well that's cool. i didn't know yahoo briefcase would do that.

to me, it reminds me of a canine, or as i have heard dogs do, make that blowing sound after sniffing something. was it louder than on the recording?

Here is a link that might be useful: above link

Hi Lipwak,
It almost sounds like a human breathing right next to you! I was really expecting to say it was a deer's alarm call, but it was pretty toned-down for that. I guess I would still say a deer.
Also.....the one you've listed as "unknown sound" is a cuckoo....either a black or yellow-billed. That's really neat that you've captured those sounds. What are you using to tape them?

Thank you both for such helpful and interesting replies! I am glad you persevered and found the file, wading through my various folders. I should have said it was in the "sounds from around my house" folder. Sorry.

It kinda disturbed me. I thought the worst, that it was choking on something it shouldn't have eaten or drank, some human-created hazard like radiator fluid or something (maybe its having a heart attack?) but who knows what was going on.

fairytoadmother: (great name by the way) I am guessing it was about 20 or more yards away. I heard it rustle in the woods for a little bit after the huffing. So, yes it was loud, loud enough to grab my attention on an otherwise quiet night.

catherinet: I use my digital camera which records movies. I then use a program that changes the file to a smaller sound format and also takes the video out.

In looking for a file titled "unknown sound" I'm not finding one. Did you mean "unknown thing"? I asked about that on the whatbird.com site earlier and they suggested the same two birds so I have to think you're right! I have changed the title in my briefcase.

Many thanks again for your replies. This is pretty cool to be able to figure these things out or just to get some ideas.

Cheers,

Lipwak

Hi again Lipwak,
I'd be lost without places like this to ask so many questions! It's great!
Keep your ears open for that sound again. Do you live in the woods?
I was excited to discover cuckoos on our property many years ago. They make the sound you have on your "unknown thing" file, ....but what I find most identifiable about their call is that it changes from fast to slow. It's almost like a sound you might hear in the jungle.

Hi Ms Catherinet,

No, I don't live in the woods but there are woods behind me and lots of trees all around. I'm in Rockland County NY which is rapidly, cruelly, getting developed; farms being sold to developers who put up "cluster" housing in mostly ugly styles.

The notable wildlife I've seen here includes: deer, rabbit, woodchuck, wild turkey (although I haven't seen them in a few years)and lots of birds I can't see in the trees so I try to record the more interesting ones. Oh and a goose on the roof once. (See my blog for fauna and flora seen around here and progress in my "garden": http://lipwak.blogspot.com/)

I definitely will post back here should I discover anything else about this mystery sound.

Cheers,

Lipwak

Hi Lipwak,
I opened a couple other of your files......couldn't get into some because my computer is soooooo slow.......but your file 50414503 is a white throated sparrow (Oh sweet canada, canada, canada). I love their song.
I was thinking about your possible deer sound, and I wonder if it might be some sort of owl far off? Sometimes sounds seem close that are far, and far that are close!
Several owls sort of have that breathy sound at times. then again....maybe the sound was coming from Bigfoot.....

I can really relate to your problem with development. It's happening here in central Indiana big time. It makes me sick to my stomach. I keep hearing in my head, the lines from one of Joni Mitchell's songs "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot". I just keep hoping something will slow it all down.
I will continue to try to listen to some of your other files, but I'm not sure I'll get into them. I'd love to be able to tape some of the sounds here on my property.....but my brain isn't working well enough to figure out how to do it! Keep up the good work!

Thanks so much. I wonder if the previous file, unknown4041503.aif, is the same bird? (The file names are the date with a number in front of them, so that one would be the 4th unknown bird song I recorded that day, on 4/15/03. That was a good day for unknown bird songs!)

Cheers,

Lipwak

What a great idea! I will enjoy going through your sounds.

The "Unknown cry" is an Eastern screech owl doing one of it's calls : )

Cool! Thanks! I'm updating as I speak.

Cheers,

Lipwak

too cool, too cool! i have video on my camera but not for sound :(

for a minute i thought you had a recording system set up, similar to those birdfeeders with microphones that allows you to listen from in the house.

well, i'd say if it was that loud it wasn't a canine! bears?

if dh wasn't asleep i would go back and crank my volume :) or, is this the one elly is referring to?

Looked up bear sounds on the web and the first site I ran across had two that I've heard before! Here is the "blowing" http://www.bear.org/Black/Sounds/chomp.wav They also chomp which I didn't hear.

