From: "M, J, & V Phinney" <>
>
> in sagebrush desert oountry I really don't know....if it were near a
> mountain stream, I'd vote for the sound of line being peeled off a fly
> fishing reel
Here's a photo of the area, the mockingbird's bush is the dark green one
to the right of the highway. I spent the night 20' from that bush.
http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/naturerecordists/Granite-Pass.jpg
I've never recorded any of my fly reels, but I'd think their sound would
be more mecanical. I've heard mockingbirds imitating mechanical things,
and they do a decent job.
Another thought would be some kind of insect, though mockingbirds don't
seem to imitate insects much.
Many have suggested various birds, for all I know one of those might be
right. Hard to interview a mockingbird as to where he recorded the sound
he's playing back. The sounds of other birds he used were given much
more often than this sound. As I noted this was repeated just 4 times in
two hours of recording. Making it one of the rarest of his sounds.
This sound was given very quietly, much softer than any of his bird
imitations, making me think of something else that's fairly soft
sounding. Is this the imitation of something that should be fairly
common out there like a sidewinder or other small rattlesnake? Certainly
sounds like some I've heard. The bush the bird was on was less than 4'
high, and it was the highest bush around, so the chances of him hearing
a sidewinder seem pretty good.
The area is full of small mammals, so plenty of snake food. I did not
see a poisonous snake here, or anywhere else in the 12000 miles of my
trip. I did see quite a few non-poisonous snakes. But that does not mean
they are not there. I certainly took precautions while wandering through
the bush.
Walt
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|
