Dear Romillyh,
The link I gave included a dot in the end, which should have been left
out: http://www.home.zonnet.nl/myotis/owlcoot.htm
Please ignore the popup-ad.
Moorhen quite often rest in trees, so this sound coming from a tree is
not so strange in fact. Both Coot and Moorhem are rails, so apart from
being active during daytime, they are also very active at night.
Dispersing and migrating they usually do at night, otherwise they
would be an easy meal for raptors I guess.
I have myself tried an image-intensifier last spring to see Coot
producing this call when flying over. Unfortunately they appeared to
do so too high up, out of range, so I didn't see anything. I hope you
can do better, please inform me if you do.
Best wishes,
Rombout
--- In "Romilly Hambling"
<> wrote:
>
> Grateful thanks, Rombout. Yes, Coot or Moorhen were what had come to
> mind (certainly not LEO), but what puxxled me was the night-flying,
> that it seems to perch in a tree, and that there's no water nearby. It
> also seems to be a fairly permanent inhabitant as I've heard it in the
> same area -- roosting place and flying around -- all three years I've
> spent nights out. But if you KNOW this specific contact call I take
> your word for it!!
>
> Sadly I can't reach the page with your explanation... These daytime
> birds flying at night is curious -- some nights at least half a dozen
> Grey Herons fly over (whooosh, whoosh, whoosh), at about hourly
> intervals. I've even heard one crashing into a tree.
>
> With luck I may be able to put the question finally to rest with a
> night-vision gadget that should be turning up soon. It's for the owls,
> of course -- didn't think I'd be looking for hooting Coots! I hope
> they have ir-reflective retinas.
>
> Romillyh
>
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