ever seen one. :) I hope you can figure out the identification.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/sounds

Although it seems to me that the call sounds like a nasal ennnnh-ennnnh
ennnnh-ennnnh ennnnh-ennnnh

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id


--
Idioten aangeboden. Gratis af te halen.
h/t Dagelijkse Standaard

GV

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Feb 23, 2013, 6:48:44 PM2/23/13
to
SNIP


Could this be a mockingbird? Sometimes called 'catbirds' by people
north of the south. <G> They are often hard to spot but they break out
into song in the wee hours of the morning.

Many years ago when I lived in TN I had a friend visiting from NY. One
night we stayed out until the wee hours. As we were getting home a
mockingbird started singing. She said, "What kind of bird sings at
3AM?!" LOL

And yes, they do add to their vocal repertoire. I love to hear them.
If you can whistle, sometimes when you hear one you can get it to give
you a call back :)

Jill
__________________
According to my "North American Field Guide" the Mockingbird and the Catbird
are two different birds.


Gary
Central Illinois USA


Martin Jensen

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Mar 4, 2013, 7:35:26 PM3/4/13
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"GV" <gvo...@aol.NOSPMcom> wrote in message
news:5129556e$0$43883$862e...@ngroups.net...
Yes, Gary. There are three champion mockers in the Eastern US -- Mockingbird,
Catbird, and Brown Thrasher. Last summer, we had all three of them in our
little woods next to the house.

Martin Jensen
Northern Virginia Piedmont at Bull Run
38.8N
77.6W



Martin Jensen

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Mar 8, 2013, 9:04:44 AM3/8/13
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"Jim Elbrecht" <elbr...@email.com> wrote in message
news:3dr6i8d0ft7cm7fu0...@4ax.com...
Before the storm hit us on a couple of days ago, I heard what might have been a
"rusty hinge" call from a little persistent bird -- over and over, even as I
stalked him openly. Unfazed by my approach, he continued for 10 minutes or
more. Then I spotted him on a bare branch a few feet from a large juniper.
Carolina Wren! A regular denizen around here.

Jim Elbrecht

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Mar 13, 2013, 9:06:39 AM3/13/13
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On 3/8 "Martin Jensen" <hawk...@comcast.net> wrote:

>
>"Jim Elbrecht" <elbr...@email.com> wrote in message
>news:3dr6i8d0ft7cm7fu0...@4ax.com...
>> I'm in NY near Schenectady. My neighbor and I share an acre or so
>> 'clearing' in a deciduous forest of 50-100 acres with several 10-15
>> acre lawn/parkinglot businesses nearby. So there is a variety of
>> habitat available.

-snip-
"Martin Jensen" <hawk...@comcast.net>
>Before the storm hit us on a couple of days ago, I heard what might have been a
>"rusty hinge" call from a little persistent bird -- over and over, even as I
>stalked him openly. Unfazed by my approach, he continued for 10 minutes or
>more. Then I spotted him on a bare branch a few feet from a large juniper.
>Carolina Wren! A regular denizen around here.
>

That's the one! I came back here to post that my son finally got a
photo of him and that's what we identified. a little north for his
regular range-- but now that he's tuned up his voice a bit, a welcome
visitor.<g>

Jim
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