New Zealand: Bird As Flute
Posted: February 16th, 2010 | Author: Nathan | Filed under: field recording, nature recording
This recording might not be of the bellbird, but what the heck. They produce the most amazing birdsong, so this little green dude deserves this prominent photo position just 'cause!
I recorded some pleasant-enough South Island birdsong one day along the Queen Charlotte Track, and found that there was this amazing, flutelike call deep in the background that went off every 10-20 seconds. It’s pretty far in the distance, but you can still make it out. I’d love to hear any identifications if a reader might recognize this. Â [UPDATE: Reader Barney from Nevada City, California correctly identified this as the call of the Australian Magpie. Thanks, Barney!]
(Listening directly on SoundCloud will show my comments where these specific calls are happening, if you don’t see them below.)
NZFlutelikeBirdsong by noisejockey
[Zoom H2 recorder]
Really killer!
Lovely recording! I’m no expert, having never been to NZ, but the song rang a bell (excuse the pun!) and my best guess is that it’s a Tui: http://www.xeno-canto.org/australasia/recording.php?XC=40495
Thanks, Michael, and Tom, thanks a lot for investigating the source! I think the sample you found maps perfectly and directly to an earlier post, http://bit.ly/b0KZCZ, which was also a mystery to me. This could also be a tui, especially since tuis and bellbirds apparently mimic each others’ calls…confusing, eh? Thanks a ton!