Identifying a night call from the High Country

["David McDonald" <>]

On the evenings of 20/21/22 Feb 1997 my partner and I camped at the 
Thredbo Diggings camp site on the Thredbo River close to Thredbo.  
Each night I heard a call I cannot identify.  It was a highly 
distinctive, high pitched, three note call, just like 'walk-to-work', 
repeated usually three times.  The repeats were in successively 
higher pitches, giving the 'demented' character referred to in field 
guides for some species.

It is highly reminiscent of the Brown Cuckoo-Dove 
Macropygia amboinensis but (1) seems way out of range (latitude OK 
but too far inland),  (2) wrong habitat (Snow Gums & Black Sallees, 
not rain forest!) and (3) the increasing pitch of the repeated calls 
seems unlike the call on the BOCA tape of the Brown Cuckoo-Dove.

Any suggestions?  Perhaps a furred, rather than feathered, animal
of the night?

David
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David McDonald          Telephone:   +61-6-231 8904
PO Box 1355             
WODEN  ACT  2606        
AUSTRALIA               E-mail:  
      Fax from 26 Feb 1997:  +61-6-249 0740
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