Hi Janet, This could be the first-ever record of Peacock inside a tree cavity in North America! If not....if it sounds anything like a peacock, I would suggest that an owl (several species are possible) is probably more likely than a mammal. It's interesting that it continued through the night -- if an owl, probably a young one rather than an adult, I would think. Bobcats can make some really loud screams but I haven't known them to do so all night. It might even be a parrot of some kind. If you hear it again and can record it, even just on a cell phone, that might be valuable evidence of whatever it is!
On Mon, May 27, 2013 at 11:09 AM, Janet Millenson <janet...>wrote:
> We were all kept awake last night by something calling loudly from a > tree near the house. Any help in identifying it would be much appreciated. > > The sound was a cross between the nasal blare of a jay and the mew of a > cat, in a single one-second blast followed by a long pause. There was no > chittering or chattering to it, just a solid whiny scream. It continued off > and on for much of the night and well into the morning. When I finally went > outside to find the source of the @#$!&* racket, I was shocked by how loud > it was, and wondered if maybe our new neighbors had bought a peacock. The > noise might have been echoing from inside a tree cavity, because there were > no mammals or large birds visible among the branches. > > We're pretty familiar with the varied sounds of the squirrels, raccoons, > and foxes in our yard, plus of course the usual birds, and this was totally > different. I'm presuming it was a young creature of some sort, but am > otherwise clueless. After listening to various recordings of bird and > mammal sounds, my family agrees that (so far) peacock calls come the > closest. More realistic suggestions are welcome! > > Thanks in advance. > > Janet Millenson > Potomac, MD (Montgomery County) > <janet...> > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > "Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot > > -- > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. > To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on > the web at http://www.mdbirding.com > Posts can be sent to the group by sending an email to > <mdbirding...> > > >
-- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com Posts can be sent to the group by sending an email to <mdbirding...>
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