What kind of bird?

[Bella]

I have a bird/s somewhere in the trees behind my house that sounds like sonar.  At first I actually thought a child from a neighbouring yard had a really annoying toy but I've figured out that it is a bird.  It doesn't chirp like most of the birds around here it just makes the sound that reminds me of sonar, like a beep, beep, pause, beep beep.....Any ideas what kind of bird this may be.  Now I love the sound!

[Kin Lau]

Sounds like a chipmunk.

[Brian Bailey]

The only bird I can think of that roughly matches and might be singing in a backyard tree is a Black-billed Cuckoo.  Despite their fairly large size, they can be tough to spot if they stay put.

I think most of the online guides have sound recordings, including this one: http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/307/_/target.aspx

BB

[Bella]

Thanks for the info.  

I listened to the black-billed cuckoo and that is not the sound I am hearing. It really does sound exactly like sonar, assuming all sonar sounds the same.  It's not a strong sound.   Is there a place I can record the sound and send it in for identification?  

As for the chipmunks, do they make that kind of noise?  Really?  I've never heard that chipmunks make noise at all and I never considered that it was anything but a bird.  Maybe there is a chipmunk sound website. Interesting to note. I checked out chipmunk sounds online and it definitely is not a chipmunk.

[Brian Bailey]

Well, I can't think of a bird or insect that might make that type of sound, but maybe a frog?

Check the Spring Peeper's call:  http://www.naturewatch.ca/databases/fro ... ucifer.wav

I've never heard one in the city.  Do you live near a wet or marshy area?

BB

[oniedz]

Is it a Grackle?  They make a weird noise.  Check it out.

[christie]

when walking through the park yesterday I heard the sonar call, the only birds I saw were grackles, red-winged black birds, and starlings, could be one of them.

[Jaedon]

I heard a RWBB make the most interesting call I have ever heard.  It started out the same as the normal call but instead of the long E sound at the end of the call it sounded like a cell phone ringing.  It could also be a Starling imitating something it has heard and is mimicking the sound because it likes it.

[Bella]

I listened to the sounds of the common grackle, the red-winged black bird and the starling and none of them make the same noise.  

Christie:  Where are you located that you heard the sonar sound?

Brian:  I listened to the spring peeper frog and it's not quite like that but it's the closest to the sound I've heard so far so perhaps this is a frog.
I live in the Beach in Toronto.  We don't have any marshy areas but I'm about a block from the lake and many people around here have ponds.   The sound transmits from the trees but I've never heard it closer than a neighbours yard so I can't say with any amount of certaintly that the sound isn't resonating off something else and it just sounds like it's in the trees.  I don't hear it often but it's all times of the day.

I'll keep listening to the sounds and hopefully I can identify this bird/whatever it is.

btw...I'm also trying to identify a bird (I've actually seen this one) that looks like a robin and has an early morning and late night call that is much louder than the other birds around here.  The sound is not just a chirp chirp chirp but rather a small song that it repeats over, and over, and over....and over again.  I can't find reference to any robins except the American Robin and the pitch/tone (I'm don't know which) of that bird's sound is exactly the same but the song is different.

Thanks so much

[christie]

Bella, I heard the call in High Park, on the south side near the Queenway.  I remembered your post so I took a look around but only saw the regulars.  I know I've heard some strange calls from those birds.  I regularly walk there, if I hear it again, I'll check it out, you've made me very curious.

[Bella]

I'm still trying to identify the sound.  I'm not convinced it's a bird now that I've heard some frogs.  But I swear I hear it in the trees.  Maybe the mothership is coming for me....

I've just been gifted a pair of binoculars and a field guide so maybe I'll be able to see it.

[Bella]

It's a bird, it's definitely a bird.  It's smaller than a Robin and has a bright red underbelly.  It didn't stay long enough for me to get my binoculars.  Any ideas?