While walking at Feather Stone Memorial Park (North Twin Lake, Calhoun County), today, I heard a bird with a distinctive voice. I didn't see it, only heard it. Unfortunately, while it sounded familiar, I don't know what bird it was. If I had to describe it, I would say it was a "laughing" sound, repeated several times perhaps rising slightly over the course of the call/song. It immediately brought to mind movies/TV episodes set outside in the evening, where this bird song (or a similar one) is used to evoke a mild sense of foreboding or wilderness. [Note, though that I was there in the morning]
Any ideas? Any suggestions how I might "search by song" for a bird? If I had some ideas, I could listen to the various songs/calls at Whatbird.com or similar, but without any ideas, I'm stuck. The park in question is along the shores of North Twin Lake. The bird was signing in a grassy area where there are several trees, but not what I would call a "woods" or even a "thicket." I did not see any birds I didn't recognize on the ground (although I could have missed it). I had the sense it was in one of the trees, but that's pretty tentative. Lorinda Hoover, OSL Rockwell City, Iowa --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
