Noisy Critters

**MDSH** · 05-31-2014, 10:59

A local rancher gave me access to one of his places with a spring-fed pond. There were some mesquite trees on the dam big enough for hanging. Not a cloud in the sky so went without a tarp and the weather was perfect, cooled down very nicely to the 60s and calm to slight breeze -- really nice for reading and then falling to sleep.

But such noisy neighbors!

The frogs of all kinds and sizes made a racket and then the coyotes started up. Add crickets and katydids! It was fun to try to hear the Nightjars though the other sounds.

Woke up this morning to find a Great Blue Heron stalking his breakfast:

Great_Blue_Heron.jpg

**Junebugdawn** · 05-31-2014, 11:45

Very cool. I camped on an island last weekend in the middle of a lake at a group hang. It was too quiet!!! No frogs or crickets singing. No hangers snoring. Deathly silent. I was surprised. I like the symphony of the woods. Glad you had a great nighttime concert.

**grannypat** · 05-31-2014, 22:46

Great bird picture.

**SilvrSurfr** · 05-31-2014, 22:49

I love ambient noise when I sleep. Nothing like sleeping near a pond full of frogs!

**JTsilverwolf** · 06-02-2014, 03:12

Sounds like a good night to me.

**vgmohag** · 06-02-2014, 12:01

COOL! Much better than the occasional raccoon or possum.

**brswan** · 06-03-2014, 17:05

We have sand hill cranes here. Talk about loud!

**ntxkayakr** · 06-03-2014, 20:07

"Sounds" like a great hanging place. Often a dilemma for me to use or not to use foam ear plugs which I typically pack, mostly for noisy humans around the campfire up later than me. However, once we camped near a bunch of heron that were nesting beside the river. They made that barking sound all night. Trains are the worst, I'll take a pair of coyotes all night over RR tracks nearby.

**cjayflo** · 06-03-2014, 20:09

Originally Posted by brswan

We have sand hill cranes here. Talk about loud!

and loons!

**dman** · 06-03-2014, 20:28

I had a sound that actually spooked me to to core last weekend, I can't even come up with a good description of the sound either. It would have been ok but the sound moved to either side of me and then near and far so quick that I thought for a moment it had to be several sources creating it. I'm thinking after reviewing the experience and comparing notes with my girlfriend who was in the trailer with the kids, that it most likely was an owl of some sort. The sound was as best I can describe like someone whacking a big pvc pipe while simultaneously stepping on a puppies tail repeated about every second or so. This went on for about 2 hours each night.