Hi there, I am obsessed at the moment with cataloging the bird species on my block.
One is baking my noodle at the moment as I can't seem to catch a glimpse of it, I can only hear it. It makes a sinlge plonk/clonk sound followed by a double whirring sound.
I live on the Central Coast, NSW
Any help greatly appreciated, I apologise if the description is vague!
Cordelia
I can't say for sure, the only bird I am familier with which I would describe as whirring would be a Black-faced Cuckooshrike.
It's not a crested pigeon in flight, is it?
A recording would greatly help, do you think you could get one?
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Hi! Thanks for your reply. No I am sure it is not a Crested Pidgeon. I looked up the recordings that Graeme Chapman has on his site for the Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike and that isn't tit I'm afraid we do have them though, so thank you for inadvertantly helping me to ID them too. :)
I'll try to get a recording, it is a strange sound, I am sure that I have heard it before but this is the first time I have heard it since living here (6 years now). At first I wondered if it was lyrebird mimicry of a man-made noise, but last time I heard it, it came from up in the trees not ground level.
I'll ltry for a recording.
I'm curious about the source of your baking noodle, Cordelia, and I'm also curious about your bush block & how you go about recording the species you see & hear. Can you provide more details?
My good wife, Ms Woko, & I have been recording both species & maximum numbers of each species seen per week for over 28 years on our block which we've both revegetated with mainly indigenous species & encouraged regeneration thru minimum disturbance bush care. The data has produced very interesting patterns.
Satin Bowerbirds make some strange whirring sounds
LM
Cordelia - can you tell us more about the vegetation on and around your block
Peter
Hi! Thanks for your replies :) Woko, my record keeping is fairly informal at the moment. Just trying to correctly ID and then jotting down species seen each day (when I can) in my diary.
We live on a large block, the majority of which is undisturbed open forest made up of species such as spotted gum, grey iron bark, white mahogany, eucalyptus robusta, smooth barked apple gum. Some allocasurinas, melaleucas and acacias in there too. We are surrounded on three sides by properties that are also fairly undisturbed. I also have planted an ornamental garden with non-endemic natives and some exotics.
Also, I managed to get a recording, just of the plonk sound though, I haven't heard the whirring combination since posting.
If we're lucky, this link should take to to it. There is other bird noise but the plonking is in the background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmYhXVm7T7E&feature=youtu.be
Thanks for the information about your block. If you & your neighbours can retain as much as possible of the natural bushland you'll be providing wonderful habitat for birds & other wildlife - which you're obviously aware of.
that call could be a Currawong but I'm happy to stand corrected.
We will never clear our block, it is such an amazing parcel of native stuff!! :) :)
Currawong? Hmmmm, I have them here, they are usually conspicuous on my block and I haven't noticed them making this noise while observing them. I still haven't managed to capture the whirring noise. It's driving me crazy trying to ID this bird!!!
The whirring noise I can hear is part of the Currawong call I think.
Great to read that you place such a high value on your bush block, Cordelia. More power to you & your wildlife.
Oh yes, sorry, there is other bird noise in the clip, the plink/plonk (whatever!) is the repeated sound in the background.
:)
Could it be Little Friarbird?
LM
Cordelia,
The plonk call is a Superb Lyrebird
Yes!! Thank you!! I have been meaning to come back to this thread and mention that I have been stalking and listening to the Superb Lyrebird that comes around calling and that the plonk is regularly used in his song.
So, my next question is, is it their own sound or mimicry??
Now that I have been really paying attention to him, he seems to prefer to just walk around plonking, then ony uses it here and there in his song.
:)