Help!!
Today at Manassas Battlefield I heard an unfamiliar song. It perfectly
fit the description in Sibley for a Louisiana Waterthrush, a species I
have never seen or heard. Are there any common songs which are very
similar to the Louisiana?
Later, I searched and found just one recorded "wav" file on the Internet
for the Louisiana Waterthrush, which sounded quite similar to the song I
heard this morning. I listened to one recording of the Northern
Waterthrush, and the Louisiana sounded much more like what I heard.
What I heard over and over, for at least 10 minutes, was 4 clear musical
notes, followed by a slightly descending warble or trill. The 4 notes
were slightly slurred in pitch - not nearly as much as a Cardinal, for
instance, but more than a Titmouse. Each sequence of 4 notes (sometimes
3 or 5) plus trill, was followed by roughly 5-15 seconds pause.
The location was the top of a solitary but very dense pine tree, in the
middle of one of the fields at Manassas. I circled the tree for 5-10
minutes, using naked eye and binoculars, with no luck. While I was
there, a ruby-crowned kinglet and two brown thrashers visited the tree
and left, but I never could see whatever was making this beautiful song.
So, can I record a Louisiana Waterthrush at Manassas today, or not?
Thanks ...
- Steve Johnson
Fairfax, VA
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