strange bird noises at the bottom of the garden

geordief

I get a lot of piercing screeches intermittently all day long in the wood.

I have gone down among the trees (pines, beeches, alders , sycamores etc) and attempted to get a good look.

I also tried to record the sound on my smartphone but it will not seem to save sound files the same way as a photo....so I can't upload it.

I was 90% certain it had to be magpies as I was able to see one from about 25 yards and it seemed to be one but the thing is I also saw a lone bird making a very similar sound

(as I type would you believe it- one of our cats has caught a large baby rabbit and I am powerless to catch it..... even when you do I doubt they would survive)

Anyway this bird I saw looked a bit like a pigeon but a lot more impressive and was also making a high pitched screech.
It was flapping its wings and was flying at tree top height so not obviously a bird of prey.
But we have had them before when they are normally a lot higher up in the air

Is it possible to confuse the sound of a magpie with that of a kestrel (or similar)?
That might explain the cacophony of sounds.

Could the kestrel (if that is what it was) be alarming the magpies all day long?

And would the magpies be alarming the other birds (wood pigeons ) in the woods?

Birdnuts

I was thinking about this today and 2 potential likely candidates are Jays and Mistle Thrushes. Both have harsh squaky calls that are most obvious at this time of year as they finally wean their youngsters. Of the two I would go with the latter since they tend to hang around the tops of tall trees:)

Tiercel Dave

Sparrowhawks are fledged now and although they can fly about they are still being fed by the parent birds. Try some of the juvenile recordings here
http://www.xeno-canto.org/europe/browse.php?query=eurasian+sparrowhawk
Dave

geordief

Tiercel Dave wrote: »

Sparrowhawks are fledged now and although they can fly about they are still being fed by the parent birds. Try some of the juvenile recordings here
http://www.xeno-canto.org/europe/browse.php?query=eurasian+sparrowhawk
Dave

I recorded this today .Is it close to the Sparrow Hawk sound in your opinion?
I posted it to this URL http://www.crocnaraw.co.uk/Voice004.mp3
(it is just from my phone )

LostCovey

geordief wrote: »

I recorded this today .Is it close to the Sparrow Hawk sound in your opinion?
I posted it to this URL http://www.crocnaraw.co.uk/Voice004.mp3
(it is just from my phone )

Great recording! Newly fledged Long-eared Owls.

A lovely thing to have by your house.

LC

Birdnuts

LostCovey wrote: »

Great recording! Newly fledged Long-eared Owls.

A lovely thing to have by your house.

LC

and reared/fattened on thousands of rodents no doubt:D

geordief

thanks
I hope it is true.
I know there are quite a few separate sounds in the recording.Do they all sound like Long-eared Owls to you?
Is it just that some are in the distance or could the louder sounds be a different bird? (magpies?)
Would these owls be in the habit of flying around from tree top to tree top (as I was able to see without clearly identifying them) or could that be magpies annoying them?
With all that racket could there be a few adults mixed in amongst the young birds?

geordief

Birdnuts wrote: »

and reared/fattened on thousands of rodents no doubt:D

well one of the cats made off with a hare yesterday or the day before .I ran out after I heard the noise just outside the kitchen window and under the rhododendron . At first it looked like a large rat.

Birdnuts

geordief wrote: »

) or could that be magpies annoying them?
With all that racket could there be a few adults mixed in amongst the young birds?

Yes to all the above:)

geordief

LostCovey wrote: »

Great recording! Newly fledged Long-eared Owls.

A lovely thing to have by your house.

LC

10 out of 10 LostCovey.I was in weeding the spinach for a good while and the owl hopped over the wall ,must have seen me and left.

I will have my phone camera with me from now on and should be able to take a picture as he /she gets less wary over the next few days or weeks or so.

I wonder can I train it (i.e. them) to look for lost gardening implements or clear up the slugs since they are supposed to have good eyesight?;)

LostCovey

geordief wrote: »

thanks
I hope it is true.
I know there are quite a few separate sounds in the recording.Do they all sound like Long-eared Owls to you?
Is it just that some are in the distance or could the louder sounds be a different bird? (magpies?)
Would these owls be in the habit of flying around from tree top to tree top (as I was able to see without clearly identifying them) or could that be magpies annoying them?
With all that racket could there be a few adults mixed in amongst the young birds?

Great that you saw it - they can be very good at staying under the radar.

Yes everything in the recording is Long-eared Owl to my ears.

However Magpies (and other crows, and some other birds) will mob a raptor or owl, and won't let it rest, so a group of Magpies investigating/pestering "something" is often a good clue that there is an owl or bird of prey about.

LC

geordief

They seem to have gone now (no noises for the past week) .I take it that is to be expected?
To return again hopefully next Spring?

LostCovey

geordief wrote: »

They seem to have gone now (no noises for the past week) .I take it that is to be expected?
To return again hopefully next Spring?

They usually return to the general area, if not to the same nest, so worth looking out for.

The birds will be around in the meantime, just a lot more silent and discreet!

LC

Killme00

geordief wrote: »

I wonder can I train it (i.e. them) to look for lost gardening implements or clear up the slugs since they are supposed to have good eyesight?;)

Their eyesight over short distances isnt actually that great, it medium and long distnaces that their eyeshight really excels.

geordief

I think I remember reading recently that they hunt with a combination of hearing and sight.
If I remember rightly they actually hear the location of their prey from a distance and change over to vision when they get very close.
If so, I don't know where the long distance vision would come in handy.
Perhaps when the hearing is out of range .

Killme00

geordief wrote: »

I think I remember reading recently that they hunt with a combination of hearing and sight.
If I remember rightly they actually hear the location of their prey from a distance and change over to vision when they get very close.
If so, I don't know where the long distance vision would come in handy.
Perhaps when the hearing is out of range .

As far as i know it's the other way round. Eyes to pick out prey from distance and hearing from up close