I think there's a killer outside
May 2, 2010 3:30 AM Subscribe
What's the monster outside my bedroom window?
My apartment backs up to a creek. Several times while I've lived here, I've been woken up by something pretty violent-sounding outside my window. I heard it again this morning, at about 3 am. Sounds a little like a parrot being strangled, some thrashing around, and then what sounds like footfalls (or perhaps movement in the trees?). I can only guess that this is some sort of night predator, but what?
This is in Austin, so I'm ruling out any big cats. Screech owls tend to hunt a lot earlier in the evening, so I can't imagine it's that either. Regardless, it skeeves us out. Any ideas what might be fueling my nightmares? Before you ask, yes, I'm positive of what I heard. I happened to be awake this time.
My apartment backs up to a creek. Several times while I've lived here, I've been woken up by something pretty violent-sounding outside my window. I heard it again this morning, at about 3 am. Sounds a little like a parrot being strangled, some thrashing around, and then what sounds like footfalls (or perhaps movement in the trees?). I can only guess that this is some sort of night predator, but what?
This is in Austin, so I'm ruling out any big cats. Screech owls tend to hunt a lot earlier in the evening, so I can't imagine it's that either. Regardless, it skeeves us out. Any ideas what might be fueling my nightmares? Before you ask, yes, I'm positive of what I heard. I happened to be awake this time.
I'd guess foxes or cats. We get outdoor cats sometimes in our backyard, either mating or fighting and both are an unholy sound that will get the hairs on your neck stand up.
posted by like_neon at 3:43 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by like_neon at 3:43 AM on May 2, 2010
Hard to say without audio, but is there a possibility of a bat colony. Screeches and flapping of wings (footfalls description) from a large amount of them sounds plausible. I say this from watching Batman Begins way too many times.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 3:51 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by hungrysquirrels at 3:51 AM on May 2, 2010
If you get them in your part of the world and there are young cubs about, it's almost certainly foxes. I always describe the noise as like a baby being strangled, but I think you're closer with a parrot.
posted by hmca at 3:52 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by hmca at 3:52 AM on May 2, 2010
Foxes. They make absolutely unearthly sounds, even when they're just saying "hello, I see you there." Does it sound something like this?
posted by Mizu at 4:06 AM on May 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 4:06 AM on May 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
If you have foxes in Austin, that would be my guess, especially if you're hearing the sounds this month. Mating/fighting foxes (these activities seem pretty interchangeable) make the most horrific noises (play the 'grey fox fight' for a hair-raising sample). I almost called the police last week because to my groggy brain I was sure someone was being skinned alive in the street, but thankfully looked out the window to see some sort of consensual activity going on with a gaggle of red foxes.
posted by Erasmouse at 4:13 AM on May 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Erasmouse at 4:13 AM on May 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
A rabbit being killed can make a whole lot of terrible screams as well.
posted by HuronBob at 4:13 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 4:13 AM on May 2, 2010
We get outdoor cats sometimes in our backyard, either mating or fighting and both are an unholy sound that will get the hairs on your neck stand up
I thought someone was being murdered outside my bedroom the first time I heard that - I was petrified, it really is the most horrifying, scary noise I've ever heard.
posted by missmagenta at 4:39 AM on May 2, 2010
I thought someone was being murdered outside my bedroom the first time I heard that - I was petrified, it really is the most horrifying, scary noise I've ever heard.
posted by missmagenta at 4:39 AM on May 2, 2010
Also, while skunks usually get along with one another, when they don't, the screechgrowls sound like demons being deep-fried.
posted by hexatron at 6:16 AM on May 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by hexatron at 6:16 AM on May 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Deer can scream. And by scream, I mean a cross between the high pitched dental drill whine of a big truck shifting gears, run through a metallic sounding effect, then mixed with a baby screaming in that way that you're sure they've injured their throat and will soon be spitting up blood. That kind of scream.
