Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Anyone hear a strange chirping noise last night?
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March 11, 2017 at 11:26 am #876811
plentoParticipantDown by the salty’s side of alki, there was what sounded like a bird in the sky, circling over the land and water, over and over again. the chirp sounded electronic sounding (same exact sound continuously) and it was moving very fast from place to place. one second it was over the water, another by the hills. It was about 8:30 and it was too dark to see what exactly it was. Any ideas?
March 11, 2017 at 11:45 am #876812
WSBKeymasterSounds more like an alarm might have been going off in the area? If you ever hear that sort of thing you can report it to 911 – sometimes a fire, carbon-monoxide, or even burglary alarm going off for a long time could be the first sign of someone who needs help.
March 11, 2017 at 9:21 pm #876866
LuraParticipantI sometimes hear the chirps of a fast-flying circling bird over the beach in the evening hours, after dark. I wonder if you heard the same bird?
I haven’t identified my bird for sure, but I’ve listened to many audio clips of birds trying to find a match, and what I have heard sounds very much like the bird sounds in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YnDEjr3_vg
Is that what you heard?
March 12, 2017 at 7:51 am #876888
LuraParticipantHey, I just went looking for some more sound samples, and now I am pretty sure that I have been hearing a Merlin.
Check the Seattle sound clips here:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Falco-columbariusand another Seattle daytime video here:
March 12, 2017 at 9:33 am #876893
anonymeParticipantHmmm. What time of night was this? Merlins aren’t generally nocturnal, but with those spring hormones flowing – who knows? Nightjars (nighthawks) are nocturnal, but it’s pretty early for them to be in this area. Gulls screech like that at night as well; not nearly as interesting as merlins, but a possibility.
Could it be a drone?
March 12, 2017 at 3:20 pm #876920
herongrrrlParticipantHmm…killdeer nest in that area, and if they are disturbed at night will fly around making similar sounds…give this a listen:
March 12, 2017 at 9:34 pm #876943
LuraParticipantThank you for the suggestions about what I might be hearing.
I looked online for recordings of nightjars, and didn’t find any recordings that resemble the sound I hear.
Typically I hear these sounds a couple times a week, between 7pm and 10 pm.
I don’t think it’s a drone. Well I suppose it could be, but I’d have to embrace a certain sort of paranoia to believe that a drone is circling my house over and over. Whatever I hear, it is making fairly tight circles.
I know that Merlin are primarily diurnal. But Peregrines were also supposed to be diurnal, and have recently been recorded with nocturnal prey. I am near a street light, and wonder if falcons might be opportunistic.
I am familiar with gull noises during the day. Are gull noises at night significantly different? This doesn’t sound the same as daytime gulls. Also, the flight circle seems smaller than gulls.
The killdeer is an interesting idea. Could be that bird, (or another) who has been disturbed and flies in circles making noise for awhile. I will listen more carefully.
Would love to hear more ideas, or other observations. What chirps while circling rapidly over shore and land? Clearly I am only guessing.
March 12, 2017 at 9:58 pm #876947
plentoParticipantHi, neither the Merlin or killdeer sound like what im hearing. I heard the chirp again last night by marination but it didnt last long. Its the same exact noise in the sky like an audio clip or something. The interval between chirps is the same. Dosent sound like an alarm either. It is birdlike however but not incredible high pitched. More bassy,
March 13, 2017 at 9:59 pm #877041
CurateParticipantI really think you could be hearing an osprey. I see and hear them frequently over/near Harbor Island and the Duwamish, especially in the evenings and at night.
December 24, 2021 at 9:25 am #1023925
Steve77ParticipantI have heard birdsong at night, especially at 3 or 4 am. They affect my sleep. The best way to stop the sound of birds from disturbing sleep is to set up bird deterrents such as bird lines, bird ribs, and bird spiders. Next is to use some sounds they hate, like the sound of a running steam locomotive, to keep the mockingbirds away. These ways won’t hurt them, but just keep them functioning properly without harming them. It affects anyone’s sleep.
December 26, 2021 at 6:03 pm #1024101
JeannieParticipantOr just buy a little “white noise”/noise-cancelling machine. I can’t sleep without it. I even used it when I was in New York when they were building the Second Avenue subway line. The white noise machine pretty much obliterated the racket.
I don’t know what bird ribs or bird lines are, but I understand that bird spiders are designed to deter large birds like seagulls. Not recommended for smaller birds or nesting birds.
Good luck!December 31, 2021 at 4:05 am #1024471
Steve77ParticipantThe reason why birds are chirping at night is that it’s not for survival, at least not for individual survival. And it’s not for your pleasure. It’s actually for the survival of their kind.
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