Mystery Bird Call - Royal National Park, NSW\

[Marc Anderson <>]

Hi all,
 
I have been tied up with a few things over the last week and haven't had a chance to respond to most emails.

I regretfully forgot to mention in the initial email that the recording was made in Dec 2011 - which is in Brush Cuckoo season in the Sydney area. I agree, without actually seeing the bird the ID cannot be 100% conclusive - so if someone gets a chance to visit Royal NP this Nov/Dec at first light, try the picnic area at the southern end of the park near the junction of Mckell Ave & Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and let me know how you go! (I'll be overseas this summer) 

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

Marc Anderson


On 8/09/2012 6:53 PM, Mick Roderick wrote:

Hi Peter (Graeme, Marc et al),

 

This has been bugging me...I've listened to that call over and over now!

 

I was one of the original supporters of Rose Robin (not Pink, which I think was a typo you made Peter) and no, I haven't changed my mind - I still think it belongs to a Rose Robin. I can hear a suggestion of the female Brush Cuckoo call (especially in the first call) but it still just leaves me thinking it's a Rose Robin, albeit not 'typical' (perhaps a young bird learning the ropes?). There is a lot of variation in Rose Robin calls, which is evident from the various recordings I have been accessing during this exercise (the one on Graeme's website is a very interesting one for example).

 

I'm sure I'm hearing the "chip, chip, chip-chip" lead-up-to-the-trill call in there, consistently before the trill, but admittedly not immediately before it.

 

Also, the fact that there is a "double-trill" and importantly, on two pitches, leans more to the robin I would have thought.

 

And the regularity that the call is made (at even intervals only a few seconds apart) pushes me to the robin.

 

One thing that worries me though is Marc's confident assertion that the cuckoo is the call he heard on the day.

 

Gulp...."help" Rose Robin supporters?!? ;-)

 

Mick

 

 

From: Peter Shute m("nuw.org.au","pshute");"><>
To: m("gff.com.au'","'greg");">"" m("gff.com.au","greg");"><>; m("wildambience.com'","'marc");">"" m("wildambience.com","marc");"><>; m("graemechapman.com.au'","'naturalight");">"" m("graemechapman.com.au","naturalight");"><>; m("vicnet.net.au'","'birding-aus");">"" m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");"><>
Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012 6:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Mystery Bird Call - Royal National Park, NSW\

I had no idea female Brush Cuckoos made that call, and I agree it's closer than Pink Robin, which seems to have a faster trill.

This call isn't on the BOCA CD track, and isn't mentioned in P&K (maybe hinted at). I'd be interested to know if the others who thought it was a robin have changed their minds now they've heard Graeme's track.

Graeme, are all those recordings yours? That's an impressive collection.

Peter Shute


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