Date: 3/25/26 6:12 pm From: Philip Unitt via groups.io <unitt...> Subject: Re: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Odd bird song in Poway yesterday afternoon
Dear Lisa,
In this response, I'm copying Ed Pandolfino from the Sacramento area. Ed has studied and published on variation in the Golden-crowned Sparrow. I thought of him because, to me, your recording sound closest to that species.
Very interesting!
Thanks much,
Philip UnittSan Diego
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 03:28:17 PM PDT, Bruce Rideout via groups.io <bnkrideout...> wrote:
Lisa: It sounds to me like you have two birds singing similar unusual songs, which reduces the likelihood that it's a significant rarity. It's worth noting that this is the time of year for unusual songs. Males entering their first breeding season will often be singing subsong or plastic song as they transition to their final adult song, and adult males may sometimes sing truncated songs before the breeding season is fully underway.
Mountain Chickadee seems like a reasonable possibility for these, although it's hard to find close matches in the Macaulay library, as you mentioned. The closest I can find is this one: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/632267226
Zonotrichia sparrows, like a Golden-crowned Sparrow or even a White-throated Sparrow, might also be possibilities, but the notes are a bit short and delivered more rapidly than I would expect. Those species also often intersperse various call notes with song phrases, which I don't hear in your recording. Which brings up another point. When recording an unknown species, it's always a good idea to get recordings that are as long as possible. Often a suspected ID can be clinched if there are species specific call notes that show up eventually along with the song phrases.
If you get a chance, I would encourage you to go back and see if you can confirm the ID.
Bruce Rideout
La Mesa
> On Mar 25, 2026, at 11:55 AM, Lisa Ruby via groups.io <lbruby1...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I was on a bike ride yesterday afternoon and stopped at Valle Verde Park
> for a little while to check for birds. Right when I got there I heard a
> bird singing and I could not identify the song. Merlin couldn't either,
> despite repetitive singing and the bird being close. I have a recording.
> After putting the recording on the computer, amplifying it and playing
> it back to Merlin, Merlin finally decided it was a Mountain Chickadee.
> That seems like a distinct possibility, but I don't think I've ever
> heard a Mountain Chickadee song sound quite like this. Possibly at Mount
> Palomar where I've heard them make different sounds, but I don't
> remember. It's not unusual for me to run across Chickadees around the
> Poway and Carmel Mountain Ranch area at this time of year. I've listened
> to many recordings of Chickadees online and can't find one like this.
> I've listened to a lot of Warbler songs and none of those matched
> either. I posted the recording under passerine sp on my list, which is here:
>
> https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S312814277 >
> Anyone know for sure if this was a Mountain Chickadee, or know what it
> was if it was something else?
>
> Lisa Ruby
> Sabre Springs
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Lisa Ruby
> Sabre Springs
>
>
>
>
>
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