Hmmm....is there anyway you can record it and play it for us here? Have you you been able to see its color or anything else about it? Would you say it was as small as a kinglet or is it larger?

Catherinet, unfortunately I have not been able to see the little guy. I have only heard him and one other answering back. It is a very loud, clear whistle, much like the clarity of a cardinal song. I hear it whenever I am also seeing and hearing black-capped chickadees, but I haven’t been able to prove that it is them singing. I have searched the internet high and low and have seen other people who are also searching, but so far, no answer. I haven’t recorded it either, but I know the whistle and can replicate it myself. Not sure how to get an audio recording to you though. I truly believe this may be a truncated song or just a spring mating call that nobody seems to have heard before. The closest thing I have found that even remotely sounds like it is the lonely whistle of a dusky capped flycatcher, but that still isn’t the song I’m hearing.

What is that, tj?

I'm not sure.

tj

tj, I have also watched that video in my search. That is not the song, although the clarity is spot on. This is a slow whistle with one high note and then the dropping note is longer. Then there are several seconds and another whistle. It has intrigued and frustrated me to no end that I cannot figure it out. I don’t hear it every day either. So maybe it is a migrating bird?? I wish I had time to sit and wait for him.

Could it be a red-winged blackbird or cowbird?

HU—no, I have both of those here and I’m familiar with their songs/calls. I do love how the cowbird sounds like gurgling water! I am still leaning toward a Carolina Chickadee or something similar, but a truncated song or call. It truly is perplexing.

Tj...I took a video yesterday with that same whistling bird as in the youtube video,except at a much slower rate. But, alas, this is not the same whistle as the one I am searching out. How do I upload a personal video..or is that even possible?

When you post a comment there is a "Video" option.

When you do hear it again try imitating the call to see if you can lure it into the open.

tj

I am using the mobile app and all it shows is Photo and Houzz Photo as choices for upload. No video choice.

Could you transfer the video to your computer and then try to send it from there? I think iPhones limit some of the things you can do.

catherinet, I tried that too!! The only video they allow you to upload is a youtube video or a vimeo video.

Dang. I guess we're just going to have to keep trying to figure it out. haha I remember when Towhees started showing up in this area. I ran around our large property for quite a while before I could actually see one and finally figured it out. Good luck and keep us posted!

Catherinet,

I listened to the song of the olive-sided Flycatcher, and they have a 3-note whistle. The last two notes of the 3 KIND OF sound like the whistles I am hearing, except the one I hear is just 2 notes and it is much slower with several seconds between whistles. If you can find a good recording, you will get an idea of what I am hearing. I use the Merlin Bird ID app on my phone, and it is WONDERFUL! I only have the Eastern birds loaded though, so I may be missing this bird if it is a migrating bird.

I found this interesting article ( http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=ncfwrustaff )about how the Olive-sided Flycatcher song was studied because of the variations of song depending on age and breeding. Maybe it is possible that I am hearing this bird with a variation of its normal song?? But it is so different. It is totally missing the first note ("quick" of th quick-three-beers normal song), and the "three-beers" part is slower with the "beers" part dropping long and slow. Just a thought!!

tj...I believe the little whistler in your video and the ones I have around my house is the Tufted Titmouse. I have seen many pages on the internet that speak about the various songs of the tufted titmouse, but I could never find one with the notorious cat call or wolf whistle. I FINALLY found one with a recording at

http://homepages.uc.edu/~pelikas/TuTi/2018-01-16-12_30_44.mp3

Go check it out!

Hmmm.....I have lots of titmice and I've never heard that call. I'll have to keep my ears open. Thanks for posting that!