Have you ever heard a whippoorwill?

we had several that lived around the house when I was a kid. Nothing better than sitting out on the porch watching the stars and listening to the whippoorwills talk :D good memories :D

i have heard chuck will's widow.

Taj Mahal

the suckers nearly drove me insane with their calls at night while I tried to get to sleep.
I love birds, but these guys (and the local male Mockingird in June) have it out for my REM.
Imagine, after a busy day, lying down for a nights rest, and hearing the incessant call whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will.

ohmigod - it was the worst camping experience EVER.

;)

And they keep it up all night!

snoring!.

Sarge - I was "camping" at Ft. A.P. Hill.

Well, at least you didn't have to listen to B-52's and C-135's coming and going all night long.

Oddly, I sleep well where we live (near a small airbase), and at Dix (near MacGuire) I got used to the jets (all stateside). A roomie even used to play drums for practice after work - right when I would sleep - no prob.
But those friggin birds.

over our demented mockingbird.

For the past week or so, I've had to close my window because of this bird who sits in the tree right near my window and won't SHUT UP! We have alot of Mockingbirds around here. They nest in a tree in my yard and attack anybody or anything that gets close to it. Aside from being annoying sometimes, though, I really like them.

they DO NOT shut up at night - it's a male during the breeding season thing. Good luck!

The boys sing to atract girls during breeding season - I always pray he's good looking and gets one right away.

Seems like he goes right when the head hits the pillow.

Funny since the night city noises never bugged me.

And now they are attacking the cats.

I swear, my dogs LAUGH when they see that, at least they do until they get hammered by the birds.

Until the Mockingbirds started attacking THEM. Hilarious. I've never been able to get close enough to actually see the nest; they come out of nowhere and swoop down at me. (No wonder there are so many of them).

Have several that hang around my house.

I'm so lonesome, I could cry.

And haunting, I agree.;(

Don't think I've ever heard one in MD.

...
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry...

Hank Williams (also done by Johnny Cash)


sung by Johnny Cash here .. http://www.hit-country-music-lyrics.com/johnnycashlyrics-solonesome.html

a doubt that Hank Williams was a genius.

One of great loves is a theatre production by Sneezy Waters, called "Hank Williams, The Show He Never Gave"
Very poignant and very sad.

aA

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low:
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

I've never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud,
To hide its face and cry.

Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he's lost his will to live.
I'm so lonesome I could cry.


The silence of a falling star,
Lights up a purple sky.
And as I wonder where you are,
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

my Momma raised me on Hank;)

Are they really supposed to signify somebody's death, or is that only in Lovecraft stories?

every night in late spring, summer, and early fall.

of course, certainly someone on the planet is dying at the same time i hear a whippoorwill sing :shrug:

that's why they keep showing up in all those "we will meet on the other side" type old-time songs.

they were common there. nt

that it's a bird. I've never heard of one before. You can't really tell what it is from that picture, my first thought was that it's a lizard.

Especially around the mouth part.

I remember my Dad making the sound and the birds answering back. At least thats how a 4 year old saw it.

I hope this does not mean I am about to cross over into another plane.

remembering the backyard of my parents' home. Thanks :-)

Camprimulgus Vociferus

Whip-poor-will
The Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized (22-27 cm) nightjar.

Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown.

The Whip-poor-will's breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods across southeastern Canada, eastern and southwestern United States, and Central America. They nest on the ground, in shaded locations, among dead leaves, and lays usually two creamy eggs. This bird does not normally flush from the nest unless it is underfoot.

Northern birds migrate to the southeastern United States and south to Central America. Central American races are largely resident. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight. They normally sleep during the day.

The Whip-poor-will is commonly heard but seldom seen; the name imitates this bird's call.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)


i heart Goatsuckers!

... but I hear his cousin, Chuck Will's Widow, pretty often.

They have a loud, LOUD call that starts and dusk and goes on until they get laid or dawn.

When we first got out place in the country, there was one not 200 feet from the tent we set up to spend our first night there. The noise started at dusk and kept us up all night.

We didnt' know what it was. At first I thought it was a bird, then a tree frog, finally I verified it was a Chuck Will's Widow. We still hear them, but they are usually far enough away to not wake the dead :)

All of the streets in my childhood neighborhood were named after birds. So, we have heard them in my parts.