Which birds have you heard well enough to identify but despite your best efforts never actually seen? if you are a lister do you tick such birds? I don't personally but it makes me all the more determined to get back there and try again.
I have three that come to mind
1) Quail (Coturnix coturnix) - Seemingly in every field in Spain but despite watching and waiting didn't see a thing.
2) Dupont's Lark (Chersophilus duponti) - found a good site in Spain for this notoriously elusive species and heard them very clearly in the low scrub all around but again no sighting.
3) Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) - Heard this incredible sounding bird very often in Queensland but as I was birding on my own it was days and days before I worked out even what species it was (by looking through my field guide and matching the sound to the description - later confirmed by an Aussie birder). There were tons of other birds in Australian forests which I heard but just hadn't a clue what they were.
E
Hi Edward,
Four birds I heard before ever seeing:
Quail
Spotted Crake
Corn Crake
Golden Oriole
I've seen them all now, though for Northumberland still got Corn Crake on the heard only list (seen one on Iona, Scotland), and Golden Oriole not at all in Northumbs
First seen Quail was when one of our bird club members who is also a farmer, started giving people rides on his combine harvester! They look like all-brown Little Auks in flight - strikingly similar shape.
Michael
Quail and Golden Oriole for me too, still haven't seen either.
Also heard Wryneck in Mallorca a couple of times without seeing it.
The Quail was exciting though as it was the first one in the county (West Midlands) for a couple of years and I was on my own when I heard it. Still waiting to hear what the county recorder made of my (very brief) description.
--
Andy