RECORDING 1
DATE/TIME: 30/june/2008 (6 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: one pair is perched on the top of a big oak, in a hay field near a small pond. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: calls perched. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, male and female - COMMENT: I'm approaching the perched birds and they begin to call. Background: Blackcap. Time interval between calls has been reduced. True average interval: 6.3 s (S.D. = 2.9; range = 2.6/12.4; n = 9). - MIC: (P)
recording 1 (248 KB) - * - spectrogram 1 (20 KB)
RECORDING 2
DATE/TIME: 30/june/2008 (6 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the same pair in the same zone as above. One bird flies on the top of a telephone pole and calls several times. It seems alarmed as I am approaching. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Alarm calls. - SEX/AGE: adult bird, sex unknown - COMMENT: Background: Blackcap. Time interval between calls has been reduced. True average interval: 5.1 s (S.D. = 1.9; range = 2.3/7.8; n = 7). - MIC: (P)
recording 2 (284 KB) - * - spectrogram 2 (80 KB)
RECORDING 3
DATE/TIME: 9/july/2019 (5.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: One pair of Woodchat shrike (well in sight) is perched on the top of an oak near a hedgerow between two cultivated fields. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Strong alarm and excited calls. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, male and female - COMMENT: The audio sample is part of a longer recording, see spectrogram time axis. The pair has some fledged youngs cached in the hedgerow, therefore it reacts strongly to my approach. The young birds are still feeded by the parents. Background: Cicadas stridulation. - MIC: (P)
recording 3 (571 KB) - * - spectrogram 3 (224 KB)
RECORDING 4
DATE/TIME: 9/july/2019 (5.45 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Same place as above and the same pair (always in sight). - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Strong alarm and excited calls. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, male and female - COMMENT: The audio sample is part of a longer recording, see spectrogram time axis. I went on with the recording, but I didn't get closer and closer to the birds - MIC: (P)
recording 4 (317 KB) - * - spectrogram 4 (56 KB)
RECORDING 5
DATE/TIME: 26/april/2020 (6 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Surely two (but probably three) birds are perched in sight on a power line. They leave the wire and dive from time to time in a thick oak copse, from where they come back to the power line. Zone with hedgerows, oaks and vineyards. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Song. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, male (and female?) - COMMENT: The audio sample is part of a longer recording, it is a low quality sample, because the Woodchat shrikes are relatively far and their soft song is often covered or blurred by Nightingales, Cuckoos and other passerine birds. The intrusive syllables were erased from the spectrograms, but they sometimes can still be heard in the audio sample. There is some mimicry (see spectrograms). Background: bird dawn chorus and human voice. - MIC: (P)
recording 5 (1053 KB) - * - spectrogram 5 (242 KB)
RECORDING 6
DATE/TIME: 26/april/2020 (6.30 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Same place as above. Two Woodchat shrikes (in sight, probably the same birds as above) perform a fast pursuit in flight among the oaks branches. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Threat (?) calls. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, sex unknown - COMMENT: The audio sample was stopped for 120 seconds (see spectrograms). It is difficult to tell whether the bird behaviour is aggressive (as it seems more probable) or part of a courtship display. Background: human voice. - MIC: (P)
recording 6 (406 KB) - * - spectrogram 6 (71 KB)
RECORDING 7
DATE/TIME: 26/april/2020 (6.45 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Same place as above. Two Woodchat shrikes (in sight, probably the same birds as above) are perched on the top of two poles in a vineyard. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT.N 42 36'/LONG.E 11 17'- ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Excited calls. - SEX/AGE: adult birds, sex unknown - COMMENT: The two birds are perched on two far poles in the field. They look at me and they don't move: they seem very excited (but I am not close to them). Background: Nightingale. - MIC: (P)
recording 7 (512 KB) - * - spectrogram 7 (57 KB)
RECORDING 8
DATE/TIME: 9/may/2025 (11.15 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: The bird is perched atop a big oak settled in a pasture near a country road bordered by a tree line. - POSITION: Road 322 near Pomonte, Grosseto province, LAT.N 42.6739°/LONG.E 11.3853° - ALTITUDE: +270 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Full song. - SEX/AGE: adult male - COMMENT: The last ten seconds of the recording suggest a Melodious warbler mimicry or at least an attempt to mimic that bird. Background: Collared dove, Cukoo. - MIC: (P)
recording 8 (951 KB) - * - spectrogram 8 (186 KB)
RECORDING 9
DATE/TIME: 9/may/2025 (11.30 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Same bird in the same place as above. - POSITION: Road 322 near Pomonte, Grosseto province, LAT.N 42.6739°/LONG.E 11.3853° - ALTITUDE: +270 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Full song and some calls. - SEX/AGE: adult male - COMMENT: This long song bout shows a lot of passerine bird mimicry: Sedge warbler, Cetti's warbler, Corn bunting, Willow tit, Golden oriole, Melodious warbler, Starling, Golden oriole, Jay and maybe other species, that I am not able to identify. See spectrograms to check for mimicry. Background: Treecreeper, Great tit and the sound of my steps when I was approaching the Woodchat shrike. - MIC: (P)
recording 9 (3504 KB) - * - spectrogram 9 (699 KB)
RECORDING 10
DATE/TIME: 9/may/2025 (11.40 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: Same bird in the same place as above. - POSITION: Road 322 near Pomonte, Grosseto province, LAT.N 42.6739°/LONG.E 11.3853° - ALTITUDE: +270 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: Full song and a couple of calls. - SEX/AGE: adult male - COMMENT: Also in this song bout there is some mimicry of passerine birds: Italian sparrow, Corn bunting and maybe other species, that I am not able to identify. See spectrograms to check for mimicry. This audio sample was cut for 20 seconds (see spectrograms). Background: Blackbird and the sound of my steps when I was approaching the Woodchat shrike. - MIC: (P)
recording 10 (882 KB) - * - spectrogram 10 (186 KB)