Need ID by sound in Mass..

[LeeAnne]

OK, searching for help on what little info I can provide . . . night time critter, a bug of some sort I believe, heard in the trees in the yard of a house in Mansfield, MA. I live 45 minutes north of this house and I don't have these and I have friends that live on Cape Cod and they don't have them either.

Basically a two-syllable noise, sort of cricket like but not your typical black cricket 'chuuurup' - they make more of a rickety wood sound, like if you stepped on a loose board or if you had a sorta squeaky shoe. "reeeh-eh reeeh-eh" - hard to tell if it's one making both syllables or if it's two, each w/its own syllable answering eachother. Each syllable only lasts 1-2 seconds. Very quick back and forth.

They are 100% definitely in the trees, not in the grass and they are fairly loud. Usually I can 'google' stuff and find things out but I don't know where to even start - I'm hoping somebody on here has 'em too.

TIA LeeAnne

[Mark]

Based on your description, could be a Cicada, but I didn't think they ranged that far North.

[LeeAnne]

Hi Mark,

Oh yes we have Cicada's but around here they only (as far as I know) make their noises during the day - that sort of high pitched buzz that they do. If it were them at night too, I would also imagine I would hear them in other places besides this area in Mansfield.

[Gary M]

"LeeAnne" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You say the interval is 1-2 secs. Do they slow down in these cooler nights? The temperature can be told by counting the number of chirps in

15 secs and adding 40. That at least will confirm it is a tree cricket. Perhaps this page might help you?

[dr-solo]

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[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Once you get an idea, if it isn't on the other insectsounds page someone posted, try

was thinking Katydid & found a fairly good rendition through that site;

[LeeAnne]

Hi Gary, thanks for the link - definitely NOT a tree cricket -- they don't have that 'trill' quality that crickets have, but thank you for the suggestion.

[LeeAnne]

[Jim Elbrecht]

If that one was close, I'd look further as it was the best that I found after listening to 15-20 on that site, but it wasn't quite 'right' to my ears. You can definitely hear her/him saying 'Katy-did' once you put the sound to the insect.

This one is better, but still not quite . . .

my upstate NY Katydids have a different accent than these folks'.

Jim

[LeeAnne]

Hi Jim, Thank you for helping me try and ID this critter.

I can hear the one in the recording having the three syllable "katy-did" sound - but the one in the trees here is definitely a two-syllable call, but it has that same raspy, squeak, sort of quality vs. the trill of a cricket or other grasshoppers

Argh - so frustrating! :-) LeeAnne

[LeeAnne]

It occurred to me yesterday afternoon while I was mowing my lawn that it resembles the sound a Tufted Titmouse makes when it's kind of pissed off.

I don't know if that helps. LeeAnne

[Ann]

"LeeAnne" expounded:

Hi, LeeAnne,

I haven't been reading wreck.gardens for awhile, and I just came upon this thread. I know egg-zactly what sound you are hearing, I call them the eh-eh bugs. They sing at night, faster when it's warm, they sound almost like treefrogs but I know they're some kind of insect, and they seem to sing back and forth to each other. I've wondered for years what they are, too! I love them, they sing me to sleep at night; they're right outside my back window, my back yard is an oak/pine forest. I don't hear they at all up at our house in Maine. If I ever find out what they are I'll definitely let you know!

[Ann]

LeeAnne, I found them! They're True Northern Katydids! Check out this article from Boston.com

then go to this page and scroll to the bottom. Is that what you're hearing? Thanx for sending me on this journey, because I've been wondering about these guys for years!

Ann (who should be working!)