Need help naming a bird by call.

[ID jit]

Have be trying to figure this out for years. Am in SE MA. Local bird has a rather loud call which sounds like "cheeseburgercheeseburgercheeseburgercheese". Generally here 2 to 4 of those and then it stops for a while. Has been driving me nuts not knowing what it is.

Anyone have an idea?

[applestar]

Hahaha I just plugged in "cheeseburger birdcall" and the results came back as "mountain chickadee"

Now this YouTube video is labeled "black capped chickadee" and we do have those around here, and I recognize the call, but I never *heard* it as sounding like "cheeseburger" until YOU put it in my head.... thank you very much


https://youtu.be/Z0Njwhr_sSw

[applestar]

...do these both show up for you? Not showing up for me... maybe it's an iOS device thing...

[ID jit]

Not a chickadee - those I would recognize - call is too short and less loud.

One that is baffling me is a mostly even, 10 beat cadence... sort of like ten 1/8th notes in 4/4 time

sort of like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtdx_NfwIc
but one beat longer

[applestar]

So, I noticed people on YouTube are ID'ing that video as Carolina Wren. Are you familiar with them? They either arrive earlier or are hardier than House Wren and they sometimes overwinter in my area or I start seeing them about a month before the House Wrens arrive and start making territorial songs. They are larger and nest in my bluebird house that is situated in a sheltered location rather than in an open area. The twitching up and down tail is typical of Wrens, but the ivory eyebrow streak is the recognizable marker.

We don't see them when the winter is very very cold, but we see them through the winter even on snowy days when mild, and I would say I noticed them for the first time several years ago when we had that unreal, mild winter when the temps didn't get under mid-teens and we had an 80°+ heat wave in March. (That was a bad year for pest bugs, too, with never-before-seen buggers and explosion of rare mid- to late-summer normally scarce pests).

One other idea I had this morning is that if the call is "similar but not quite" -- to something else, then it could be a mockingbird or catbird imitating the other birds' call. You would be able to tell if the call seems like it's part of a medley.

[ID jit]

Will look into Carolina Wren.

Given what I found out about the complexity of "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" being one of the most complex calls in the animal kingdom according to one wed site, I was actually content enough to make the jump and say, "okay, it is a local variation of a chickadee". Have only ever heard it here in SE MA.

Wren theory has promise though, it is warm weather call only, which could be a migratory bird.

Don't think is is a mocking bird, but I am not completely sure of it. (They seem to be more predominant is places I wouldn't be paying attention. Odd how it seems to be picky about altitude and human occupation density.)

Can rule out a cat bird.

Have spent a most of my life, hunting, fly fishing, canoeing and backpacking. This 10 beat cadence is just something I can't identify. Most of what I know about birds are the bug eaters who like to fly over rivers at and after sunset.

Not this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVgfrTGksxU

Pretty close to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GLIFUtXj2M (9 beats instead of 10 again)

[ID jit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSZtoXIb7do

[jeff84]

not this is it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y47ntBBLiJU

[jeff84]

or maybe a mocking bird

[ID jit]

Nope, not a cardinal.... we have those and they are different. This is always a 10 beat sounds: three 1/8th notes, three 1/8th notes, three 1/8th notes, one 1/8th note.

Mocking bird, maybe, note sure if they can be identified by call though.

Have never been able to see the little guy who is singing this. That would help a lot.

My vote right now is for the Carolina Wren. It is the closest and the call is here when they are here or could be here. (I really want to vote for the Lyre Bird and toy gun though.)

[applestar]

Loved the Lyre Bird vid. Showed DD without telling her what it was and SHE said "is this a Lyre Bird?" !!!??

Apparently, they have Lyre Birds in Minecraft that mimic ...now what was it... Creepers?....

[MTC]

Another similar song would be an Ovenbird: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ove ... unds...but I'm terrible with birdsong even though I shouldn't be. Don't really have an ear for it.

[applestar]

Oh COOL! This Ovenbird might be the bird I have not been able to ID for the past couple of years. White around the eyes, the markings that reminded me of Song Sparrows but not quite, and the streak on the head. The song, too.... I will have to compare with this bird next time I see one. Thanks!

[MTC]

That orange stripe on the head is really distinctive. If it sticks to/near forested areas and especially if it's around water in a forested area, I'd say you have your bird . I'm an ornithologist...which is why I -should- know birdsong better than I do. Happy to help ID birds, especially if there are pictures involved.