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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on May 31, 2010, 08:53 PM:
What a weird day. Along with all the critters I saw and heard around my backyard this morning, this afternoon, I was weeding in my garden area when I heard a bobwhite quail cockbird start to sound off. And, he was close! Remember, I live essentially in town so this was, at the very least, notable. Anyway, I found him about 25 feet up in my maple tree, of all places. He, and about two or three more, were scoping chicks out and being very vocal about it. They're making a comeback, so it was both very cool and interesting to see. I have a pic of him up in the foliage that I'll post tomorrow.
Anyway, back to the weird part. For once this evening, rather than working in the yard, I actually tried to enjoy it and took a really great book (One Second After) out on the deck where I could do some reading. About an hour before dark, I begin to hear this unusual sound a couple hundred yards north of the house in a dense stand of trees and weeds. I can't identify it for the life of me, but by its best and most accurate decription, it sounded just like those peacock-like jungle birds in Avatar, with a brief airy sound at the end almost like a deer blowing out. Whatever it was did this dozens of times, if not a couple hundred times, at a very specific cadence about every five to ten seconds. And, there was absolutely no variation in the pitch or quality of the sound.
Having done a lot of work with large birds and raptors before, I thought it was a bird because of its consistency and volume, but it sounded like no bird that is native to here. I hiked over there and walked around what amounts to an impenetrable thicket of trees and junk piles and was within fifty feet of it at one point. And, it was relatrively LOUD, maybe 3/4 volume of my Ultimate One. It really began to bug me as to what it was, so I called our dispatch center and asked if they'd had reports of anything. They didn't. A PD Officer was dispatched and he agreed that it sounded partway between a peacock and a red fox distress (He hunts), just much louder than the latter. For two hours, I listened to whatever it was do that sound every 5-10 seconds. We had two PD units up there with spotlights on the trees looking for any signs and found nothing. I came in at 9:45 and shortly after 10, they called me and said they'd flushed a half-grown coyote out of the wheat alongside the trees.
Question... has anyone ever heard a coyote pup make a sound like this so repetitively for so long, and cadenced out like it was? Our running theory at this point is that it was some form of lost puppy sound, because when we were on the other side of the timber, I heard another "whatever" make the same sound north of us, to which the first one answered in kind, then approached although we didn't and couldn't get a good look at either, or it was a peacock ( a nearby care home used to have some) and the coyotes had come to investigate the sound as well.
I am really curious as to what that was. If it happens again, I'll get up there with a netbook and microphone and try to record it.
Maybe a chupacabra!!!
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on May 31, 2010, 09:22 PM:
My guess is a peacock. Vile creatures that can sound like anything from a woman screaming to an animal growling.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 31, 2010, 09:26 PM:
The sound of a peacock is just about unmistakable, however, if you don't know what it is, you would never guess. So, I assume you know what a peacock sounds like, and that wasn't it?
I have heard cattle make some odd sounds, now and then.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 01, 2010, 03:54 PM:
I've been listening to mp3's on peacocks and this sound was very, very close, except that each vocalization was a bit raspier, and rather than doing 3 or more in succession, there was anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute between each individual sound.
Thus, I guess, I say it was a peacock. But, the one remaining question is whether anyone here has ever heard a coyote - young or otherwise - make a sound like this. Again, PD ran two half-grown pups out of there last night, which doesn't surprise me since they've been cleaning up some "leftovers" over the back fence for some time now, and I told them that, IMO, they were just coming to the sound, same as we were, when they happened to cross paths, and that in all the sounds I've heard from coyotes, I'd never heard one like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvtThNecHeg&feature=related
(this one is pretty close to what we've been hearing)
[ June 01, 2010, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on June 01, 2010, 05:06 PM:
Lance,
When I was growing up, the neighbors in the next section north from us had peacocks--as the crow flew it was just over a half mile.
Whenever we had company over and the wind was right, the people would remark who in the world was crying for 'Help'!
As I remember it--the coyotes loved them so much--they ran the neighbor out of peacock business.
Posted by Brad Norman (Member # 234) on June 01, 2010, 05:29 PM:
I've had a few coyotes run in to peacock calls. It's also a good locator when turkey hunting.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on June 01, 2010, 05:47 PM:
A Red fox terr. call is very close to the peacock sound.
[ June 01, 2010, 06:04 PM: Message edited by: TA17Rem ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 01, 2010, 08:06 PM:
That was one of the first thing I thought when I heard it, Tim. But this was waaaayyy too loud for that. I've been around them near town when they do that (foxes) and this is about twice the volume.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 06, 2010, 03:24 PM:
I've listened to a number of mp3's this past week trying to decide if what I heard last week was a peacock or a red fox scream. Nobody knows of any peacocks around here and the foxes are starting to come back a bit, so I had just about conceded that point to tim when last night happened.
I was down the street at a buddy's house quaffing pints o' ale in his driveway at around 11 last night when I heard it again. It started to the west of us, and made that sound four or five different times as it passed overhead, just above the treetops, flying quite quickly. I just looked at my buddy and the ten people there just shut up suddenly and one guy looks at us and asks, "What the hell was that?!?"
I still don't have a clue, unless red foxes can fly... Just weird. Now the whole neighborhood is wondering what it is. LOL
[ June 06, 2010, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on June 06, 2010, 03:37 PM:
Lance; Lay off of the o' ale or at least cut back some. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 06, 2010, 03:39 PM:
I was kinda thinking that last night, until it became a group hallucination. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on June 06, 2010, 04:30 PM:
When I lived in the Valley of San Fernando, there were a few flocks of parrots that made some pretty bizzare sounds. I wouldn't think that parrots could survive your winters, but who knows??? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 06, 2010, 08:33 PM:
Honestly, K, the only thing it COULD be is an exotic that has escaped. I don't know what it IS, but I do know what it ISN'T, and it ISN'T anything native to here.
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on June 07, 2010, 05:33 AM:
Flying at night? I've had a few owls make some strange noises around the house here. This is about the right time of year and it ain't unuaual for 2 or 3 to be making the same starnge sounds.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 07, 2010, 09:26 AM:
I can rule out owls. Did research on them for four years and handled every species in Kansas at length. None of them made a sound remotely like this.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on June 07, 2010, 07:05 PM:
How about a bird called a Kite????
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on June 07, 2010, 07:32 PM:
Nope. Strictly diurnal and the only ones we have here are Mississippi kites whose only vocalization is a very high-pitched Tsee-Tseeeee sound.
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