Best imitators in Pacific Northwest? (1 Viewer)

[GregL65]

What birds common to the Pacific Northwest are the best imitators?

For the past several days, we've been hearing a bird call that sounds a lot like a police whistle, blown quite forcefully, enough to make you stop dead in your tracks and look around in alarm for the police officer.

Actually the call has two tones; the first tone sounds exactly like a police whistle, while the 2nd tone, somewhat lower and less forceful, could pass for a police whistle but also sounds more birdlike.

The bird calls most actively in the morning, but I've also heard it in the evening.

After asking here and elsewhere, I've learned that no bird has such a call naturally, and that it is all but certainly an imitator.

We're in Bellevue, near Seattle. What imitators are the most likely candidates?


Thanks,

Greg

 

[lmans66]

Hands down....starlings... they have more call sounds than you can shake a foot at and are real abundant all over the NW, .... Hey welcome to the forum.... I am from the Walla Walla area, not nearly as productive of birding as your side of the mountains, jim

 

[ChuckM]

Hey Greg, welcome to the forum ...

Interesting question. I'm from the Skagit Valley and thought sure you would be asking about the Stellar Jays. They have a great imitation of a red tailed hawk. It has fooled me several times. I've read where they do that to clear a feeder of song birds so they can have the feeder all to themselves. I've also heard they do it to flush birds from their nests so they can locate them.

I can't say who your imitator in question is but I'll keep an ear out. May be one that is more common in the big cities where police whistles sound frequently ...

Chuck

 

[GregL65]

Imans and Chuck -- thanks, I see Stellar's Jays all the time at my house. Starlings, not so much. I suppose it could be either though.

Greg

 

[SeattleDan]

I'm in Auburn and I've noticed that the Starlings tend to gather higher in the trees around here, when they're roosting. I get them sometimes at my Suet Feeders. I suspect they are rascals, meaning opportunistic feeders, I guess. I'm no pro. I do see them cruising furtively in areas other species may be nesting. I don't like them as much as crows, but they can still be fun to watch.

edited to add: Starling Opportunist making a liar out of me, five minutes after my original posting here. Today, he is a Robin.