FAMILY CORVIDAE
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
a. A quick, loud shook-shook-shook or shack-shack-shack or wheck--wek--wek--wek--wek (P).
Almost sounds like a machine gun.
b. A kwesh kwesh kwesh (P).
Slower than call (a), very coarse.
Example 1. Example 2 with both calls (a) and (b). Example 3 from northern Oregon.
c. Frequently mimics Red-Tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle (P). The Red-Tailed Hawk imitation is very good, but the call often has a "flip" or a fast high-pitched note at the end, which is absent in the hawk's call.
Calls low-pitched, raucous, varied, often in series of 3 (R).
Calls carry 300-400 m in forested areas, much further in open.
Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
a. Rough rasping notes: kwesh...kwesh (P).
b. A harsh check-check-check-check (P).
A very harsh, often-repeated ike-ike-ike, with slight upward inflection (F).
Rough, rapidly repeated quick-quick-quick (F).
c. A rasping shreek or shrink (P).
A loud throaty jayy? or jree? (U).
Loud, rough, slightly metallic, sharply rising iennk (F).
A harsh her-week (L).
These notes have a rising inflection.
d. Occasionally, a repeated clacking sound, klika-klika-klika...
Calls generally higher-pitched than Steller's Jay and often in ones or twos (R).
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
a. A croaking cr-r-ruck or prruck (P).
Kraaak (U).
Krawk, krawk (L).
Very hoarse, low-pitched, croaking notes: crock and quak (F).
b. A kloo-klok, usually in flight (U).
A hollow, wooden knocking sound.
c. A metallic tok (P).
Calls include a variety of other sounds.
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
a. A loud caw or cah or kahr, easily imitated (P).
A distinctive caw (R).
Given singly or in series (F).
Calls not as hoarse as those of the Common Raven's (U).
Young often sound more nasal (F), and higher-pitched (N).
FAMILY PARIDAE
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee (Parus rufescens)
a. A tsick-i-see-see or zhee-che-che, hoarser than Black-Capped's (P).
A harsh chicka-dee-dee-dee.
A harsh, sibilant shik-zu-zee (F).
b. A harsh zee or zze-zze (P).
Last one or two notes of call (a) above.
c. A fast sk-dip sk-dip sk-dip, not as hoarse or buzzy as above calls.
d. Begging call: a high-pitched, clearer, fast series of notes, given as a slow trill. Suggests Golden-Crowned Kinglet or Brown Creeper notes, but lacks the tonal clarity of either.
e. Song: a clear, whistled dee-dee-dee-dee-dee on a descending pitch.
Calls are generally hoarse (except call "d") and rapid, each note of short duration, the series lasting only a few seconds.
Mountain Chickadee (Parus gambeli)
a. A tsick-a-zee-zee-zee, huskier than Black-Capped's (P) or Chestnut-Backed's.
A hoarse, chick-a-zee-zee-zee (U).
A hoarse chick-a-dee (F).
Slower, more nasal than Chestnut-backed Chickadee's, as zicka-dya, dya, dya (L).
Also huskier than Chestnut-Backed Chickadee's.
b. Song: three high, clear whistled notes, fee-bee-bee, first note highest, next two on same pitch; or 3-4 notes descending the scale in half tones (P,U), as in "Three Blind Mice." Song typically consists of 3 descending notes, whereas that of Black-capped has only 2.
Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
Occasional in the Klamath Mountains.
a. A clearly enunciated chick-a-dee-dee-dee or dee-dee-dee (P).
Black-capped's call is a lower, slower version of chick-a-dee-dee-dee than Carolina's (N).
Deeper, hoarser than Chestnut-backed's. Different cadence than Mountain's.
b. Song: In spring a clear whistle: fee-bee, 1st note higher (P). Second example.
Typical song, a clear, whistled fee-bee or fee-bee-ee, the first note higher in pitch (N).
Whistled song is easily imitated; second note is 1 full tone lower, 16-23/min (R).
Also does a longer, nearly monotonic series of 5-8 notes (n.w. Oregon): example.
FAMILY AEGITHALIDAE
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
a. Insistent light tsit's, lisp's, and clenk's (P).
Light tsip and pit notes (U).
High, thin sis "fussing" notes, with an insistent quality; sometimes slurred together, lisplisplisp...
Single or double, high, sharp tseet or tsip notes given frequently while foraging (F).
Nearly always in a flock.
b. Alarm call: a high trill (U).
Flocks crackle with combined calls; these notes strung together when birds are alarmed or singing during breeding season (F).
Calls carry poorly, mostly 50 m or less.
FAMILY SITTIDAE
White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
a. A nasal yank (P).
A low yank-yank.
Call typically repeated. Not quite as nasal as Red-Breasted Nuthatch's.
b. A nasal tootoo (P).
A low mellow too, too, too (L).
c. Nasal awh, awh notes, single or given in a slow series; sounds like a distant, soft crow's call. Higher-pitched than call b.
d. Song: a series of low, nasal, whistled notes on the same pitch, whi,whi,whi,whi,whi,whi, or who,who,who, etc. (P).
In spring, a series of low, rapid notes, to-what what what what (F).
All except call "c" carry well, up to 250 m.
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
a. A nasal ank or enk, like a "baby" nuthatch or "tiny tin horn," higher and more nasal than that of White-Breasted (P).
Repetitive, nasal ahn, anh or yank yank yank, slightly softer and faster than White-Breasted's, 70-90/min.
b. Scold: as above, but faster, notes more abbreviated, harsher, 100-120/min.
An endless kit-kit-kit-kit, alarm notes (L).
c. Feeding notes: light twittering notes, with a musical "nuthatch" quality.
Calls "a" and "b" may carry well, up to 250 m; call "c" carries very poorly, 30 m at most.
FAMILY CERTHIIDAE
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
a. A single high thin seee (P,R).
A single, double, or triple ssee, high and thin, almost a pure tone.
b. Feeding notes: very light twittering notes, similar in quality to "a" above, but shortened, and softer.
c. A series of notes given in rapid succession, tee-tee-tee-tee-tee, like a small bell ringing.
d. Song: a thin, sibilant see-ti-wee-tu-wee or see-see-see-sisi-see (P).
A clear, very high-pitched seee seee see-o-whee see-o-wheet; pattern variable, but usually with two single notes at beginning.
Song, a weak lisping series of several pitches, such as tsee- tsee-tsee-ti-ti-tsee, not cascading downward like that of the Golden-Crowned Kinglet's, but clearer and louder (L).
Calls may be confused with those of the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Some hints: creeper call is often doubled (first two notes of song given as call), similar to double "beeps" of electronic digital watches; often more forceful than Kinglet's, and greater in volume; with a "piercing" quality, generally of clearer tone than Kinglet's.