ML608808182
passerine sp. Passeriformes sp.
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Not specified
Observation details
Was told this isn’t an oriole. Original post: Hunkered down skulky oriole that did not sound like a bullocks or hooded. Reminded me of how skulky the Streak-backed Oriole was a few years ago. This bird was hunkered on a hillside deep in foliage when I first heard it. Location approximation: (35.2747078, -120.8762806). At this time a Great-horned Owl was swooping back and forth over the brush. It eventually perched on brush atop the hill then flew off. Merlin app during a two-minute recording, indicated Baltimore (yeah, i know). I stopped the recording and started a new one that lasted about three more minutes. The oriole called off and on during the duration of both recordings. All chattery calls. Some fast, some slower over short intervals. I noted a tonal change between some of its chattery calls that I don’t think Bullock’s do. Didn’t sound like the right pitch for a Bullock’s anyway. I don’t trust the Merlin sound app so wasn’t depending on that for an ID. But it did provide a hint as to what it might be, especially with those tonal changes, which I will include a sound byte of that. I will also include sound of the birds slower call notes between longer quiet interludes, which matches the same tonal quality of a Baltimore. The bird went quiet so I continued on to the creek crossing a bit farther east. After I turned back I reached the same area. The bird was quiet, so I tried some Baltimore playback. Chattery ones, and tonal call notes, not the two-note whistle, but the single note whistle that you can find on eBird just below the female song sample. The bird responded! It gave 4-6 single whistle call notes, then made a series of fast chattery calls before again going silent. As far as I can tell, the bird was maybe 25-30 yards up the hillside. I had a meeting to get to so had to leave. I’ll add two brief sound recordings.
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 2.85 MB