jayr

Anyone know what might be making the dreadful screeching sound at around 2am? Too early for birds but as loud as crows, enough to wake you up. I live neer creek/bush and wonder whether it's some nocturnal mating call. Would love to know what it is so I can tell my son its nothing to worry about!

MrsDagboy

Screeching is often either possums or flying foxes (fruit bats). Or both, as we found out when we used to get them fighting over the fruit in our backyard!

jayr

I was hoping it wasn't bats:

"Don't worry son, that terrifying screech in the middle of the night is just some bats near you bedroom window."

Think I'll tell him it's possums.

MrsDagboy

LOL

I wont tell him you fibbed if you dont .

Any fruiting trees in the vicinity? Including things like palm trees.

jayr

Yes, I've got a mango tree, lots of palms and another fruit tree, looks a bit like figs to me but I'm no expert, oh and a lime tree in the yard.

Ceri

Possums - sounds like a cross between a tassie devil and gawd knows what.. usually two males fighting .. very territorial, but it dosen't usually last all that long.
Bats - you'll know a bat if you hear them (have you any palm trees in your garden.. they usually love the "nuts" on the palms, used to get a load of them in my previous home) .. a bit like a loud , high pitched squeaking /squeeling noise - very loud
Koalas - sounds like a pig being slaughtered, sort of a grunting noise - with a crossed with a tassie devil - very ugly sound
Mating season is over - so it's either two animals fighting , or it is a bird.
Birds - we had one big bird which kept us awake all night (don't know what species it was) but sat on our tree screeching all night (it was not an owl)

.............Or it could be that your local supermarket has all night shopping and someone has just saw the price of lettuces! (you son should be worried!)

cheers

edit.. oops didn't see Mrs DB "palm nuts reply" .

jayr

I reckon from the descriptions that bats is most likely. Trouble is I never really remember the sound well enough at that time in the morning but it is very loud and quite high pitched and you would think it was a bird type noise.

MrsDagboy

Ceri, we have koalas too, they sound like a cross between a donkey & a tassie devil LOL. First time I heard them I didnt know what the hell it was! :scared: Bloody things keep us awake half the night with their grunting & carrying on .

Jayr, from what you've said, yes it does sound like flying foxes, I know that there are alot out your way (they roost at Long Pocket on the river). My boys are absolutely fascinated by them, they named the one that used to some & fight with our possum (of course there were different ones, but now all of them are called Freddy the fruitbat ) & would spend heaps of time looking out for him (them). If your son is a bit :scared: at the thought of bats, dont tell him they are bats, tell him they are flying foxes (what they are called here anyway), he might not be so worried by them then .

jayr

Trouble is he'll want to go and have a ride on one then

Ceri

Never thought of a donkey.. but now you mention it
I wish people could hear the sound... urr, urr , urr , ( can't even type what it sounds like).. always reminds me of a type of pig being throttled with a little bit of Tassie Devil chucked in.

Oh the pretty sounds of the bush .. now try a flock of black (red on them) cockatoo's .. in -between a seagull sound and my mum-in-laws screeching!

bondipom

Just do not park your car beneath one of the fruit trees. Not unless you want like a brown paint conversion.

MrsDagboy

Yeah, the donkey bit is funny, but it reminds me of one, the sort of grunting sound they make as they suck air in before they bray. Does that make sense? LOL Crossed with the tassie devil, makes it .

Sulpher cresteds & Major Mitchells make a shocking sound, we used to have huge flocks of them when I lived in the bush. Or the emus, they make a sort of thumping sound, that always goes down well with visitors .

jayr

Whilst we're on the subject - what's that loud early evening clicking, normally around windows or roof sort of height and I don't mean cicadas. It's more like four or five clicks in a row then stops. I've been told it could be the little gheckos/house lizards but they don't look as though they are up to it.

Ceri

do they go "chit.. chat, chit chat"? They are those little "greenish/Greyish " type of gecko's - The Asian Gecko .(about 5cm, to maybe about 7cm long)

I will say it's definitely those from your description - it's an introduced species , which are in prolific numbers here ( it's the same gecko in Singapore) - used to get them all over my house, apparently the furthest north they say they have moved to is Strathpine ( I can tell you this is not true, we had one the other day) , Used to get loads sitting on the wall under the lights (outside) when I lived down Southside too.

Next..........

jayr

That's the ones. I heard they might be the 'culprit' but really didn't think they would be that loud. We have at least a few residents in the house and they blend in very well with the carpet. We used to chase them out but don't bother anymore