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September 4, 2009
What is Chittering Out Back?
So, does anyone know what critter is chittering out in the backyard every night the last week or so?
It's not quite as loud as a cicada and has a different sound. It kinda sounds like a cheap toy machine gun firing 2-3 second bursts.
ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
I'm assuming it is an insect of some kind as a disease squirrel would have died by now.
It sounds like it is up in a tree.
Comments
I've heard it too--definitely an insect.
Here is a link to an entomologist's page that has the sounds of common crickets in NYC:
http://pick14.pick.uga.edu/cricket/specieslist.html
It also has links to other sites with more insect sounds.
There's a "cricket crawl" on September 11 where a bunch of scientists are asking people to listen for the 7 species of cricket and the katydid whose sounds they've linked to in the first link above. It's from dusk to about 1AM that they want to collect data. Information about the cricket crawl is here: http://pick14.pick.uga.edu/cricket/
Posted by: bkrules at September 5, 2009 12:05 AM
I'm hearing it too. The sound ebbs and flows like a strong breeze.
The closest match to the sound i found on the website is the one called "Four Spotted Tree Cricket".
Posted by: WonTon at September 5, 2009 11:58 AM
Here's another way to participate in the Cricket Crawl:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/cricketcrawl/
Posted by: vinca at September 5, 2009 12:29 PM
I think they are called secadas. (sp?)
Posted by: Bklyn born at September 5, 2009 7:58 PM
cicadas
Posted by: cmu at September 6, 2009 3:25 PM
I thought the cicadas were the ones making noise during the day.
This is a different sound and doesn't start til after sundown.
Perhaps a nocturnal cicada?
Posted by: northsloperenter at September 6, 2009 4:02 PM
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