Any in your area?
posted by Ghidorah at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2010
Any in your area?
posted by Ghidorah at 6:36 AM on May 2, 2010
Squirrels? Although when I've heard this it's usually in the day time.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:58 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:58 AM on May 2, 2010
Best answer: Looking at your profile, you seem to be near the Crestview area. (Pity that Ausitn Homebrew Supply moved even further north.)
While foxes probably exist there, deer probably only venture in on rare occasions.
I don't think the population density of foxes is high enough for it to be that. I live close to the Greenbelt and though we see foxes regularly, it is still a rare occurrence. And they make themselves as inconspicuous as possible (or so it seems). In your location, it would be even more rare.
The description of the noise you hear sounds very much like the noise that frequently occurs near my house ; raccoons fighting.I have a neighbor who pours cat food into the street to feed the coons, hoping they won't come up on the porch to eat the cat food in the bowls (Despite my best efforts, animal control doesn't want to do anything about a family habituating 40 pound animals to the human presence and a supply of food.)
So with a regular supply of food comes a regular customer base. The same 5 or 6 raccoons appear every night. The Greenbelt contains many, many more raccoons than that. They all want to free and easy food. When one uppity youngster thinks he can take one of the Oldsters place at the table, he challenges. The resulting fight crashes through bushes, up trees and fences, onto roofs, and into the echo chamber of the drainage sewer. If the young'un challenged a little early, before he had the size to back up the challenge, the next day may find the entire area covered in blood
You live on a creek, so you have raccoons. You live in an area with plenty of retirees. (A friend who lives south of Anderson Ln. tells tales of a neighborhood retiree who feeds 15 to 20 raccoons every night.)
Fighting raccoons, that's where I'm putting my money.
Get a flashlight and go see what it is.
Nothing is going to be a threat to a person with a flashlight. Plus, when you show up, the flight will most likely end. Don't get anywhere near them, just spotlight them.
posted by Seamus at 7:06 AM on May 2, 2010
While foxes probably exist there, deer probably only venture in on rare occasions.
I don't think the population density of foxes is high enough for it to be that. I live close to the Greenbelt and though we see foxes regularly, it is still a rare occurrence. And they make themselves as inconspicuous as possible (or so it seems). In your location, it would be even more rare.
The description of the noise you hear sounds very much like the noise that frequently occurs near my house ; raccoons fighting.I have a neighbor who pours cat food into the street to feed the coons, hoping they won't come up on the porch to eat the cat food in the bowls (Despite my best efforts, animal control doesn't want to do anything about a family habituating 40 pound animals to the human presence and a supply of food.)
So with a regular supply of food comes a regular customer base. The same 5 or 6 raccoons appear every night. The Greenbelt contains many, many more raccoons than that. They all want to free and easy food. When one uppity youngster thinks he can take one of the Oldsters place at the table, he challenges. The resulting fight crashes through bushes, up trees and fences, onto roofs, and into the echo chamber of the drainage sewer. If the young'un challenged a little early, before he had the size to back up the challenge, the next day may find the entire area covered in blood
You live on a creek, so you have raccoons. You live in an area with plenty of retirees. (A friend who lives south of Anderson Ln. tells tales of a neighborhood retiree who feeds 15 to 20 raccoons every night.)
Fighting raccoons, that's where I'm putting my money.
Get a flashlight and go see what it is.
Nothing is going to be a threat to a person with a flashlight. Plus, when you show up, the flight will most likely end. Don't get anywhere near them, just spotlight them.
posted by Seamus at 7:06 AM on May 2, 2010
Response by poster: I looked up raccoon noises, and I think that's the closest to what I've been hearing. Thanks for the piece of mind, guys! The noise will probably still wake me up, but at least I'll know what it is.
posted by Gilbert at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by Gilbert at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2010
Nthing raccoons. My parents once bought a house that backed onto a ravine and had a nice arbour covered with grape vines. Bad idea!
They had one of those motion-detecting lights. Get one! It does nothing to deter the raccoons; it's just a great show, is all.
Squirrels can also make some godawful screeches, FWIW.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2010
They had one of those motion-detecting lights. Get one! It does nothing to deter the raccoons; it's just a great show, is all.
