Question
Several times this summer our family has been awakened to the strangest animal sound we've ever heard.  It's sort of a cross between a goose honk and a cat dying (or what you would think a cat sounds like when it's dying).  It repeats itself in quick succession for a minute or so and then abrubtly stops.  Once I heard it a second time but from much farther away.  I thought it sounded like a bird flying by due to the sound growing louder and then finally getting softer.  Any idea what kind of animal makes this sound between 1 and 5 am in CT?  We live in a rural mostly wooded area with lots of undergrowth.  I've lived here my whole life and have never heard this sound before this summer.  We have fox, coyote, deer, raccoons, skunks, etc. but am wondering if it is some unusual bird.  I've listened to all the owls I could find online and it's nothing as pretty as that.  Very loud and very jarring.  Any ideas?

Thanks

Answer
Hi,

I'm in the midwest so our critters are different to some extent.  My first guess would be an owl.  Here is a link to a likely one.

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesGS.asp?sort=1&curGroupID=99&display...

Type in owl in the field guide search and you'll get a bunch to study if it's not this one.  My next guess would be a bobcat.  They might have some sounds there at that site.  Both owls and cats have a vast spooky vacabulary in the dark of night.  I know the range of sounds from screech owls and I have never heard some of their stranger sounds recorded! You know how wild a couple tom house cats can sound... both owl and bobcat can get MUCH wilder sounding than that.  Do you have a cat around that might arouse a lonely bobcat sniffing around?  If it's bobcat and you want to discourage his visits, write to me here about that.  I can't help much with owls.

good luck with the mystery!