I?m puzzled. I live fairly close to this athletic complex and have spent plenty of time in the general vicinity. I can?t think of anything likely to be there, active at night, and sounding like the winnowing of snipe. Killdeer frequent baseball fields, fly around in the lights at night, and call. However, they really don?t sound like winnowing snipe.



Kelly McAllister



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of D. Lewis
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 4:04 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey



I had a request from someone in Lacy that was hearing a bird call and they are at this sports complex. This is their description:



I've been wondering about the strange sounds I'm hearing at work for a while now. Listening to clips of bird sounds, the winnowing sound of the Wilson's Snipe seems to be a good match, but all the species descriptions I've read say this is only heard in the spring. They also say it's a wetland sound and there might be some surrounding wetlands I don't know about, but I'm definately not super close to water. I work at a ball park and I hear the sound at dusk. I don't recall ever hearing it in the spring or summer but it's been going on through January and February. I have also seen something flying around the field lights, not a lot but just making a pass every so often. I kind of figured what I'm seeing and what I'm hearing are one in the same but I haven't gotten a good look at it. I'd really like to find out what's out there, so if anyone has ideas, please let me know! It's a beautiful but haunting "woo woo woo woo" sound, just the perfect creepy thing to hear at dusk.



Has anyone been birding in that area that could give them a best guess? I'll forward any guessed back to them - thanks



D. Lewis

North Bend

debsstuff at comcastdot net