I know this is a little off course from out usual topics, but hope to hear from someone on this question. Yesterday I heard what sounded exactly like a male Bob White quail calling. Twice I heard it in a 2 hour period, heard it plainly and close. I have not seen any quail around here in 25 years or more, but there are of course lots of starlings. I'm wondering if a starling ever makes that kind of call; I hear them making their long, drawn out, decending whistles all the time, and the call I heard yeterday had the same pitch and resonance as that of a starling. Again it sounded like a quail, but I'm about convinced that it was a staring; I never did see the bird so can't be positive. I do know it was not a mocking bird.
I don't have any nesting martins agins this year yet. Visitors twice, no roostings and no more visits lately. I'll be glad when the subbies show up. these snubbies are driving me crazy.
If anyone can shed some light on the quail call question, I'd appreciate it. Thanks so much, Three. [/b]
Bird Call Quetion
You wouldn't be crazy to think it is a starling. The starlings here can imitate a few different birds pretty mcuh dead on. I hear hawk screams all the time, look up and scan the sky for the hawk and sure enough there is a starling sitting right up in a nearby tree screaming like a hawk. My mockingbirds can do some good imitations as well, but I can usually tell its them because they will just start stringing different calls together.
2nd Year trying to attract martins! Wish me luck!
THanks 85 for for your reply and the good information as to the starling calls. And I do indeed wish you good luck in getting martins this year; let us know how you doing, visits overnighters and so forth. Thanks again, Three. P.S., I wish it had been a quail, but was pretty sure it wasn't; don't know how they learned to whistle like that, it was a good imitation. smile.