Return of the Whip-or-Whill?

It has probably been at least 15 years since I last heard a whip-or-whill here in South Carolina. But over the course of the last week at our new home (about 19 miles from where I grew up) I have heard them almost every single night. We had some company over this past weekend, and one of our friends said she too had not heard them in nearly a decade. Now it may just be the area we're in, but I grew up in the country and it was very wooded. Logically I see no real difference between the two places.

Just dumb luck or are the whip-or-whills possibly making a comeback in our area?

I live in Pa. When I was younger, any time you went by car they would be on the road and fly up ahead of you. At least I think it was WW.
Havent seen any for years. There eyes were always red looking.

Mother and Daddy had a cabin on the river in Alabama. I would fall asleep listening to them. I would to hear them again..Lucky you-----------Beth

I have never seen one but used to hear them all the time in upper lower Michigan when I was a kid. We had a cabin in Gaylord and the things would drive you crazy at night. I just love them.
10 years ago when we moved to this property (lots of woods) we would hear one every so often, but rarely. About 3 years ago, we were talking one evening and mentioned that we hadn't heard one in quite a while. As if on cue, we heard one call....then nothing. That was the last we heard. I miss them.

I have been worried they will just leave one night, but last night they were back again - like clockwork. In fact, I think there were 3 of them last night, and definitely 2. One in the distance and one quite close. I was even able to record it.

I imagine the call can annoy the heck out of some folks; and I may be one of them in a few more weeks. LOL. Kind of like the coqui in Hawaii. Beautiful for about 2 nights... then a royal pain.

One sat outside the window of the cabin one night, many, many years ago, and kept yelling. My dad who was the most quiet, patient, man I ever knew in my whole life, got up at 3am with the shot gun and shot in the air to shut him up. We still laugh about that one. Whip-or-Blam.... The next night there were more, but not as close or loud. We told him he could not scare them off again. I think their call is music....like the peeper frogs, it can lull me to sleep anytime.

Whip-or-Blam

LOL, I like it.

Well, it is only funny because the bird was not hurt and we had never seen the old Dad pushed to the limit before. Poor bird never did finish his call.

My father is the same way. I mentioned it last weekend when we were over and he was like, "Yeah they are nice, but after about 25 minutes I can't stand it."

Personally, I can't stand the squirrels in the bird feeder. I swear there's this one... he's just trying to tick me off. But I digress. ;)

Don't get me started on squirrels. We have so many preditors here, but somehow, they eat the turkey, ruffled grouse, deer and good stuff, and leave those squirrels. The chipmunks drive the dog crazy. They will see him coming by in the woods and chip at him, then they dive into an old rotted stump. While he is going crazy trying to dig them out, they are sitting on another stump or branch watching with thier little paw over thier mouth to stiffle a laugh.
The squirrels like to annoy the humans. It is a game. I think they are smarter than us sometimes.

I used to think I wish we had chipmunks here, but now I'm not so sure. LOL

You know I finally just moved one of my feeders. He had been hanging upside down by his back feet to reach the bird feeder below. It looks like a circus act, I didn't even know they could do that. I went out this morning after I'd moved it onto a metal hook out in the yard. I could see him just trying to figure it out.

If I go out there one day and he has a latter... I'm gone.

They really can be a pain; I found that only a baffle will work to keep them away.