The other sound I've heard and thought were deer is heard in the "bear family conversing" http://www.bear.org/Black/Sounds/bconversds.wav I've heard that many times so bear are more common than I think, unless deer make that sound too...

Check out this site http://www.bear.org/Kids/Sounds.html

Now to look for deer sounds. (Fingers crossed I'm hearing deer more than bear!)

Cheers,

Lipwak

Here is a link that might be useful: Site with bear sounds

i can't help but chuckle to myself. i thought bear the first time but thought, nah. then i saw new york and thought, well maybe.

well, if they are bears, hopefully they will be good neighbors.

cool sites! it must have taken quite a search.

What surprised me was that the first site offered was chock full of good bear sounds! And then I thought, gads, I've been hearing bear when I thought I was hearing deer before?

I'm walking around more carefully after dark now... (though I'd love to take a pic of any I see!)

Cheers,

Lipwak

Lipwak,

It could very well be a bear (cub - under 200lbs), we occasionally get them here in Rockland.

The turkeys are doing well, add in the red tailed hawks, turkey vultures, osprey, horned owls, and eagles (crows are coming back from encephalitis outbreak); mammals you might not have seen include red/gray foxes, coyotes, opossums, skunks, and flying squirrels (yup - Rocky is here).

If you want to have more fun, go up into Harriman State Park (get a map and a compass), follow some of the trails (preferably from an older map), you might see more than you get from your backyard). Critters I've listed are in my backyard, If you go the to park, be prepared to hike, for about 200 yards, after that, you'll probably see/hear much more, if you're quiet!

Many other critters are there, you just have to be patient/quiet/part of the landscape.

If serpentine creatures bother you, avoid Green Meadow Pond and Island Pond (special permit needed).
Dad

Thanks. I used to have wild turkey regularly walk through here but haven't seen them in a few years. Good to hear they are doing well in the county. I was worried about them.

I've seen many of the critters you mention above. My part of Rockland has much more wildlife than where I've lived in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, it's great. Oh, and I think the neighborhood red tailed hawk has been back a little. I heard him/her all spring but haven't heard it since then. There is a nest I saw it use not far from here, atop a rotted tree.

I think I'll skip the snakes, thanks, though I am interested in seeing many of the insects around here... Some beauts.

I figured out what it is!!! I live in Virginia Beach, and I've been hearing a huffing sound in the woods but could never figure out what was making the noise. It is a river otter!!!! I saw it crossing at dusk from the lake to the woods this evening. Found the sound recording of a river otter online and it is spot on. I hope this helps! Let me know.

Also, you can here the sound under sound effects otter sniffs at StockMusic.com page 2. They are active at dusk and dawn. Also, they are active on land and in the woods. I realize this is an older post but it still comes up on a google search, so I thought this could help someone else hearing a huffing, breathing-like sound in the woods near clean water lakes.

Thanks, Pamela. Sorry to respond so late. I wasn't able to find the sounds on that StockMusic.com page and I tried a few other places but didn't find anything that reminded me of what I heard, 8 years ago! It could very well be as I have seen a few unfortunate otters and such run over around here. Never seen any live ones though and I'm abit inland from any body of water but it's possible! I still like the idea that it was a bear... or a deer. I do see LOTS of deer around here. Saw a mom with 2 fawns today actually.

Wow, I am still trying to verify that sound and found your reply. Thanks so much. Well, the other night I was on the back porch at dusk and I heard that noise again. That deer snorting and huffing noise! I then saw a bird making the sound in a tree. That explained everything to me. After a lot of research, I found the bird sound and it is a brown thrasher. I first read about it on a hunting site because that sound messes with the deer hunters too!!! The web site is www.xeno-canto.org. The numbers of the recording specifically is 167821, 67399, and 288989. If you go search brown thrasher they name it a call churr sound. It is a coughing and snorting sound to me, lol. It is also loud. I finally know what it is after 3 years!!! I thought is was the river otter but now I know it is a brown thrasher!

Also, sorry about that other site? The river otter also makes this loud, grunting, breathing, huffing ,snorting noise but now I don't think it was an otter. Definitely brown thrasher which I love. I just never knew they could make this noise along with their other song and call notes...

I think it was definitly my friend sadie coming up through the woods be careful warning waych out for thesadie