Cant Figure Out This Call

[stom22]

 Sorry for poor quality audio. San Diego CA, north county, in a small canyon within a suburban area. This call is familiar to me but I just can’t place it, Merlín wasn’t helpful. Thanks a million to anyone who knows!! In case you are having trouble seeing, there is a black bird at the top of the sugar maple in the video who is making this call back and forth with a second individual that I couldn’t locate 

[Aidan B]

I can't really hear the call or song, but that black bird in the tree is a Phainopepla. I often see them perched up in trees like that calling back and forth to each other with their call that I describe as a high pitched wurrp call.

[Tony Leukering]

4 hours ago, Aidan B said:

wurrp call

That call is diagnostic... except that I've heard it a number of times from Northern Mockingbirds in Colorado. It's very annoying to hear that and look frantically around for the Phaino, only to find yet another NOMO. Mockingbirds leave CO for the winter and spend it learning calls of species like Phaino and Cactus Wren just to be annoying in CO the next breeding season. And, yes, I've heard Cactus Wren in CO when I was leading a field trip. Quite the bummer to find the vocalizer.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Tony Leukering
typo fix

[Candydez12]

On 12/6/2020 at 12:51 PM, Aidan B said:

I can't really hear the call or song, but that black bird in the tree is a Phainopepla. I often see them perched up in trees like that calling back and forth to each other with their call that I describe as a high pitched wurrp call.

Yes I agree