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Sounds Of The Night


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Posted

Sorry, I know it's hard without the context. The recorder was on the ground by a fenced field. It was an impulse drop. I think the critter might have been on the other side of the fence from it. After it bumped the device around, there were a few more footsteps moving away, but somewhat muffled by some dew drops. There may have been a return visit later, I'll have to go back through it again to see. Anyway, the footsteps sounded bi to me, and the sniffing not canine. Thanks for listening.

Posted

Be sure to post your walkup recordings here when you capture more.

 

This is just a sample of what other people should be recording when they have a bipedal visitor. IMO.

 

It seems to be a good thing to me when the coyotes are nearby too.

 

walkup 2040hrs 3-12-11.mp3

 

 

Posted

In my opinion it is hard to detect what is bipedal and what is just a slow moving quadruped at times, I have had deer creeping up that on the recorder sounded large and bipedal, so I have not put a lot of stock into such things, although some might be the real deal. I have included some of these here more for reference, the sniffing to me suggest either a deer or coyote, but the approach is not always that discernable, nor is the exit.

interesting approach.mp3

Posted

Yes it can can be a challenge at times, but not impossible. The foot falls can be captured so well that you can hear the foot roll on the forest floor from heel to toe.

 

This one is from one of the most productive nights of all my ten years of interest and field outings. It will sound like you do, but without shoes.

 

The coughing might give it away too. ;)

 

walkup and coughing.mp3

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Posted

I've got a recording close to a residence where I had a nearby sighting.  I recorded often from an open window ledge and got this interplay that sounds like somebody playing the spoons or rocks quite rhythmically while simultaneously rapping out some louder sounds while walking around uttering some breathy vocals.......  I was asleep and snoring through this......  I do not believe I was awakened by this stuff this particular night......  other nights a different story.  I amped this just so it is clearly audible.

 

rockclackbipedalwhisperamplify.wav

 

 

Posted

All awesome sounds, folks. I feel sorry for that poor critter with a chest cold. LCB that one is suspicious to me, it sounds like it's touching as well as sniffing. Love the rock tapping. Sometimes I wonder if they often carry some around with them.

 

More drumming sounds since lightheart brought up her experience.

 

141105_01.wav

150518_01drum.wav

 

 

Guest lightheart
Posted (edited)

JKH I have been trying to get the clips to play with no success....The mp3 clips play with no problem. Just wanted to let you know that is why I haven't commented on a comparison to the sounds. I will ask my daughter when she gets a second if she can figure it out.

Edited by lightheart
Posted

Sorry, it appears that the wav files are an issue for some. They should work with any Windows media player, and work with my pc, but not tablet. I've been lazy and haven't converted them. Anyway, I didn't mean to suggest that they'd be close to your experience, just that I've noticed similar sounds in my nocturnal recording. It's pretty cool to learn that similar behaviors are widely reported. Thanks, and hope you can make it work. If not, maybe I can work on them tomorrow.

Posted

Okay, I think I finally converted the drum sounds and include a bonus clip of calling owls. Have many more clips of nocturnal animals, if anyone cares. Apparently, there is a whole subculture of birders that do this, too, and I've happened across some mystery bird sounds, of which the study seems far more esoteric.

 

141105_01drum1.mp3

150518_01drum2.mp3

duelingowls.mp3

 

 

Guest lightheart
Posted

Thanks JKH for converting the files. The drumming seems different in that the tone of your sounds seems a bit deeper. Also this went on for maybe 30 or more seconds ....4 of them. I don't know. I haven't heard it since.

Those "owls" are quite something. I have heard something similar when what I believe were two hairy ones approached the truck parked next to my tent around 3:00 am in a campground. The "owls" got closer and closer as they seemed to be using the calls to keep each other apprised of their positions. Immediately after, what sounded like a huge hand slap on the truck occurred. Then all went quiet as the truck's alarm went off. This was in Central Florida where this happened. The people camping next door had a really bright light and loud music until about 1:30 am. Don't think the "owls" liked it too well.

Posted

I was out last weekend to one of my groups research locations. Typically we will put out audio recorders in various places around camp and other remote locations in the area to cast a wide net. This weekend I decided to add another element for detection of critters. We almost always use a bit of peanut butter to draw animals to the recorders but it has been a chore to find the time mark in the recording when the food/ bait gets taken. This year I'm adding the small bells used on fishing poles which sound when you get a bite.


 


So here's the set up.


 


I found a small sapling about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and hung my recorder at about 7 feet off the ground on one of it's own limbs.I clipped one of the bells to the case that the recorder is in so it hangs straight down. I started the recorder and put peanut butter on the trunk of the tree about 3 to four feet off the ground. Testing the set up revealed that it takes very little movement of the tree to make the bell ring, so if a possum for instance, were to get at the bait, it would have to climb the tree to get it and ring the bell in the process. A larger animal could still walk up and simply lick it off the tree and perhaps not ring it unless it pushed against the tree a bit too hard with it's mouth or other body part. Review of the recordings made me realize that the sound of the striker in the bell makes a rattle sound when it swings even a little , without it actually ringing. This proved to be helpful in finding the time mark in the audio recording, as it leaves a nice spike in the waveform when viewing the file in my software. 


 


So here is a capture from last weekend. It's about 9 minutes long and features one of those bipedal sounding visitors we get often, and this one seems to figure out the bell and gives it a good ring while we slept in our tents about 100 yards away at 4:20 am. 


Hope this plays for you guys.


 


The Ringer mono.mp3


 


Posted

lightheart, since you are a familiar sight in your area, I'd guess that your drumming sounds were perhaps some kind of greeting. Certainly super cool to hear such a thing! I don't blame the "big owls" on your camp out. Car alarms at 3 am in the forest = bummer.

 

SY, that was awesome. Your visitor really liked that bell! When I've camped, I've left out musical instruments. Two years ago, I got what I thought was a slap on a hand drum, but when I tested it the reverberation was more like when I thumped it on concrete. Last year, I left out a small plastic pipe like a recorder. I recorded what sounded like a single short note on it, but it was way lower in pitch than I could make on it. So just question marks. I really like the bell idea, and have been collecting vintage ones that go in my bag of instruments. Maybe I'll string some up out there.

Posted

I am hoping to record soon, right now at least a 150 Herons and Egrets on their nests in the rookery they established in my marsh behind my house, the number is actually probably bigger than that, that is more likely the number of nests. They are buzzing all over the place gathering sticks as I speak, it looks like a Jurassic forest almost. Well with that being said they are awfully noisy at night when the young are begging and parents squawking, it sounds pretty weird. The squatch have been around during that period, I wonder if they ever try to steal eggs? Sometimes you hear these outbursts of squawking, I wonder if that is because a predator is nearing the nesting area. Well I will try and see what a night sounds like at the moment, and maybe I have enough time till the young are born to hear something else, usually the coyotes are not in packs in the early spring to my knowledge, it seems like they must be denned up with their young, It is all about to get rolling and moving into summer. The life of a golf pro in summer, uuggghhh. Well I chose it.

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Posted

Raccoons are known to invade roosting crow nests at night.   Some things do boggle the brain.  

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