Friday, August 05, 2005

The Screamin' Whistling Bug

There’s a kind of bug down here that whistles like nothing I’ve heard – you can hear it for miles. I’m thinking maybe the cicada but I’ve heard a ton of those up by Austin and elsewhere. No, these sound like those whistling firecrackers or a very high “C” note, maybe about 90 decibels.

At first I thought it was a car alarm or a smoke alarm gone freaky. “Why doesn’t somebody unplug the poor thing” was my first reaction. Then on started up in the field next to our house: click, click, click-click-click weeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Another down the road joined in, making a surreal sound in otherwise quiet South Padre.

Well if anyone has any ideas please let me know, since it’s obviously mating time for whatever it is, and it’s driving me crazy.

8 comments:

Everett said...

Hey Sam, that bug sounds to me like the SPI version of the one that hollers 'WOOO HOOOO' in Warblers window in the middle of the night!!!TIFN

Anonymous said...

Whew! Bugs?!?! I was driving and heard tht noise, exactly as you described, and thought something was wrong with my car.

Anonymous said...

Well.....not sure of what that might be? In all my thirty to fourty trips, I have never heard that sound. Not sure if I want to based on your description. Better hold on...sounds like someting new invading paradise. Hope to hear from you soon(It's been a while). MLeahy

Sam said...

My cat "Misty" caught one of those HUGE cicadas yesterday. I mean, that sucker was over three and a half inches long if not four, and its wing-span was like six if it would settle down so we could get 'im. Maybe about 7/8 inch around at the belly. And bellow, that guy had the chambers, I'm tellin' ya. He tried to whistle & scream and the dog, bless her heart, grabbed the booger and put him by the trash can. Very gently, and no more sound. Woo, what's a good dog, eh?

Anonymous said...

We have that bug here in the Seguin, TX area too. I was hoping someone here knew what it was. Sounds like a giant tea kettle whistling outside. Only in the evenings.

Anonymous said...

I found it! It is called a Giant Cicada. Go here for information.
http://www.texasento.net/Cicada.htm

Unknown said...

Salem nh chirps then a long teapot sound then one from another location omg crazy noices at night

Anonymous said...

That’s called a Kettlebug they sound just like a tea kettle that boiling