Nocmig Confusion

What a summer. After a couple of weeks laid up with the lurgy that I thought might have been 'the Covid', I think it was just one of them summer colds. I've still got a heavy chest.  What with that and the relentless poor weather I've struggled to find much to write about. Even my notebook is a bit thin but here goes the update so far.

26th June, thick fog decended. That puts the kybosh on most things but on this occasion a few Sandwich and Arctic Terns flew over our house quite low calling as they lose sight of the actual coast.  

A poor juvenile Song Thrush made a bang as it crashed into the kitchen window unfortunately. I decided to draw it, life sized...

Song Thrush a window casualty.

Friday 28th June, on my way to work a surprise Red Kite very low above the road at Red Row was nice. It was so low it became at risk of being another casualty but luckily it dodged the bullet so to speak...Kites may well be the new Black headed Gulls around the rest of the UK but in this black spot they are still very much noteworthy.

On Saturday 29th June at midnight there was a bit of a mystery unfolding.

I was out for Peggy's late night stroll. It was calm and still when I heard a totally unfamiliar call over towards the coast. It called once, then a gap, called a second time then another gap, then called a third time as it made its way south. Given the three clear sounds I was able to memorise the info long enough ( minutes) until I got in and added the details to the notebook before I could forget.

Then I put a tweet out to those who like to record nocturnal migrants overhead at night - Nocmig. They are more practised at this specialist field than me. From what I could tell, this was a wader, sounds like a small calidrid type on the move. Soon two replies came with Temmincks Stint? 

This is s scarce migrant of muddy edged pools so cant imagine one over here but I went straight online to Xeno Canto and checked the call there. It sounded good and I passed thanks to the responders.

I still was a bit unsure. As a Nocmig sceptic as you might have seen here I always wonder what else it may have been. You cant see it, so its always a long shot for these unfamiliar migration sounds. This kept me thinking about the so called Temmincks overhead in the night. Its not impossible but lets face it, it is unlikely.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I am speaking to my neighbour, published bird sound recordist and all round expert in avian audibles, Geoff Sample, when I recount the tale. Straight away he says what about Curlew Sandpiper? 

I have heard them calling before but didn't remember 'my' call. Time for another check on Xeno Canto. Well I never, Geoff was spot on. Similar to Temmincks but as my note says, drier and more distinct. At that time there were a couple of Curlew Sandpipers down the coast so they were certainly out there. A much more likely fit than the stint. Interesting isnt it....

Have a listen to this link - Xeno Canto Curlew Sandpiper Flight Call try the 8th one down the list by Stanislas Wroza 22 seconds Mongolia its the clearest without the background noise. Most like my bird.

To compare try the Temmincks Stint calls here too.

Oh and as I actually heard it and didn't just hear a recording of it, it was a patch tick too!

 

The adult Curlew Sandpiper taken a few years ago has the reddish belly in this pic with a juv Curlew Sand to its right and some Dunlin.