I was outside last night a bit after midnight, taking Duke out for his pre-bedtime pee, and I was struck by the wonderful nighttime sounds of birds and frogs. Duke and I frequently go for walks down the road in the wee hours if the moon is close to full; now that it's at the opposite end of its cycle it's too dark for walking but just standing in the yard and listening is delightful.
I could hear simultaneously a pair of Great Horned Owls in the woods, a Saw-Whet Owl in the pasture next to the house, several Snipe winnowing overhead, Woodcocks "peenting" in the meadow, a Sora (sounds like its trying to start a stubborn lawnmower engine), and at least two Yellow Rails clicking; the last two species vary in abundance from year to year depending upon how wet the meadow is. There are also still four species of frogs calling at this time of year, although they are winding down a bit; a few weeks ago when they were in full song, they would drown out most of the bird calls with their astonishing volume.
At that point, a pack of Coyotes started to sound off in the adjacent pasture. Duke immediately bristled, checked to make sure I was still with him...he's no dummy!...and started barking furiously. The songdogs immediately sounded as though they began to move closer; domestic dogs and cats form a significant part of their diet. I threw my head back and joined the chorus: "Keep moving, a-holes! Nuthin' to see here!"
Everything fell silent except for the frogs. I had broken the spell, so I stepped back towards the house and Duke practically bowled me over as he charged back to the door. No way he intended to stay outside when his cousins were nearby.
