Thanks to all the replies. I appreciate it. No doubt both calls are the American Woodcock. It's nice to have an ID for my new neighborhood bird. Thanks all for deciphering my attempt at explaining what a bird sounds like in an email! Spencer -----Original Message----- From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Spencer Ryan Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 9:02 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [Ohio-birds] NOISY NIGHTS - Lorain County - ID Help The last five evenings have been very noisy in my backyard. Two separate birds and I can't seem to locate them to get an ID. If you can offer any help, please let me know. I have a few websites with bird calls on them that I often use, but I don't know where to start because I have no clue even what type of birds they are. Very frustrating! 1. This call is very similar to a Common Nighthawk, but slightly different. It definitely is moving around the neighborhood, but it will stay in one place for 4-5 minutes, stop calling for 5 more minutes, then start up again. Very close to the houses, not high in the air, I assume landing on the houses or the small pine trees in the area. Rhythmic, almost mechanical bzzzt and calls about every 5-7 seconds. I thought it was a juvenile Nighthawk just perfecting its call, but the lack of movement for periods of time leads me to believe it's landing, and that's not typical of the Nighthawk behavior that I've observed in the past. Plus, I don't think I've seen any posts of Nighthawks in the area yet, I could be wrong. It's too loud for a bat, or certainly louder than any bat I've ever heard. Calls start at dusk and continue for about an hour and start up again at dawn. 2. This call starts with a very quick, 9-10 rapid beeps then turns into more of a songbird-like chortle like a Purple Martin or a gurgle like a Brown-headed Cowbird. It's certainly not a Chimney Swift, the song starts much more clear and crisp, and then changes. Other than owls, Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts are really the only evening birds I hear in my neighborhood, so I'm pretty excited that something new is visiting, I'm just a bit frustrated that I can't figure out what the heck they are. If you have some thoughts or recommendations, let me know and I'll look up the calls. Any starting point would be appreciated. If you are in Northern Lorain County and you want to swing by the area some evening, reply off list and I'll give you the neighborhood and you can see if you can hear them for yourself. Thanks in advance. Spencer ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]