Alison & Boyd

153 Musicians 1

boyd 2014-01-01

153 musicians represent 153 bird species! The raw material for the Coalface 2014 score was selected from a list of mnemonics and onomatopoeias collected from bird books and archives, and from suggestions made by ornithologists, friends and bird lovers. Each musician was given one of these written call descriptions and recorded their call based on it.

Thirty children from Bundeena and beyond made these beautiful observed illustrations of the birds, with thanks to Deborah Barrett.

©

Birds of Prey, Babblers, Chats, Robins & Sitella, Bowerbirds, Larks, Pipit, Sparrows & Finches

No.25 Nicholas Alias

Black-shouldered Kite

A short plaintive piping ‘siep’ repeated regularly at intervals of about 5 seconds; a drawn out wheezy, husky or scraping ‘scrair’ at intervals of 5-10 seconds. Also a ‘chek-chek-chek’ contact call and a sharp ‘kik-kik-kik distress call given agressively when defending the nest.

No.26 Nicola Morton

Letter-winged Kite

Call is a high, harsh, wheezy, drawn out, descending ‘pei-ir-ah’; mainly heard in spring breeding season. At the nest, harsh, wheezy whistling sounds.

No.27 Jo Maunsell

Black Kite

Call is a plaintive, peevish, descending, quavering ‘kwe-ee-ier’; also a sharp, staccato ‘kee-ee-ki-ki-ki’.

No.28 Nick Perry

Whistling Kite

long descending 'seeo' followed by an upward staccato 'si-si-si-si'. “one more rabbit and I’ll spew

No.29 Tony Lewis

Spotted Harrier

Usually silent but said to utter short shrill squeal. Pizzey

No.30 LLew and Mara Kiek

Brown Goshawk

Calls loudly in vicinity of nest, a high ‘keek-keek-keek’, rising in pitch. Also a rapid, excited, descending ‘kik-kik-ki-ki-kikik’, possibly in defence of nest site. At times uses a slow, drawn out ‘youwick, youwick’; female deeper than male.

No.31 Garlo

Collared Sparrowhawk

a shrill, chattered ‘ki-ki-ki-ki’ and a slower, mellow ‘kwiek-kwiek-kwieek-’. Morecome

No.32 Collin Offord

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Feeble yelps and squeals

No.33 Anthony Albrecht

Little Eagle

The call is a far-carrying, musical, yelping whistle in distinctive double- or triple-note sequence: a very rapid ‘chik-a-chuk’ or ‘chik-a-chuk, kuk’; the first ‘chik’ strong, sharp and high, the ‘-a-chuk’ softer, lower, mellow; sometimes a soft low fourth note, ‘kuk’, at the end. Morecombe

No.34 Myfany Turpin

Brown Falcon

Probably the noisiest Australian Raptor; screeches, demented hoarse cacklings, at times like a laying hen. Pizzey

No.35 Ryan Granger

Black Falcon

Call like that of Peregrine, but deeper, slower, ‘gaak-gaar-gaak-’, becoming a more excited ‘gak-gak-gak-’ if an intruder is near the nest tree. In sudden alarm a single ‘gaaark!’. Also gives a call quite unlike other falcons in courtship and display flights – a loud, high, sharp, scratchy ‘eeik-eeik’ every 3 to 5 sec. Morecombe

No.36 Alister Spence

Nankeen Kestrel

The sharp, high, almost metallic ‘ki-ki-ki’ has many variations, territorial defence, displays, fighting, approaching nest with food: ranges from fast, shrill, chattered ‘kikikik-’ to slower ‘kee-kee-kee,’ and very slow, metallic, tapping ‘kik, kik, kik’. Also has a drawn out, screaming, rising ‘keeeiir, keeiir’ at food exchange and copulation. Morecombe

No.68 Nick Weaver

Black Breasted Buzzard

Usually silent but quite vocal near nest. On return to nest excited yelping, ‘kyik-kyik-kyik; as alarm high long ‘screee’. Also a variety of harsh scratchy grating sounds.

No.68 Owen Jackson

Black Breasted Buzzard

Usually silent but quite vocal near nest. On return to nest excited yelping, ‘kyik-kyik-kyik; as alarm high long ‘screee’. Also a variety of harsh scratchy grating sounds. No.31 Garlo : Collared Sparrowhawk a shrill, chattered ‘ki-ki-ki-ki’ and a slower, mellow ‘kwiek-kwiek-kwieek-’. Morecome

No.141 Greg Sheehan

Spotted Bowerbird

Loud chirring grating hissing or throat-clearing noises. Pizzey

No.142 Sandy Evans

Singing Bushlark (Horsfield’s)

Sweet clear if spasmodic song; notes alternately shrill and trilling or rich and melodious. Pizzey.

No.143 Sonya Holowell

Australasian (Richard’s) Pipit

Brisk splintered ‘pith’ or rasping drawn-out ‘zwee’. Pizzey.

No.144 Benjamin Samuels

Zebra Finch

Loud ‘tya’ like a toy trumpet; song a series of such notes connected with chattering trills. Pizzey

No.145 Karlin Love & Luigi Irlandini

Double-Barred Finch

Toot like toy trumpet, long-drawn-out ‘tiaat, tiaat’. Pizzey.

No.146 Jim Moginie

Black-Throated Finch

Somewhat mournful far-carrying descending ‘peew’; soft ‘beck-beck-beckadeck’. Pizzey. "Fortunately the black- throated finch has wings and can fly…” Clive Palmer (aspiring Coal mine magnate)

No.147 Tim Mortimer

Plum-headed Finch

Reported to be a single ‘tlip’ or ‘tleep’; at times drawn-out and high-pitched, scarcely audible. Pizzey.

No.37 Mandy Connell

Brolga

Whooping bugle or trumpet like calls and harsh croaks. Simpson and Day

No.38 Darren Blackman

Australian Bustard

Deep booming, rather like the roar of a distant lion, rising then falling. Closer, sounds include an abrupt, hoarse exhalation ‘huhh!’, often leading into a hoarse throaty growling – ‘huhh!, huhh! -aa-a-r-r-rgh, aa a-r-r-rrrgh’. Morcombe (NB everyone was asked to play the Bustard!)

No.39 Martin Kay

Little Button-quail

Woop woop. Simpson and Day. Soft, high, resonant, musical ‘whoo, whoo, whoo…’ Squeaky chatter when flushed. Morecombe

No.40 Ian Ahles

Red-chested Button-quail

Call is a soft, quite high, booming ‘oom, oom’ at one second intervals; notes slightly slurred and rising through a sequence of 20–30 calls. Morecombe

No.41 Collin Offord

Bush Stone-curlew

’eerie, a drawn out, mournfull-‘wee-ier, wee-ier, wheee-ieeer, whee-ieer-loo. Each call rises, strengthening, faster, building to a climax, then trails away.’ Morcombe

No.42 Ganesh Anandan

Black-fronted Dotterel

Metallic pink; trilling calls. Simpson and Day

No.43 Bonnie Hart

Masked Lapwing

Loud cackling Kerr-kick-ki-ki-ki; single kek. Simpson and Day