Help identifying bird call

[Helen4373]

Hi,

Wondering if there is anyone that can help.

I heard a bird call last night after darkness fell and the only way I can only describe it that it's like the regular bleep that you hear after a house alarm has gone off.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

[Bobby D]

Sorry but I have no idea but would be interested should someone else be able to furnish the answer

[Kayleigh]

Could be a great tit..

[wizzo]

Hiya Helen! Is it definately a bird or, could it be that your smoke alarm's battery needs replacing? . If it is a bird, I haven't got a scooby doo what it could be? Welcome to WAB anyway - from me...Wizzo

[RobSutton]

Bit of a long shot this but do you live near any sort of marsh or other wetland habitat?

The reason I ask is that I once heard a regular almost electronic call after dark that turned out to be a Spotted Crake which is a rare vagrant to marshes and similar habitats. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and thinking at first it was the alarm on somebody's mobile phone until I was awake enough to realise what it was. It was a sort of whistled wheet, wheet repeated twice with an interval before the next calls.

[aeshna5]

Wherabouts are you?

Though it's very unlikely if you're in the UK Scop's Owl might be a real outsider, but they do turn up + call.

[RobSutton]

Here is a recording of Spotted Crake. I've tried to find one of Scops Owl for you as well but I haven't found anything good yet.

[actionfinch]

what about a little owl ( at a long shot)

[Helen4373]

Thanks everyone,

I had to laugh at the smoke alarm theory, I too thought I'd imagined it until I heard it again tonight.

It's definitely not an owl (as I listened to their calls earlier on) but it is very similar to the spotted crake, perhaps not quite so high pitched but definitely that electrical sound if that makes sense? Habitat wise, there is an old unused canal nearby which is full of reeds etc. I understand they are very rare in the UK and it probably isn't one. Are there any other birds that might make a similar sound?

[purpledragon2112]

Hi I live in Mid Devon and have heard the same sound, it is not dissimilar to a Nuthatch.
This is a link to the RSPB site, hope it is o.k to link this
The RSPB: Nuthatch
The one I hear sounds similar to this although slightly slower, I assume like humans, birds also differ in sound, like our voices are different so there songs will differ from bird to bird.
Hope this makes sense!!