The Squeaky Door Bird

[Tilter]

Hi,
Could anyone tell me what bird sounds like a creaky door swinging open? One that's definitely in need of oiling.

Haven't seen the bird, but I hear it in nearby mostly deciduous woodland where there are zero doors.

Thanks.

[Kenn]

Could it be a dunnock ?
They have a very distinctive loud pwee sort of noise.

[Aaldtimer]

Hi,
Could anyone tell me what bird sounds like a creaky door swinging open? One that's definitely in need of oiling.

Haven't seen the bird, but I hear it in nearby mostly deciduous woodland where there are zero doors.

Thanks.

Oh, that is exciting...can it possibly be a Corncrake?
A call that has been described as a credit card being drawn over a comb.:eek:

[Tilter]

Oh, that is exciting...can it possibly be a Corncrake?
A call that has been described as a credit card being drawn over a comb.:eek:

Aaldtimer, I think you're right. The credit card description really fits and I remember now someone who lives over the other side of the woods telling me he'd heard corncrakes a couple of years ago.

My ancient birdbook (from the 1980's) tells me they're in serious decline, mostly due to modern farming methods (sileage etc.) but there's a lot of set-aside round us now which may be helping them. Do they still breed in this country?

Also remember something (in the paper?) about notifying some body if you'd heard them but can't remember what body it was. Should I tell RSPB?

[Aaldtimer]

Tilter, see this site!

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/corncrake/index.asp

:)

[Aaldtimer]

And this article:- http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/aol/redir?src=websearch&requestId=dbf041106139f319&clickedItemRank=6&userQuery=corncrake&clickedItemURN=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2F earth%2Fearthnews%2F5303100%2FConservationists-bid-to-find-out-if-corncrakes-range-is-growing.html&title=Conservationists+bid+to+find+out+if+%3Cb%3Ec orncrake%26%2339%3Bs%3C%2Fb%3E+range+is+growing+%3 Cb%3E...%3C%2Fb%3E&moduleId=matchingsites.jsp.M&clickedItemPageRanking=6&clickedItemPage=1&clickedItemDescription=WebResults

[Aaldtimer]

I would really like to know the location you speak of.
Friends have told me that in the distant past, the noise of these birds was a real nuisance during the summer months in the Thurso area, round about the Glebe and Castlegreen area.
Wayback though...40 odd years ago.
Would be nice to think they're coming home!:)

[Birdie Wife]

Probably not a corncrake if you're hearing it in woodland, corncrakes are almost always heard on farmland margins under cover of crops/nettles/flag iris...

Was it a repetitive song and if so, how many repeats? 3-4? hundreds??

My first thought was a great tit - they go TEACH-er TEACH-er TEACH-er
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greattit/index.asp

but if the noise is a 'crusty' squeak then you might have heard a snipe giving an alarm call. A corncrake sounds very like an alarm calling snipe except the noise goes on for hours through the night...

Hope it was a corncrake!

[dafi]

Hi tilter

this is the sound of a corncrake.

If you just keep pressing the button and repeating it over and over again you will get the true sound of its call.

http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Corncrake

What do you think of that then...

[Kenn]

Can't wait to find out if any of the calls identify this bird.

[Tilter]

HI
Thank you for all your help. I've listened to great tit and snipe and they weren't it. Dafi's link sounds most like it, but I thought it was a longer note than that. There wasn't much in the way of repeats I don't think.

Trouble is, I don't go down there much at this time of year as I have 2 cockers (one a worker with a high hunting drive and tendency to bog off) and we stick to beaches for exercise during bird season. I'll have to go there on my own see if I can hear it again. I said woodland as I thought that was where the sound was coming from but yes, there's marginal farmland, nettles, set-aside etc.

This is very confusing. I'll be happy to pm you location if you want to help but you know what it's like - take someone else down there and you won't hear a thing.

[Tilter]

HI
I'll be happy to pm you location if you want to help but you know what it's like - take someone else down there and you won't hear a thing.

It would be a nice walk though.

[Birdie Wife]

The other thing that might swing the balance is the time of day that you heard it... corncrakes would only call during the day when they had first arrived on migration and were testing the water, so to speak.