Strange Sound in the Night *Resolved*

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Woke up last night around 4am and heard the strangest sound. It was coming from the bushes around a large pine tree in our backyard. If anything it sounded bird-like, a single note that carried for 7-8 seconds, ending in a downward warble. The closest comparison would be a mourning dove stuck on one strong long note, with that warbly sound on the end. Somewhere in the distance i heard something calling back.

i got up and spent a good deal of time at our back door (where the chicken pens are) listening, watching, and turning on the backyard flood lights on occasion to see if i could catch a glimpse. With all the fussing i was doing with the lights, it stopped calling.

So, i have gone to sites with animal sound clips. It's not an owl, a coyote, fox, possum, raccoon, skunk, or mink (plus, i don't think we even have mink here). It may not even be a predator, but my thought was that anything that could be a victim of a predator would not be making noise advertising it's location. i might think it was a type of bird, but the sound was coming from the bushes below the tree.

Any ideas? i'm stumped.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

I have no idea. I've heard birds make the same or similar noises to what you've explained.

The pup we rescued wakes me up at about 3 in the morning to go to the bathroom and when I take him out you can hear something like that.

It's definately not an owl.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i thought the only nocturnal birds are either owls or mockingbirds, and it wasn't a mockingbird.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Okay, i may have solved the riddle here. Searching under "nocturnal" i wandered onto some sites with frog and toad sounds. The sound clip on the Red-Spotted Toad (Bufo Punctatus) most closely resembles what i heard. The send out a strong trill for up to 10 seconds, and one example i found had the trill tapering off on the end. It didn't sound like a vibrating sound to me, but that could be due to the distance from which i was listening.

If anyone is interested, here is a good toad sound site:

http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/frogscalls.html

i guess i can calm down now and stop worrying i have some evil predator living in my yard.