Could be a screech owl, Nancy. Contrary to the name, they don't screech at all. They have a trilling sound which can be quite loud if they are nearby, and they do call to each other. If it is less musical than that, it could be toads or frogs of some sort.

Below is a link to the screech owl. Underneath the photos you will find 3 different call recordings. The first and third are the more common sounds down here. See if this is what you are hearing, by any chance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Screech Owl Calls

No,I wish it sounded like that. Those are kind of cool. It sounds like a jack hammer, nothing soft or musical about it. Thanks for the info though Marcia.
Nancy

Nancy,
we live on Delray Boynton boarder, and hear Screech owls almost every night. It is a beautiful relaxing sound, much like the first and third, what manature posted.
Veronika

There were a couple that I couldn't get to play Marcia, but nothing close that I could. They start at around dusk and I haven't heard them past midnight. Thanks for the help.
Nancy

we have a downy woodpecker (i think it's a downy) that is going CRAZY trying to get to the termites in our neighbor's roof... the house has a metal soffit around the eaves, and the 'pecker can hear them crawling around. when he goes at it, it sounds EXACTLY like a jackhammer, only louder... a shocking noise. very funny.

only problem here -- aren't 'peckers pretty quiet at night? ours does his demo work in the mornings.

I thought about woodpeckers, too, Ill-Man, but I have never heard them at night. Mockingbirds in the middle of the night, yes. Cardinals at and slightly AFTER dusk, yes. But not woodpeckers. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but I haven't ever heard of it before.

But truthfully, the closest thing to a jackhammer that I can think of wood be a woodpecker, especially a red-bellied, our most common one. Pileateds are a tad louder, but much slower in cadence, and downies are a bit "lighter" in sound. But the middle of the night? I just can't imagine it.

Still thinking, Nancy........

Marcia

There is a nocturnal woodpecker. See this link. According to the article they vacate the southern states at the beginning of April - and today being 31 March maybe he will go home SOON!

Anita

Here is a link that might be useful: Nocturnal Woodpecker

While the yellow-bellied sapsucker (now called yb woodpecker) does winter in Florida (I've seen many, many of them), I have yet to hear of one drumming at night. I read this article through, Anita, but didn't find any reference to that type of nocturnal activity. Did I miss something? I did see the phrase "nocturnal vagrant" but I believe they are referring to the OWL, who had to vacate his nest for the night, and had returned for his daytime rest, once the woodpeckers left to continue their migration.

At any rate, sapsuckers are not nocturnal birds by any means. They hunt for holes to spend the night in and will fight to secure one, specifically so that they don't have to be outside after full dark.

I'm still skeptical that drumming heard as late as midnight is coming from a woodpecker, but I'll keep researching.

Marcia

That was our initial reaction when we first heard it, that it sounded like a woodpecker.
It is a steady rhythm, like it is a call rather than the drilling that woodpeckers do. It goes on and on. Having it answered by another last night makes me think it is some sort of mating call. I'll listen tonight and see if I can time them to see if they are close in length. I don't know if it will help but it can't hurt.
Thanks everyone for your help.
Nancy

Marcia:

You are right! I read the google "abstract" that related the word nocturnal with the word woodpecker and so was predisposed to assume the correlation when I read the article. The mind works in mysterious ways....

Anyway I agree it does sound like a woodpecker.

Things that wake me up at night are "who cooks for you?", barking frogs (really really high decibel level!!!) and occasionally mixed coyote / cattle lowing. I sometimes think I should button up the house to miss these unrestful sounds but they keep us so connected to the earth that I just let them come on in.

Anita

Aaaah, I thought maybe that was what had happened. I re-read the article to see if I missed something (always wanting to learn new things about nature) but I thought that phrase "nocturnal vagrant" had a misleading sound to it.

And don't you just LOVE hearing "who cooks for you?" I adore having barred owls calling in the night. Such a neat sound! And when a pair of them starts cackling at each other, it's like laughing hyenas. I treasure hearing them right up there with hearing the first Chuck-Will's-Widow of the season. (Which, btw, I ought to be hearing soon.)

And I would LOVE to hear the coyotes! I was told by a ranger that if I drive out to Orlando Wetlands area and park outside the entrance at 2:00 am, I would be certain to hear them. But somehow, the idea of doing that isn't so appealing! You can hear them from your house?

