What is this noise?
 

Ok Guys and Gals, I need help with this one. Last night we heard an (I am assuming an animal) while sitting around the fire on the deck. I know it was not a fishercat's scream. It sounds like a cross between a "truck's backing up beep," a "smoke detector going, off from a low battery," or something in that idea. We live in Suissevale, so if anyone else heard this, "What is it?" My neighbor (a Boston Firefighter) thought it was a smoke detector, and drove around looking for it, and when he got close, the noise stopped. Last night, it was back. We have no idea what it could be...any ideas???
"The Eagle"

Hi,
What time did you hear it? Was there a rhythm? How loud was it? Could it have been a woodcock? They have a parculiar mating call and flight dance in early spring.

could it be
 

Could it have been a smoke detector? Some of the newer smoke/carbon monoxide detectors make strange noises. They tend to make different noises when it is time to change the batteries. Most people tend to time their battery changing to the spring and fall clock changes. This weekend mine went off and I changed the battery. Before it went off it would periodically go on and off instead of a constant alarm. The timing had no rhyme or reason to it either,

Hope this helps, good luck

HCG

Could it be a spring peeper? Although they are tiny they can be heard up to a quarter mile away. That's the male calling out to a potential love interest. They are very hard to sneak up on. You would find them living in a vernal (temporary) pool. I have one on my property. When they're peeping I can't get within about 60 feet before they shut down. I haven't heard any yet but it's usually a week or two after "ice out" on Lake JP. Every year is a little different depending on the weather. It starts with one peep and every day or two another one joins the chorus. Some years you can tell how many are in the pool, others there are too many to count. I have been in some large vernal pools where the sound is almost deafening.

It could have been a Northern Mockingbird. They often sing all night and can mimic the most bizarre sounds. Last year we had one that lived in the vicinity of the parking lot at work, and it constantly repeated a ringtone. It was hilarious to watch people trying to figure out where the cell phone was, when there wasn't another soul around! :laugh::laugh::laugh:

The "Noise"
 

The noise, starts after sundown, and it is definitely NOT any smoke detector. It "sings" a while then stops. then starts up again in no particular sound pattern. One minute it sounds like it's coming from one direction, then it seems like from another, BUT, if you walk towards the sound (when it seems it moved), you find out it is really comming from the same direction as before. If you are in Suissevale (tonight) hopefully it will be back again, It was here last weekend also.
The Eagle

Actually, I had a low battery on my security system, it started beeping last night, in your general area. Unless you were on the water tho, I doubt you could have heard it.

I know some car alarms have some creative sounds, perhaps that was what you heard?

Are you anywhere near Rattlesnake..?? There's been some strange stuff goin on over there lately. Just sayin..:D :D NB

That was my thought NB. The mothership following the light on Rattlesnake. :eek:

Not here tonight ....yet!
 

Well it wasn't here tonight, but I checked out the Northern Woodcock, Spring Peepers, (googled thier sounds) and neither of them make calls anything like this sound. It is NOT ANY type of smoke detector, or car alarm, or any other "electrical" alarm. It was most definitely an animal or bird. Maybe it will be back another night and someone else will hear it. Lot's of strange sound up here, and we are not anywhere near Rattlesnake. It keeps life interesting though!
The Eagle

Noise
 

Eagle, I heard some kind of mating call at about 2 O'Clock in the morning here in Burlington ....I think they followed you to the lake! Kind of like high hooting
followed by low hooting. ("where are you" followed by a "over here") Spring is in the Air!!!

The Breeze
Wav 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

Maybe check this out...
 

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Night-So.../dp/0811731642

Near the bottom of this page from Amazon are several other suggested books, some with CD's, of the sounds.

We live along the Gunstock River and during the summer with windows open the woods behind the house are full of sounds.

Check this website. Seems lots of folks have recorded and posted animal sounds. The site doesn't seem to be well maintained, (lots of dead links), but maybe you'll get lucky.

http://www.members.tripod.com/Thryom...malSounds.html

There is also this site, easier to navigate.

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Nocturn...al_Sounds.aspx

One last site. You need to d/l the files, but they have lot's of files: :)

http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/animal.html


Good Luck!

Well....I was singing in the shower the other night.....:D

I live in Suissevale as well and did not here any strange sounds. I am up by the club house.

Based upon this description, I am personally convinced it's a mockingbird. ;)

That is WAY too rational. ;)

:D:D:D I can't believe I had a rational thought! :laugh::laugh:

Too Much
 

Oh my god! I'm having WAY too much fun with these!

The Breeze
Wav 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

I was having fun too until my 2 cats went nuts from all the sounds!

My Cats...
 

are not happy with me either! :rolleye1:

Eagle - could simply be you just had one to many. :eek::eek::D:D

I think he's hit it. They make a high-pitched peeping noise. Usually there's more than one and they stop if anything approaches. IIRC Suissevale has some wetland/swampy areas which would be their habitat.

Impossible!
 

Come on dpg, we all know we can NEVER have "Too Many!" LOL....No I was stone cold sobber, when it "started" making the sounds on Thursday, and Friday nights. Although After a while, I joined in with lakesider singing, playing my guitar, and it scared the "Weird sounds," away! (only joking around)..Maybe it will be back this coming weekend and I can find a way to record it. "pepper," I checked out the "Mockingbird calls," and it wasn't him either.
The Eagle

Eagle have you heard it since?, I went through this last summer and it was driving me nuts.I live by skellys market and it was haunting me for almost a month.It started only at night and was high pitched like a girl screaming and change directions quickly but never heard it moving(rustling leaves,etc.) At one point i assumed it was bigfoot in the ossippee mountains because I had never heard anything like it-lol. Then it happened in the morning so I followed the sounds through the woods and never saw it.Not a fisher cat or owl as I went through all the sounds on the internet at the time also. My closest guess would be a red fox. Listen to the howl-#6 and see if there is any similarity
http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Fox_Sounds_audio.aspx
What I heard was very much like a sonar blip from a submarine

Young Girl screaming I discovered to be a baby bear, after seeing a mother and lil bear cub in the back corner of my property after hearing those alarming sounds and leaves rustling.

Bear Cub in distress WAV
 

http://www.junglewalk.com/sound/Bear-sounds.htm

Posted here are a bunch of bears sound files. Good Luck!

sounds in the night...
 

I had a little time on my hands, and decided to check out youtube to see if I could locate any nocturnal mockingbird videos. I found a lot of them, but the two that follow blew my mind. enjoy ...

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WkcO7FH6PUg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WkcO7FH6PUg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kCh2eyDSeNE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kCh2eyDSeNE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

These two in particular exemplify the astounding variety of sounds mockingbirds are capable of imitating, in addition to stealing the songs of all the other birds. Car alarms, cell phone ringtones, ambulance sirens and other man-made sounds are becoming more and more frequent repertoire for these incredible birds.