Which bird makes this call (2)

[nimportequoi]

I presume it is a bird! Assuming it is, I think it must be some sort of a wading bird as the call seems to come from the stream in the valley at the bottom of our village. The sound made is like sonar blips, but irregular, and occasionally of different pitch. I've only noticed it during the evening and at night - we've lived here 4 years and this is the first time I've ever heard this particular sound.

[chris pp]

Never, never assume anything (even if I do from time to time).

It's a midwife toad - Crapaud accoucheur or Alyte. It's on my site under amphibians if you want to take a look. They are very active at this time of year, surprise, surprise!!

http://www.planetepassion.com

Chris.

[nimportequoi]

Thanks for the info Chris - I won't assume again. Very interesting site too.

[Andyphilpott]

We have always heard an odd noise at night from the direction of the river and it turned out to be a Scops Owl (or so we have been told - never seen it) - quite loud! Up to then we had thought it was probably toads. Yours may well be different though so Chris is probably correct - I am no expert at all!

Andy

[chris pp]

You are absolutely correct Andy and I mention that, I think, on the site about midwife toads, they do sound similar, but the way the sound was described and being this time of year, I would say it was 99 to 1 that it is midwife toads, not actually in the water and sometimes a good distance away.

What amazes me is that in the quiet of the countryside the sound can carry 500 metres and more.

Chris.

 

 

[nimportequoi]

Would there be Scops Owls in Northern Brittany or do they prefer warmer climates? The calls are so numerous at night, that I think the toads are perhaps more likely in this case.

[chris pp]

I didn't know you were in Brittany, that makes it even more likely to be midwife toads although I don't know if there are Scops owls there, sorry. If you are hearing more than one source of these calls I think you can be sure it's toads.

Chris

[Michael]

Chris .Scops owls are in bittany,even heard /seen them in normandy,there song or call is is a repeated short whistling tyuh every two or three seconds.I think with the climate change they and like many other species are moving north fast.Its note also last longer than the midwife toad and is more harmonic[if thats the word]in other words his/her noise is more up and down whereas the toad is constant.Michael.

[chris pp]

I wasn't at all sure whether Scops were up there or not, so that's good to know, but midwife toads are prolific there. The difficulty is that if you have several midwife toads around, as is often the case, where there's one - there's many, the different calls seem to have a different tone, higher and lower.

Very off thread,    Michael, do you know anything about these Great Bustards that were brought from the ex soviet union, released in Wiltshire, Salisbury Plain? and have since, so I am told, flown over to Brittany?   (Brittany's the only bit that's on thread).

Chris 

[Michael]

Chris, I was reading about the Great Bustards project a couple of days ago - you must be telepathic!   The latest information I have found dated 14th January 2006 can be found on www.greatbustard.com/News.htm where it states that the furthest known distance covered by any of the birds released in 2005 is, so far, about 370 km to the Loire.  Also on 15th Dec 2005 a female was sighted in South Finistere, Britanny and on 30th December a few kilometres away.  Apparently only females have been observed in France.

If I can find any more up to date news I will let you know as I am interested in the project too.

Michael

 

  

[Andyphilpott]

Yes it is quite incredible Chris - I guess being at night accentuates that.

Andy

[chris pp]

Thanks, I've saved the website and I will mention it at our local LPO out of interest, one might turn up down here!!

I hope Susan's enjoying this, sorry to have high jacked the thread a bit but it's good to have informed people on the forum.

Chris