kai

There is a bird in my yard that sings at night. Like in the middle of the night- hours from either dawn or dusk. I've read that unmated male mockingbirds will sing nocturnally. Are there any other birds (in the San Antonio area) that also sing nocturnally?

It would make sense if this bird of mine was an unmated male... I've only heard one bird singing, and never more than that.

Shannon

You are correct -- Northern mockingbirds looking for mates are the usual suspects for this night singing ritual. I'm trying to recall what other songbirds I hear after dark when I'm camping -- not many, after the cardinals, titmice, wrens and such bed down for the night. If nighthawks "sing", I haven't learned to identify their call.

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kai

well, i'm not real sure what I'm hearing. maybe thursday night I'll sit out and wait to see what I hear, and maybe record it and look for bird call recordings on the 'net.

its possible i've heard 2 separate birds at night. one in my yard, and one down the street. I'm somewhat used to the one in my yard; it sounds familiar. but one I heard last week down the street sounded so different and foreign that I stopped mid sentence and ask my husband 'what was that' (and I was REALLY impressed that he had heard it too, and didn't call me nuts, and was also wondering what it was.)

i'll keep you posted if I come up with what it was. if I manage to digitally record the audio of it, do you know whether I could post it here so others can hear it? I know I can digitally record it to one of our PCs... but I am NOT bringing that outside. Maybe I'll see if the microphone will work on the ibook and whether the software on the ibook can support that.... imagine the possiblities... sounds like a 'fun' job for my tech loving husband. but I figure if i can make dvds and add background music to old silent movies, I can probably record sound if the microphone we have isn't PC only...

kai

sibley's guide says about nighthawks:

"Nighthawks are often seen in daylight, especially evening, flying over woods, fields, or towns catching insects. Their slender shape and erratic, bouding flight is distinctive."

the common nighthawk's summer territory includes most of N. America, except for the west coast, alaska and northern canada (more or less).

"Territorial male gives rasping, nasal, descending buzz "BEEErzh"; given in flight with several quick "stutter flaps." Occasionally gives rapid, clucking, "quit-quit-quit-quit" in chase; not as staccato as Anitllean [nighthawk]. At nest site female gives low clucks and purring or hissing growls. Display dive of male produces humming, whooshing "Hoooov" at bottom of dive."

On the Lesser Nighthawk, Sibley's said:
"Song up to ten seconds long: a low, whistled trill on one pitch like tremelo of Eastern Screech-Owl but longer, notes more distinct. Also a nasal laughing or bleating "mememeng." Lacksdiving display; silent in flight."

summer territory of the Lesser Nighthawk: Mexico; southern portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California; extreme SW Utah. Rare occurances in 'dots' kind of near where the Texas panhandle forms a right angle with N. Mexico, and closer to Houston along the coast, as well as in other states (but I don't care about that right now). It looks like the Lesser Nighthawk's territpry might reach as far north as San Antonio- its hard to tell with the map in the book. I would say it probably doesn't go as far north as Austin though.

here is a hint: "lesser nighthawk molts on breeding grounds Jun-Sep; other nighthawks molt fligth feathers on wintering grounds Nov-Mar." I'll look for a pile of feather

the bird or birds I heard had more of a song (it was 'pretty') - i wouldn't have called it a buzzing or clucking or hissing growls. perhaps a purring, but that'd be a stretch.

sibley's doesn't mention whether nighthawks sing nocturnally, but I would assume that from it's NAME, it might be possible... off to the internet...

kai

links:

lesser nighthawk


lesser nighthawk sightings in San Antonio "Lesser Nighthawk was seen over Fairchild Center on East Crockett St in
late afternoon of 17th and one at Mitchell Lake on 16th that was so cold
it didn’t move off the ground." (Transcript from Nov 2000)


Selected bird reports Jun 2002 : "West Creek Park (HR): Lesser Nighthawk; Common Nighthawk"lesser nighthawk

ok... thats enough. I'm tired now