Bird from Hell: Please help!

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s2160
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Bird from Hell: Please help!

Hello guys, this is my first post on these forums and I am utterly desperate for any help you guys have. I live in Western Sydney and for the past 2 weeks, our quiet street has been terrorized by the mating call of a bird that can only be described as satanic!

HERE'S MY STORY:

Every morning from about 4am til about 5.30am, a mid sized greyish thin bird will sit atop my neighbour’s tree and begin its loud, harrowing and incessant cry. Words fail me to describe just how loud and just how stomach churning this irritating noise is. Of course, it’s not unusual to be woken by the sound of birds at this time of year but this distressingly loud mating call can only be compared to what a pterodactyl must have sounded like back in the Jurassic age.

I've lived in the same house for 28 years, I've heard many birds but this is a first and for the first time I ever in my life I was compelled to call the council and the National Parks Services for HELP!

Just the other morning, we were nearly hit by a flying stone that another distressed neighbour threw at this bird.

I was compelled to contact you guys for some help! We are all desperate! It’s been over 2 weeks of pure hell. Just when it hits 4.30 and you think he’s going to quieten down, he starts up again and this vulgar production lasts for an hour by which point you are so stressed, angry and enraged, that you can’t get back to sleep and it’s soon time to get up for work, which leaves you in a sleepless and foul mood for the day.

ABOUT THE MATING CALL:

It starts off with a long noise instantly followed by a staccato of shorter repetitive calls. Then the cycle begins again after about 5 seconds of silence.

The call goes something like this:

Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk
Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk
Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk
Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk
Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk
Raaaaaaaaah awk-awk-awk-awk-awk

It’s thin, long and grey. Not too big, maybe a medium size?. I’ve already ruled out the Koel. Someone said it might be a type of cuckoo but thus far the one's I've researched sound nothing like it.

He only appears at 4-5am and NEVER during the day although my mum did see him at about 5pm and she said he was grey, and a lot like a skinny longer turtle dove?

Andy
Andy's picture

My guess is that it's a Channel-billed Cuckoo - large greyish bird with a distinctive call. They are known for their loud squawking, but they do make a weird chuckling staccato call just prior to the squawking. I believe that the adults will quieten in a month or two.

raysimula
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My guess would be a Noisy Friar-bird or as we called them when I was a kid a Leatherhead.Ray

birdie
birdie's picture

ray, I know the Noisy Friarbird calls are cackly adn a bit raucous but this definitely fits the channel bill profile and the trailing awk awk awk after is exactly what they do.
I still reckon that is what it is. If I ever wake myself in the dead of the night enough to record it I will do so LOL It has a bit of competition at my house from the catbirds in the mornings, and the Butcherbirds, and the Pheasant Coucals, and the Lorikeets , not to mantion an insane dove/pigeon that is doing my head in at the moment and I just can't identify it, kookaburras etc etc etc ..... I love Spring :)

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Am I missing something here? Is there a joke I'm not getting in this??? If you are serious,I want to "digahole"for "dougahole"! Black Cockatoos are my favorit birds, they are rare where I live, and to tell you the truth,if you are serious,I would like to try the rubber band on you!! As for the terrier Bubbles, you should teach him to fly.....go back into the hole you came from!!

M-L

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Hi, me again, if this is "politicaly incorrect" ,or offending you, I don't care!

M-L

birdie
birdie's picture

Araminta..... Dougahole is obviously a complete turkey who doesn't have enough to do with his Xmas day ..... political incorrectness doesn't even get a mention in situations like this. Moron, go away and mess with someone else's day.

Sunshine Coast Queensland

cooee
cooee's picture

Back to the point...is the noise made once and then after a while continues because if it does it probably is the channel billed cuckoo as they do make a funny noise at the end. When you said skinny I thought masked lapwing but they dont usually go on trees. A word of advice: look at the bill size, toe arangmaent and if it flies see what shape it is. CBC have 2 toes facing forward and 2 back and when they flie it looks kind of like a giant rainbow lorricket with the V wings and long tail. As for the other stuff being said... I dont want to be a part of it.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Back to what point, James?? (this is such an old thread)

M-L

cooee
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Sorry, can you at least tell me what bird it was then?

Araminta
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James, let it go, please! (there was more to this, then there is now left,don't remember, don't ask,let it rest) I don't remember what bird....

M-L

Snotty
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I get waves and waves of cockies, lorrikeets etc. coming over my place at the crack of dawn heading for the river and im used to it. The baby next door isnt phased iether but when he does waken for a feed im instantly awake then which is cool too as ill get over it also.

If you cant get used to the noise I suggest a refresh and back to the bed or invest in noise cancelling technology for the bed room. A sound wave exactly opposite cancels out the other... :)

Araminta
Araminta's picture

.......well said,Snotty!! As long as the baby isn't going to sound like a Cockatoo after a while, and wants to head down to the river with them? You will be fine!

M-L

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