unidentified bird noise at night

[dartt1]

Hi, I live in N. Ireland and for past few nights have heard a noise that I think is a bird of prey. It sounds as if somebody is making a whistling noise through their nose as they sleep!!!! It seems to be flying around during the night as the noise fades then comes back. Any ideas?

[leon_heller]

Young Herring Gulls make a whistling noise.

[Earlybird Sue]

Maybe Tawny Owls? I had 2 young ones in the wood next to me and they were whistling all night for several weeks. I was lucky enough to see them on several occasions.

Sue

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by leon_heller

Young Herring Gulls make a whistling noise.

They do indeed but (ime) that's very different to a flight call of a young gull. The 'whistling' is usually from a sedentary position and a begging call to the adult to return to the nest site and empty it's crop! If you watch your gulls do this you'll appreciate the physical difficulty they'd have in making that noise during flight - they heave their whole chests forwards and flick their heads to make the sound. It's not confined to nocturnal begging either so OP would presumably be aware of the same noise during the day if there are nesting gulls in the vicinity. Perhaps juvenile Tawny Owls as Sue suggests.

[stevensi]

Wouldn't be Twany owls as they are not found on the island of Ireland i really can't think of something off the top of my head. Maybe you'd be able to record it on your phone and post it here!

[Jonathan]

Listen to these juvenile long-eared owls:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/upl...gandeungar.mp3

Or these golden plover:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/upl...7_Keldsnor.mp3

Cheers
Jonathan

[RKB]

Can't be Tawny Owl for the reason given. Juv Long-eared Owl is a distinct possibility though.

The fading might just be due to the bird turning its head. But if it is really flying about then it might be a rail (Coot, Moorhen, Water Rail) which have noctural display flights and calls.

[faz]

could be bats ?

[seamusagleann]

my guess would be a snipe "drumming" seems the right time of the day for it!

[dartt1]

Hi Johnathan, many thanks for your sounds. It sounds very much like the juvenile long-eared owls. Have I got the name right? I will look up the picture of them to see what they look like. What or where do they normally nest? Thanks everyone else for taking the time out to reply to my question. Now that I know the answer I will probably never hear them again!!!