A bird that sounds like a grasshopper

[gillwrig]

Hi All

I keep hearing ths strange birdsong that sounds like exactly like a cricket/grasshopper noise.

I've scoured the graden looking for it and even though it might just be a grasshopper but it was coming from above !

I knowit's a long shot but could it be a grasshopper warbler or some other type of warbler??

Hope you can help?

Gill

[Adam Cheeseman]

Are you sure it's even a bird?

Cheers,

Adam

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by gillwrig

I knowit's a long shot but could it be a grasshopper warbler or some other type of warbler??

Hope you can help?

Gill

Average arrival of Groppers is 13 April, so certainly time of year ok. However, they tend only to make the 'insect reeling' song in the evening and then more usually on an open perch. Despite the name, the song is actually a more metallic whirring sound than a Grasshopper (sounding a bit like a loud hum of an electric fence!) Habitat is unlikely, they prefer open scrub, marsh etc. It's possible you're hearing Wren(s) .... youngsters make a constant fast gentle clicking (not totally different to Gropper) and if there is a Wren's nest in the garden, an adult would make a fast alarm clicking too (especially if you were hunting for it!) - they can sound very insect like.

[JoulesH]

Once you've heard one for sure you'll recognise it. They are pretty good at 'throwing their voices' and can be very hard to spot. The RSPB website has birdsong clips on its identification pages - have you tried checking if the grasshopper warbler is there?

[Maverick47]

Grasshopper Warblers have certainly arrived, I heard one at the weekend singing from dense undergrowth in a small woodland.
I thought at the time that this bird was probably still migrating (west) as this is not its prefered breeding habitat.
So its possible that some migrants will sing and feed up after a long journey, in places that you would'nt always expect.
As for the song, if you can imagine a small electric bell that you used to find in childrens electronic kits that is connected to a battery, now put your hand over the bell to muffle the ringing.
This is the best way that I can think of that describes the song.

If this is what you think it sounded like, then it most certainly is

[Dae]

There's also a lot of grasshopper warblers in the south wales area, seen various reports of them. I agree to check the recording on the RSPB website and see if it sounds like what you heard.

[RobinP]

I always liken the song to a fishing reel as the fish is running line off the reel.

[gillwrig]

mmm it's definately like a cricket - strange that I only hear it in the evenings in the small wood behind my house.

I shall endevour to track it down tonight - I nearly had it yesterday but it saw me and flew off!!

[Gill Catton]

with regard to grasshoppers, most species that I know of are not mature enough to sing at this time of year. Some crickets are a possibility, with the most likely being escaped reptile food - house cricket (Acheta domesticus) or southern field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus). Native adult species could be wood cricket but their song is very soft and quiet and it is probably too cold for them at the moment.

you say you saw the bird briefly and it flew off - what height was it at?

[Nightranger]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

with regard to grasshoppers, most species that I know of are not mature enough to sing at this time of year. Some crickets are a possibility, with the most likely being escaped reptile food - house cricket (Acheta domesticus) or southern field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus). Native adult species could be wood cricket but their song is very soft and quiet and it is probably too cold for them at the moment.

you say you saw the bird briefly and it flew off - what height was it at?

A long run of 'reeling' sound gives the game away for grasshopper warbler, assuming you are still young enough to hear it. Shorter bursts could still be grasshopper warblers sub-singing (getting their voice?) but could be other warblers or...{see above}