Night Bird Sound? - Massachusetts USA (2 Viewers)

[crazyfingers]

Over the last month I've been outside when it was completely dark I have herd this sound coming from up in the trees. I've been trying to record the sound on a digital recorder and have spliced together several squawks over two different nights. The last two are from one night and the sounds early in the recording are from another night. The last two sound different but were also significantly closer so I think that they lack the echo of the earlier sounds. I've cut out the space between. The squawks are typically 30-45 seconds apart.

On any given night the sound first appears to come from one tree and then another. Several times it was very close but when I went out to investigate the next time it would be farther away.

I live in a suburban area south of Boston MA and abut about 100 acres of protected forest including many white pine, ash, oak and maple trees. White pine is probably 30% of the forest. About 10% is swampish but lots of higher dry land.

The attached MP3 is 16 seconds long.

Could anyone venture a guess what it is?

I hope to capture more sounds in the future.

 

[crazyfingers]

Whatever it is it's out in my back yard again tonight. Will try for more recordings later tonight.

 

[Joe.S]

Sorry, no idea. I couldn't resist a sonogram in case it helps:

 

[Nutcracker]

Not convinced it's a bird at all, maybe a mammal.

 

[Po'ouli]

Those are Great Horned Owls. You'll find many similar recordings on the Macaualay Library website and on Xeno-Canto.org

 

[crazyfingers]

That's an interesting chart although I don't really know how to interpret it. The last two were closer and louder. It is interesting that the chart shows a clearer "signal" or whatever you want to call it.

I had also wondered if it could be a mammal. I had searched around for animals we have here. Red fox, Fisher cat, etc... It's closest to a red fox scream but in the URL below I do think it's very different. The recording I made is not as emotionally chilling as the sound that a red fox makes.

The other thing is that the sound does seem to come from up the tree and unless there are lots of them around the thing moves from tree to tree pretty quickly.

And there is also why after living here for 20 years have I never heard it before?


Red Fox http://strangesounds.org/2014/03/animal-strange-sounds-the-terrifying-scream-of-the-red-fox.html

 

[crazyfingers]

Those are Great Horned Owls. You'll find many similar recordings on the Macaualay Library website and on Xeno-Canto.org

Cool an answer. I'll go look them up. I was delayed in replying above and you posted while I was dilly dallying! Thanks.