what bird is this?

[broch]

there is a bird that flies over our garden in dunbeath most evenings, it starts quite high up and then dips down making its wings vibrate very fast as it swoops down, then it goes up again and repeats this action over and over making a vibrating/buzzing sound. it beats its wings so quick it sounds as if it is buzzing.
we`re well baffled......... any ideas?

[Kenn]

Owl or grouse seems to come to mind.

[Aaldtimer]

Not an owl I don't think, their wings are silent, a grouse...dubious...sounds more like a skylark.

[susie]

We get these every year. Woodcock.

[neilsermk1]

We get these every year. Woodcock.
Is it not more likely to be Snipe

[neilsermk1]

there is a bird that flies over our garden in dunbeath most evenings, it starts quite high up and then dips down making its wings vibrate very fast as it swoops down, then it goes up again and repeats this action over and over making a vibrating/buzzing sound. it beats its wings so quick it sounds as if it is buzzing.
we`re well baffled......... any ideas?
Its not the wign beats that make the drumming noise it is feathers which stick out from the tail at right angles to the airflow and vibrate to create the noist. Hope this helps

[susie]

Is it not more likely to be Snipe

Snipe don't fly high and drop like woodcock do. Snipe don't make a buzzy, vibrating noise either. We get woodcock resting in our rough ground and they sit still as you walk past. They are very well camouflaged and look just like undergrowth and brown leaves.

[pig whisperer]

could be a snipe 'drumming' heard it on a nature programme which solved my question of "what is that bird" when I first heard it

[nippy]

it could be a humming bird

[smithp]

Snipe don't fly high and drop like woodcock do. Snipe don't make a buzzy, vibrating noise either. We get woodcock resting in our rough ground and they sit still as you walk past. They are very well camouflaged and look just like undergrowth and brown leaves.

It sounds like snipe to me, and yes they do fly high and drum making a buzzy vibrating noise.

[broch]

strangely it has stopped doing it now, thanx for the suggestions, snipe sounds feesable.

[Tangerine-Dream]

It could be a high speed pidgeon?

[orkneycadian]

Go listen to the audio clips for the likely suspects at;

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/snipe/index.aspx

and related pages (search for all suggested birds) and listen to the clips.

[broch]

FOUND IT! it is the sound of the `common snipe in display flight`, i googled bird sounds and checked it out...... we thought it was something in the long grass as it always sounded like it was just in front of me and very close no matter where i listened. we both expected it to be anything from a dragonfly type insect in the grass, to a humming bird in the flowers...... it never occured to us that it was high in the air till my wife saw it as a speck in the sky dropping down lower and making a kazzoo type humming sound with its wings for about 2 secs at a time, then flying back up again. it was getting late in the evening and we observed it for about half an hour in amazement. thanx to everyone for the info, if you get a min check it out (google `bird sounds-putni`) its definately different, cheers paul.

[neilsermk1]

Snipe don't fly high and drop like woodcock do. Snipe don't make a buzzy, vibrating noise either. We get woodcock resting in our rough ground and they sit still as you walk past. They are very well camouflaged and look just like undergrowth and brown leaves.
yes they do. I have observed and also filmed it