My mother likes birdwatching and can recognise most bird calls you hear in the UK, but obviously not those in America. She was wondering what the prominent bird call is that could be heard on the golf coverage from Augusta. It’s hard to describe, but I know the one she meant - you can hear them prominently every year.
It’s a bit of a long shot but I told her “I know a website that might come up with the answer”, so here I am.
Any Georgian Dopers care to suggest likely candidates, and I’ll try to find .wav files so she can compare.
I hear mainly cardinals, titmice, and Carolina wrens, plus some blue jay calls and perhaps a northern parula or great crested flycatcher here and there.
That was my first thought when I read the thread title. There’s something about a mockingbird’s songs that make them very ear-catching, and of course there’s no set pattern to make them easy to identify. Wikipedia says that mockingbirds are a New World species, so that may make them even more unusual to someone from Britain.
There are many possibilities. It’s pretty much impossible to make a definitive identification without a link to an example or a least good description of the call. “You hear them prominently every year” could plausibly refer to anything from a raucous Blue Jay to a melodious Mockingbird.
Give us a hint here. Melodious? Harsh? Ringing? Sweet? How many notes? Any similarities to a UK species?
The cardinal is another good candidate in this regard, I think, other than the lack of a set pattern. They have pretty distinct songs (to my ear) and are also a New World species. There are some song/call sound clips on this page, and the OP could use the resource to check the songs of other birds mentioned in the thread.
I’ll try and get a better description when I next speak to my mother (or get her to imitate it down the phone ). When I’m back on a computer with speakers I’ll try and track down a clip. I’ll also check out a mockingbird call, as I’ve never heard one of them.
Several sources pointed out that CBS has dubbed in bird calls in previous years, which were identified by birders as inappropriate for locale and season.
). When I’m back on a computer with speakers I’ll try and track down a clip. I’ll also check out a mockingbird call, as I’ve never heard one of them.