OK, bird experts...help me identify a bird call

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Every morning, happening right now.

One long "whistle," from low pitch to to high, followed by five "cheep cheep cheep cheep cheeps"...a repetitive pattern.

What the hell kind of bird are we dealing with here?

[surrealAmerican]

1. Cardinal.

They say something like, "See HERE, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. That would be cool if it were a cardinal, but I've never seen one here

The sound is closer to one of those "pull whistles" or "pull flutes"



in the beginning, and the short sounds aren't "birdie," they're a single "peep."

Never realized how hard it is to describe a bird call in words.

:-)

I don't think I've seen a cardinal since I've been in California. I have one very large and very cool blue jay that prowls the yard on a regular basis, and mourning doves, but other than that, it's mostly sparrows, wrens, the occasional robin, and other small brown birds.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Chickadee, maybe?

I haven't seen any yet this spring but it's about time for them to show up in our neck of the woods.
Chestnut-backed are the most common in the bay area.

less likely, but also possible, is a titmouse. Their song ends more abruptly than a chickadee.

[GoCubsGo]

4. That's what I was thinking, too.

It's possible some black-capped chickadees wandered south of their range. Here is a page that has calls of the titmice and chickadees:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse.aspx?shape=3,24

Be aware that these birds have a much larger repertoire than what is on this page. Especially the chickadees.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. I haven't seen those in California, either...

...chickadees and nuthatches, along with robins, bluejays and sparrows, were the most plentiful birds where I grew up...basically in the woods in Massachusetts.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Black-capped aren't around here but chestnut- backed are, at least in the Diablo Valley.

Black-capped are everywhere in New England though -- I grew up with them too.