I am sorry that some of you have had difficulty in downloading the file.
However, I've gotten several emails in response from folks who have been able
to hear it and so far, it's unanimous - it's a Winter Wren!
It's been singing from a forested creek area (typical) but from higher up in
the trees than I would expect from a winter wren. However, here in Alexandria
(just south of the Telegraph Rd. exit at 6 o'clock on the beltway), the
elevation is far from mountainous (can't fathom it's more than 100 ft. above
sea level?).
But when it sings, it sings incessantly and has been around consistently every
day for well over a week now. A fun find! Thanks to everyone for helping
confirm the suspicion. :)
-Renee Grebe
Alexandria, VA
On Jul 2, 2011, at 8:28 PM, "Mary Ann Good" <magood1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Renee, I get this message when I try to listen to your recording:
Sorry, you can't view or download this file at this time.
However, what occurred to me as a possibility for the song you hear is a
singing Grasshopper Sparrow? In addition to their insect-like buzzing call,
they often at this time of year launch into a long, complex, very
high-pitched song, that can resemble the complex and chattery song of the
Winter Wren. I'm not familiar with this park, but is there Grasshopper
Sparrow habitat there? Could this be what you've been hearing?
Mary Ann Good
Purcellville, VA
-----Original Message-----
From: "Renee Grebe" <grebebird@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 2, 2011 8:02am
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Va-bird] Possible Winter Wren in Alexandria (w/recording)?
It seems impossible, but I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that there has
been
a POSSIBLE WINTER WREN singing in Loftridge Park (22303) for the past several
days. I've posted the 6 second version of the recording to GoogleDocs - if
there are any wren experts out there, I appreciate any help in identifying
the
song.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B_79wgEbGGf2NzgwOTEwMjQtZTIxZS00ZGJmLWFiNTItZDcwN2I1NDE3NTJk&hl=en_US
(hopefully this can be played on Windows Media Player - it's a recording from
my iPhone, so turn the sound way up)
I'm not sure of winter wren dates, but I would assume this would be a very
unlikely bird at this time of the year.
In the same general area, I've spotted two barred owls in the mornings two
days
in a row - a wonderful sight any time of the year.
I look forward to any ideas about the song!
-Renee Grebe
Alexandria, VA
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