What bird makes this noise?

July 31, 2012 12:43 PM

What bird is making this noise?

My friends (several of them, who live in the same neighborhood) hear this noise, which they strongly believe to be avian in origin. They describe it in words as "like the reverberation when something metal hits a flagpole."

It happens at all times of day, and this is in a suburban/urban area of central Ohio.

I recognize the recording is short -- but it took a couple of weeks to finally capture it in audio, given the sporadic nature of the call.

posted by pixiecrinkle to Pets & Animals (5 answers total)

It's a fire alarm with low batteries somewhere nearby. They alarm when the voltage gets too low.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gryBwY5Bfw&feature=fvwrel

probably different sounds for different models. That's my best guess.
posted by JimmyJames at 1:38 PM on July 31, 2012

Blue jays make that noise apparently (says my better birder boyfriend).
posted by hydrobatidae at 1:53 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm no birder, but I put out peanuts for bluejays, and that sound is a big reason why I feed them. At least that mostly sounds like a blue jay's warble, as you mentioned the sound quality isn't the best.
posted by nobeagle at 5:48 PM on July 31, 2012

Best answer: Here are some blue jay calls from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- are you thinking pixiecrinkle's recording sounds like call #4 on this page?
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:03 PM on July 31, 2012

Response by poster: It's definitely not a fire/smoke alarm or anything like that that would be stationary, because they are hearing this throughout the area (like a square mile area -- that's a loud smoke alarm!)

We're thinking Blue Jay is probably it. That will help us in spotting to confirm. Thanks!
posted by pixiecrinkle at 7:47 AM on August 1, 2012