What is making that clicking sound outside?

[Paul F Franklin]

There's some kind of critter, I know not what, that is making a clicking/clucking sound outside. It's like the sound you make by popping your tongue off the roof of your mouth. Or like a faucet drip, but much louder. Roughly once a second but variable, sometimes faster, sometimes slower with occasional pauses of a few seconds. It stops when I open the door to look for a critter but resumes after a minute or two. I'm thinking insect or amphibian; definitely not a bird or it would fly away when I go outside and not a woodpecker; it's not a contact kind of sound.

I'm in NE Ohio and it's a sunny day, about 40 deg F right now. Anybody have any ideas as to what it might be?

[Bob Glenn]

Probably just termites. No need to worry.

[roger wiegand]

Both frogs and insects can make clicks. Any chance of a recording?

[Mark Daily]

If you were in the desert Southwest I would say it might be an Antelabbit but I doubt you would find one in Ohio.

[Mike Soaper]

Might be a pine borer bug that killed many of my pines and had a similar sound. Look for holes in the tree bark about 1/8" - 3/16".

[michael langman]

Do you have red squirrels in your area, or chipmunks?

[Jim Koepke]

Cicadas?

jtk

[Jon Nuckles]

Cicadas?

jtk

That was my first thought, but all of the ones I have heard are much faster than one click per second.

[Ole Anderson]

That was my first thought, but all of the ones I have heard are much faster than one click per second.

some animals/insects beat in proportion to the temp, colder is slower.

[Bill Dufour]

Does not sound like the fish humming noise.
Bil lD.

[Myk Rian]

Do you have red squirrels in your area, or chipmunks?

This. We get the same noise.

[Paul F Franklin]

Thanks all for ideas and suggestions. The noise has not recurred since yesterday so no chance at recording.

We have fox (including the black variety), gray, red and flying squirrels in OH and plenty of chipmunks. It seems a little odd that the sound from one of those would continue in the same area for hours at a time, however, but perhaps a newborn or mother tending a nest (if they do that?).

Also plenty of cicadas. Kind of early for them to emerge here, but certainly possible. I'm familiar with the noise masses of them make but not with a slow, loud click, but could be because of the cold.

Anyway, whatever it was seems to have moved on, (or got eaten?) so this will likely remain a bit of a mystery.

[Brett Luna]

This may be a long shot, Paul but do you live near wetlands? The loud waterdrop sound you described reminds me of the American bittern. You can hear a recording of the call at the link. They tend to freeze rather than flush, which is also consistent with your description.

[Ben Darrah]

If you have oak trees, or other seeds/nuts in your yard that squirrels like, I'll make a bet its chippies or squirrels. I have lots of oaks and hear the same thing often. They are really active early this year. I'm in NE Oh.

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting sound from one of the trees around my place today. It was a kind of tick, tick, tick, tick, tick poing sound. We do have a lot of migrating birds coming through so it is likely something on its way to somewhere else.

jtk