Night time hooting in Perth region - what owl is this?

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Beforenightfallsonme
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Night time hooting in Perth region - what owl is this?

Is anybody able to help me identify this bird please? It calls from dusk til dawn, approx every 5 seconds all night long and has been doing so for around 10nights now. Sometimes there are 2 of them. We live in the Perth region with a school behind us with heaps of space/big trees etc, but this bird appears to be in a small tree in my neighbours garden.

You can hear the calling here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kCnw-h5laA

I'd love to know exactly what type of bird this is. Thank you.

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The only owl we have in Perth that could possibly sound like that(according to Morcombe's App) is the Southern Boobook  - and that has quite a different call to your recording.

Maybe a type of frog? It does seem like an owl,though

Beforenightfallsonme
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I must admit that recording is not the most accurate reprenstation of this bird/birds, I'll try and get another tonight. I am presuming that whatever type of bird it is, it must be their breeding season at the moment? It might be useful to add that we are 50kms south of Perth.

Araminta
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Owl yes, Boobook I don't think so. Neither Tawny Frogmouth (the frogmouth is not an Owl, it belongs to the Nightjars). The Boobook has a loud falsetto double -hoot. The Frogmouth a deep and constant oom oom.

Can't wait for the experts to tell us, because I have heard that call around where I live.

M-L

Woko
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I've checked Morcombe's bird app for the calls of the four owls, two nightjars & one night heron which inhabit the Perth area but none sound like your recorded call, Beforenigthfallsonme. So I'm quite good on what it's not, not so good on what it is.

SteveM
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A couple of guesses, although doesn't sound spot on for either. Little Button-quail or Common Bronzewing?
Was the bird in a tree, or possibly on the ground?

Beforenightfallsonme
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We haven't actually seen the bird so it could well be on the ground rather than in a tree. The hooting has been going a little while so far this evening. Will go and get another recording soon :O)

ihewman
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I think Steve has got it... either Common BW or Little BQ. I just checked the calls and here is what I think...

The call on your video is the same or similar pitch to Little BQ (as a bronzewing call is deeper) but it isn't a two note call like that of the Button-quail, which leans towards a bronzewing. At the end of your recording, the bird (not a frog) has a brief vibrating call, which is similar to the call of Common BW. So I am convinced that it is a bronzewing despite the higher pitch of the call, it may be that it sounds different due to your recording device's microphone.

Brandon (aka ihewman)

Araminta
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Hm, I have quite a number of Bronzewings around my house, I listened to the recording again. I have to say it sounds a lot like a pigeon, but as Brandon says the pitch is too high. I hadn't thought of Bronzewings before, not sure about them calling during the night though, never heard them do it .

M-L

WendyK
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Bronzewings here make a deeper ooom sound.    I think it's possibly a Moaning Frog.

http://museum.wa.gov.au/research/collections/terrestrial-zoology/herpetology-reptiles-and-frogs-collection/frog-calls

Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/

Beforenightfallsonme
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Perhaps a moaning frog eh! Would a frog live far from water though? The nearest water to here is at least 1km away and our garden is pretty dry, I'm assuming the neighbours would be also as they never have the sprinklers on! We didn't have much luck recording them last night, they seem to quieten down when we go outside or if the neighbours are outside. Will have another go tonight though.

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+1 Wendy,I've also heard them and I've been wondering for a while what they were.

Beforenightfallsonme
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Here is another recording taken just now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNfJq5GjrMI

Is it a frog or bird?!

rawshorty
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Might be a cat, i have heard them make all sorts of strange noises? Last night i went outside thinking i heard an owl just to discover it was a bloody cat.

Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

Araminta
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Let’s apply some logic here. Some questions: Do you live in the bush? Do you have neighbours close by? Do you have possums? Koalas? Any other animals close to your house? I have Koalas, doesn’t sound like it. I have possums, might be possibly one of those?

I listened again, it sounds very regular, almost “mechanical”? Have you thought about it not being an animal, but a machine?? Maybe don’t sneak up on the noise, see if it stops when you get closer and make a noise? If it’s an animal, it would fly or walk away? Because if it doesn’t, it might be something like a generator or the like?

M-L

timmo
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I thought it matched very well with Wendy's moaning frog call myself.

The season matches, as it is apparently breeding season now, just prior to winter rains.

According to the site I found:

"Prior to start of winter male moaning frogs excavate burrows in low lying areas which are likely to become inundated by winter rains."

There is more detail here if you want to check it out.

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

Beforenightfallsonme
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Yes its looking like it probably is the moaning frog, the call is so similar and it all coincides with the first big rains in ages and of course their breeding season. hopefully the frog quietens down soon as I really need my sleep at the moment!

We live in suburbia, just a normal street with houses. Our house backs onto a school which must be on a couple of aces and has quite a few large trees that the gallahs spend a lot of time in. The nearest lakes/large ponds are about 1km away. The noise is deffo not a cat, or a koala, and not a possum either. Must be the moaning frog...

GregL
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The fact that it stops when you go outside then starts up again is pretty typical of frogs rather than owls. An owl would just fly away. Frogs don't disturb my sleep unless right outside my window, even then they don't bother me. Once you start getting annoyed you will never sleep, you should be proud to have such an unusual creature in your area.

Beforenightfallsonme
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It is right by my bedroom window! It does disturb my sleep a great deal but hopefully he'll stop soon. Bad timing for me with baby due any time soon.

dna1972
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Not one owl sounds like that. Sorry to spoil the fun. frown

Beforenightfallsonme
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Thats ok. Thanks everyone for helping me figure out what the noise is. smiley

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