# Birders! What's this Vancouver Island bird critter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668 "2008-08-03T03:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/1 "2008-08-03T03:34:40Z")
Hello, birders! I am trying to identify a nocturnal bird sound in greater Victoria, BC (specifically the Mill Hill Park area, to narrow it right down). I \*think \*it’s an owl, but it’s not the usual hoo-hoo-hoo-HOO-hoo sounds. Those I have definitely heard around here at night while walking the dog. (I had to find out what it was after I finally clued in that dogs don’t bark that rhythmically! An owl, of course, which I should have guessed much sooner.) But what’s really got me curious is another call. What I hear, that I can’t identify, almost sounds mechanical, like a small drill speeding up. It starts lower, rises and stops. It’s almost a whine, but a mechanical-sounding whine. It doesn’t sound “bird-like”, but it’s also not entirely mechanical-sounding, either, after hearing it a few times. But at first, it really sounded to me like some kind of drill or machine–there were a lot of people doing home improvement stuff last summer when I first heard it, so I actually thought it was a drill or a sander! It’s a high-pitched whine that starts with a rise, then stops. The sound has almost “rusty” tones, but not as piercing as a “shriek”. It’s unhurried. I heard it last summer, when I thought it was a human device, and one time I did see two owls high in a tree at the same time as the sound, so an owl is my best guess. However, that was just as dusk was becoming dark. This year, I’ve only heard it after dark, so I can’t spot the bird(s). Now I’m really curious about it. We also have raccoons around here, but the sounds come from “up”, higher than I’ve seen raccoons in trees. [Owl Calls and Sounds - The Owl Pages](http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Tyto-alba-4.mp3) is the closest to the sound I can find, but imagine one call, longer, rising, with long pauses in between. Closer is this: [http://www.owling.com/seo1-1a.wav](http://www.owling.com/seo1-1a.wav) with the second call of the four being the closest, but again, of longer duration. I only hear the rising bit, though, and it seems as if it’s usually two birds making the call back and forth between them. It doesn’t sound agitated to my ears, just very distinctive. I haven’t heard it in the winter. Thanks for any help! I’ve posted to BirdingBC.ca too, but maybe I’ve stumped them there, or maybe it’s such an obvious question that the birders are disdainful. Owls? What kind of owls? I like owls. ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/2 "2008-08-03T14:02:18Z")
> [@](#): > > But what’s really got me curious is another call. What I hear, that I can’t identify, almost sounds mechanical, like a small drill speeding up. It starts lower, rises and stops. It’s almost a whine, but a mechanical-sounding whine. It doesn’t sound “bird-like”, but it’s also not entirely mechanical-sounding, either, after hearing it a few times. But at first, it really sounded to me like some kind of drill or machine–there were a lot of people doing home improvement stuff last summer when I first heard it, so I actually thought it was a drill or a sander! It’s a high-pitched whine that starts with a rise, then stops. The sound has almost “rusty” tones, but not as piercing as a “shriek”. It’s unhurried. Did it kind of echo? From your description, this sounds exactly like a woodpecker. A strange echoey drill in the middle distance ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/3 "2008-08-03T14:35:42Z")
The cornell Lab or Ornithology is one of the finest and most comprehensive bird sound archives in the world. See [here](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/). I think you are describing the song of a Screech Owl, or Saw Whet Owl. You may also be decribing the trill of a grey tree frog, or common toad. Check the songs on the website of the two owls and let me know. As an avid birder I’m curious. I had a rough time with a bird this summer in my back wood, it took hours of trying on the cornell lab and I finally found it was a wood thrush. Good luck. [Grey Tree Frog Sound](http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/pages/graytfg.html) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/4 "2008-08-03T14:42:07Z")
Don’t forget, songs and calls are different. Once a bird calls and get’s a return I believe that is when they start the song… **Colibri** will hopefully be in soon to set us straight. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/5 "2008-08-03T17:59:46Z")
Thanks for the replies! It could be some woodpeckers–I have seen those around here, drilling on top of the electrical poles. Loud buggers! No echo, though, and only heard at night. I will check out the Cornell Lab asap. It doesn’t seem to be a treefrog. They were quite chatty last night, and in the trees just beyond the back yard, so I stayed outside and looked at the stars and listened (highly recommended way to pass a half hour, by the way) and it’s definitely bird, much less mechanical than it sounded when I heard them farther away. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/6 "2008-08-03T18:08:10Z")
Nope, not a woodpecker. The best sound match so far is the spotted owl, even closer than juvenile horned or barred. I tried to record them last night, but my phone (handiest recording device) didn’t pick them up, alas. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/7 "2008-08-03T18:19:07Z")
Listening to the Macaulay Library sound collection (great link! I didn’t find it yesterday) I swear what I’m hearing are spotted owls. That’s definitely the sound! That ascending call! I’m very excited about this. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birders-whats-this-vancouver-island-bird-critter/458668/8 "2008-08-03T23:51:45Z")
[QUOTE=mutantmoose] Did it kind of echo? .. [/QUOTE] If it did, that would rule out a duck, right? 😉