And I agree that barking frogs and others can ratchet their calls up to a deafening level at times...but having said that, I still love to hear them. One of the best things about canoeing at night (which I used to do with great frequency) is hearing the chorus of frogs alone the river.

How come you get all the great night sounds at YOUR house??? I want some, tooooooo.........

Marcia

Nancy, do you get any sense that the jackhammer noise is being produced vocally, as opposed to an actual drumming or hammering on something solid? Or can you tell at all?

Still trying to figure out what the heck it is.

Marcia

Well, I have the same noise every night and it some times goes till 5 AM. At first I thought it was a telephone ringin off in the distant. I did notice a dead palm with holes it and wondered about the woodpeckers.
Now I'm wondering if it might be either a woodstork or a sand hill crane? I'll be glad when they find their mate!

It really sounds like vocals, but a bit like my vocals when I'm singing, which is pretty dreadful. Last night I only heard the lighter one (maybe the female) but the sound is the same, just a different tone. One thing that may help is that I believe it is coming from our back neighbor's yard. He has a pool that is like pea soup, lots of dog doo, etc. The vegetation hasn't been cleaned up in years. In fact he still has a huge palm tree laying on the corner of the house from Wilma. Wildlife are drawn to his yard, lots of places to hide I suppose.
Thanks again.
Nancy

Wanda I wonder if it is the same noise. It could be the sound of a phone ringing, but shrill, the way old phones used to sound, but loud. It might be the same, but my critter is closer than yours.
Nancy

Hmm, I maybe be way off base here, but what about the Cuban treefrog. They make a terrible noise at night. Soon as we hear that we go on patrol for a seek and destroy mission. lol

The Limpkin calls at night. Although, it is more of a scream than a hammering sound.

I don't think the typical Cuban tree frog call would be described as a "jackhammer" sound (see below), but they CAN make a lot of different noises, as can other frogs.

The "ringing phone" description sounds like a screech owl, to me. (Link to calls in posts above)

I'm going to ask a few of my "wildlife" buddies (and I don't mean that in a party sense!) if they have any ideas. I'm SO curious as to what you are hearing, Nancy! Great mystery.....

Marcia

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuban Tree Frog Call

Marcia, I think you might be right! The sound last about 2 to 3 sec. and it's quite for 2 or 3 sec. The A sound (male) sounds most like it. It goes on all night sometimes and ofcourse depending on which way the wind is blowing could make it louder. Guess I'll have to take a walk one night to see where it is coming from.

Screech owls are pretty small, Wanda, and can easily move into an abandoned woodpecker hole. And they call all night long, at times. They are lovely little birds, though having a raptor around sometimes keeps the other birds away. Still...they eat a lot of mice!

We have three different color "phases" of screech owls...they can be brown, gray, or red (rust) colored. All are really pretty birds.

Marcia

...woodstorks and sandhill cranes would not be calling during the night. Woodstorks generally make a lot of clacking noises on the nest, but are usually silent the rest of the time. Sandhills make a "rattling" noise, but mostly when they are flying overhead. I don't think either would sound like a jackhammer, and they wouldn't be calling at night.

This really sounds like frog behavior, and I'm trying hard to find a recording that matches. They make all sorts of noises, and sometimes a recording only captures ONE of the sounds a particular frog can make.

Still on the hunt, here........

Marcia

Here is a completely different sounding recording of Cuban treefrogs, so you can see that they have a wide range of sounds they make. Maybe this is closer to what you are hearing? I'm still looking through a wonderful page of frog calls.

Marcia

Here is a link that might be useful: Another Cuban treefrog recording

I just realized that the link above doesn't actually take you to the individual frog sound page. You have click on "Return to Frog Call Lookup" and then pick the frog you want to hear from a drop down menu. Try Cuban treefrog, squirrel treefrog, southeastern chorus frog, and anything else you want to check. (I have to click on the play button twice before it works, for some reason.)

The calls are very interesting, and some of them I have heard before and didn't know what it was. Maybe you'll find your jackhammer sound in there somewhere.

