(Sounds of nighthawk, and a female cougar calling for a mate. sixmountains.ca video)
Trail camera records female cougar’s mating call in Cowichan Valley forest
People put out trail cameras in hopes of capturing photos and video of wildlife behaving naturally in their environment.
But sometimes it’s the sound of nature that steals the show.
sixmountains.ca recently put a trail camera up in the forests of the Cowichan Valley, and obtained a brief night-time image of a cougar.
Several seconds later, off-camera, something entirely unexpected — the cougar lets out a series of loud, blood-curdling cries.
What could it possibly mean?
A bit of research led to the term “caterwauling” — the cries made by a female cat seeking a mate.
Hearing the cries can be a rare and memorable event, even for people who spend much of their lives outdoors.
Chris Darimont, a professor and Raincoast Research Chair in Applied Conservation Science at the University of Victoria, recalls his one encounter in 1998.
“I was by myself at about 4:15 a.m during a pre-dawn marbled murrelet survey — on my back on a mat in gorgeous forest about 200 metres from Carmanah beach.
“Thankfully, I didn’t exactly know what it was or I would have been more scared.”
Darimont noted that unlike bears and wolves, female cougars “can go into heat at any time of the year.”
Further reading on cougars: https://www.raincoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/00/BCs-Neglected-Carnivore.pdf
(Pippi Lawn/Parks Canada photo of common nighthawk.)
The 30-second video recorded by sixmountains.ca also included some curious squeaky sounds.
That's a common nighthawk flying overhead in the night sky in search of insects.
Listen closely and you’ll hear the bird make two distinct sounds.
Audubon describes the basic flight call as a “loud nasal call, peent or pee-yah.”
Males also have a courtship display in which they go into a steep dive. The rush of air through their wing feathers creates a "booming" sound at the bottom of the dive. (The 10-second mark in the video).
Nighthawk numbers are in decline, prompting a conservation rating of “special concern.”
According to Parks Canada, the birds “are finding fewer undeveloped areas where they can nest undisturbed on the ground.
“Off-leash dogs and foot traffic can easily disturb them. Household cats prey on the chicks. Scientists also suspect pesticides may be reducing their food supply.”
Nighthawks are best observed around dusk, and are sometimes seen tumbling in the sky above City Hall during the 39 Days of July music festival in downtown Duncan.
(John Gordon photo of common nighthawk).
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— Larry Pynn, July 3, 2025
