Subject: Re: Is it a Bittern?
Date: Jun 18 12:22:45 1996
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at mirrors.ups.edu


>Hi all!
>
>Last evening we began hearing a call (it's been there off and on before) in
>the marsh at the edge of our property. Sounds rather like a very loud,
>tinny duckling peep. It carried on into the night and the bird was still
>calling, steadily, at around 10:00 p.m.

Peggi, try as I may, I can't quite picture what a "very loud, tinny
duckling peep" sounds like. Anything you can add to this? I assume it's a
single call if you call it a "peep." At what frequency is it repeated
(1/sec, etc.)? Does it go on and on incessantly or stop and start up
again? Does each peep stay at the same level, or is there a change in
pitch within the note-up, down, or wavery?

How do you know it's not the young of the Tinny Duck?

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416