Marcia

teka2rjleffel

maybe you can record the sounds so we can hear it?

teka2rjleffel

maybe you can record the sounds so we can hear it?

Tony, my hubby and I discussed that. We no longer have anything to record on. Since I posted this they have quieted down. I bet they are embarrassed, ha ha.
Nancy

Those %#&$ lubbers make a noise with their wings or legs, I think maybe calling a mate. I have heard in the dark, morning and night. Again a wild guess!

Maybe its the neighbors headboard. ;)

couldnt resist

Maybe it's the lubbers AND the headboard!! You never know where those dang things are gonna show up to do their LUBBIN!!

Seriously, insects have been high on my suspect list, too, though I haven't yet found one that sounds quite like a jackhammer. I have considered katydids, grasshoppers, crickets and other nocturnal singers.

I really would like to know what Nancy has been hearing! And if it turns out to be a woodpecker after all, I will be SO surprised, but it will have been fun finding out.

Marcia

I hear very similar sounds at night as what Nancy describes. Since they seem to be coming from our pond area, and I see no big birds, my guess is it is a frog - but do not know which
Too early for lubbers to be calling for mates....(would be scary if they did it year round :-( ...at least they disappear for some time)

Olya

I'm inclined to agree with you, Olya. I really suspect this is a frog or toad, but I still haven't found a good recording that captures what I think a jackhammer sounds like. Hope Nancy will check out that froggy call page and see if any sound familiar to her. It's fun to hear them, anyway. What an assortment of trills, peeps, barks and grunts they make!

Marcia

Well, it can't be headboards around here! Even though I live in a trailer, everyone close to me are single! HAHA
We didn't have the noise last night so didn't get to check where it was coming from.
I'll keep you posted if I ever find out!

I listened to all of the frogs, the closest was the Coastal Plain Toad, but not it. I agree with you guys. I suspect, like Olya, it has to have something to do with the water. It definitely sounds like it is coming from the back neighbor's place, with the cesspool of a pool. Neighbor's headboard, too funny. Our houses are close but not that close. Some of my neighbors I wouldn't want that image in my head. Thanks guys, you are the best to help me with this.
Nancy

If any of the frogs and toads were close, there's a good chance that's what it is, even though the recordings we have found so far haven't captured that particular call. I'm still hoping to talk to one of my herp friends who might have an idea of what it could be.

Doncha just love a mystery??

Marcia

teka2/Nancy - I would describe the sound I'm heard somewhat like you do - woodpecker, but softer and a bit slower. I found the sound I'm hearing, and it's a frog (I'm next to a mangrove preserve that's located between my condo and FIU on the Bay). Open this link and find the place to listen to it and see if it's your sound. If not, good luck finding yours.

wec.ufl.edu/extension/wildlife_info/frogstoads/bufo_marinus.php

I was just going to say it's probaby a Bufo toad. They can be VERY loud.

Yes, that was the name I found. Not so much loud (except now that I know it's just a "little" toad, would be considered loud) and unusual, still think it sounds like a woodpecker pecking softly and slower. The audio link on bufo toad site is definitely it, tho. Oddly, didn't hear it last night. Maybe it was "busy"? lol

*... as unusual ...."

What about a katydid? You can google to hear their sound. Sounds kind of like a nighttime woodpecker; but it's a green bug.

I LOVE the sound of frogs and "the woods". However, not even I would like that sound.

Fall and spring are mating seasons for frogs, and they can get very loud. I'm having a problem with Cuban tree frogs now in the courtyard. I have a problem finding them and they are very loud at night.

Was definitely a bufo frog. I posted the sound link for this creature a while back. Totally matches the sound I was hearing at night. We are next to a mangrove preserve.

gecko lizard?

For a few months now, we've been hearing a harsh screech at night, but it's not a screech owl-we finally saw it and heard it at dusk-it was a woodpecker-we were very surprised, but relieved to finally know what it was-one night, we heard a number of them calling-some softer than others and assumed it was the babies.

We discover it’s a Cane toad. The mating call of the giant toad ( bufo Mari is) it’s in YouTube.

Hi Nancy I am looking this up myself I’m very concerned it’s under the subfloor and sounds like a jackhammer exactly or electrocution

WHat is it ? We are hearing the Exact same thing

What is a crane