Squirrels can also make some godawful screeches, FWIW.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2010
Also nthing raccoons. When they fight they sound like dolphins on PCP. Also, when the young are distressed, they sound like that too.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 9:05 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by Dipsomaniac at 9:05 AM on May 2, 2010
What about possums? I live in your neck of the woods and see them out at night all the time. They fight each other, too, and make weird noises. Maybe not as loud as raccoons, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uywemruabiQ
posted by ishotjr at 9:13 AM on May 2, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uywemruabiQ
posted by ishotjr at 9:13 AM on May 2, 2010
I'll go out on a limb and throw a couple of pecans out for possums, I'm near Barton creek and I've discovered/disturbed them screeching at each other on the deck at 3am
posted by Pecantree at 9:17 AM on May 2, 2010
posted by Pecantree at 9:17 AM on May 2, 2010
I'm posting in here for anyone who comes later to this topic, since I see you have it figured out in your case.
Another thing that makes a strange noise is branches rubbing up against your house or windows. It's not at all the same kind of noise you describe, but when you wake up and 3am and can't figure it out, it's an option.
posted by CathyG at 12:29 PM on May 2, 2010
Another thing that makes a strange noise is branches rubbing up against your house or windows. It's not at all the same kind of noise you describe, but when you wake up and 3am and can't figure it out, it's an option.
posted by CathyG at 12:29 PM on May 2, 2010
Agreeing with racoons, too. I used to wake up in the middle of the night, utterly horrified by the sounds of what were obviously huge demon creatures having an epic brawl outside my window. I feared for my life until I caught one of the little bastards dumping my compost bin (which, subsequently, started another screeching fight).
They sound like feral cats stuck in a trash compactor.
posted by 1UP at 12:40 PM on May 2, 2010
They sound like feral cats stuck in a trash compactor.
posted by 1UP at 12:40 PM on May 2, 2010
They may be doing more than fighting - they may be mating. Mating raccoons apparently sound worse than fighting ones, and we've had several amorous couples in our back yard. (Fortunately for me, I slept through all incidents, but my roommates were lying in bed terrified, and asked me to sweep the yard in the morning for corpses.)
posted by GJSchaller at 6:48 PM on May 2, 2010
posted by GJSchaller at 6:48 PM on May 2, 2010
Response by poster: I'm glad it's not just me that was creeped out by that sound. For those who care, the creek in question is Shoal Creek, pretty far north.
posted by Gilbert at 8:53 PM on May 2, 2010
posted by Gilbert at 8:53 PM on May 2, 2010
Raccoons are awesome---but they can be rabid and are generally very unfriendly, AND can really mess up a dog or a cat or a you.
Fun trick to play with Raccoons:
They wash everything before they eat it, and they love sweet stuff. Buy a box of sugar cubes, put out about 6 or 8 of them and a bowl of water....then watch. They'll pick up the cubes in their very human little hands and vigorously shake them in the bowl of water...where they'll disappear. They'll repeat until they're out of cubes. It's uhm...pretty amusing.
If you find that you need rid of them---you or anyone else, the best bait in the whole world is SARDINES...and you can livecatch (seriously traumatic and many are expected to die), snare (not the best solution, but it works very well), or otherwise dispatch them using sardines as your lure.
posted by TomMelee at 6:50 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fun trick to play with Raccoons:
They wash everything before they eat it, and they love sweet stuff. Buy a box of sugar cubes, put out about 6 or 8 of them and a bowl of water....then watch. They'll pick up the cubes in their very human little hands and vigorously shake them in the bowl of water...where they'll disappear. They'll repeat until they're out of cubes. It's uhm...pretty amusing.
If you find that you need rid of them---you or anyone else, the best bait in the whole world is SARDINES...and you can livecatch (seriously traumatic and many are expected to die), snare (not the best solution, but it works very well), or otherwise dispatch them using sardines as your lure.
posted by TomMelee at 6:50 AM on May 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Namlit at 3:42 AM on May 2, 2010 [3 favorites]