And then the barking started

There I was, 3:30 a.m., sound asleep in bed.  Nice and cosy, fresh breeze coming through the open window, cat sleeping beside me.

And then the barking started.
And I was instantly awake and smiling.

I had been anxiously waiting all winter for the return of the whip-poor-wills - anxious because last summer I'd heard very few and I was concerned that the terrible downward spiral of the WPWI population had hit Carden.

Since the singing started a few nights ago I have spent many sleepless minutes (hours) in the middle of the night, smiling and relieved that, for now at least, the WPWI is still present in Carden.

Then I wondered if I would hear again the sound that I had heard for the first time ever in May last year.  And, later, several times throughout the summer.

Last night it happened.

It's not really a "bark".  It sounds more like a cat working on heaving up a fur ball.  There is definitely a back-of-the-throat element to it.  But it brought a smile to my face to hear it last night.

The fox was back!

This time, though, the barking went on for a long time.  There seemed to be an almost plaintive tone to it.  I began to worry that the fox had been injured on the road.

So at 3:40 a.m., I was dressed and headed out to make sure it wasn't.  With headlight in hand, I wandered down the now silent road and saw nothing.  The barking had stopped shortly after I got outside.

The WPWI, however, were singing brilliantly - two of them, to the south and to the east.
The spring peepers were peeping in the distance with an American toad or two adding to the song.

The sky was full of stars and a quarter moon and yet more stars.  As I stood there looking up at the Big Dipper (one of the few constellations I can identify), a woodcock peented from nearby and the leaves from last fall were rustling as new growth pushed up towards open sky.  There was not a bug in sight or sound.

A WPWI began to call from the north, sounding as though it were not more than 100 m away.  I cut through the already long grass, soaking my pants, seeking a view of this bird.

 Scanning with the headlamp, a pair of glowing green eyes sat frozen in place over by the fence line.  Was it really eyes or just a reflective sticker?  Eventually they moved - maybe a WPWI, not scary at all.

Then I remembered the recent reports of bear in the area and reconsidered going any further.
With a sigh, I turned back towards the house and slept well for the rest of the night, content with the world here in Carden.