It sounded like a whole herd of goats got loose in the desert.

For awhile we lay there debating if there were indeed agitated goats meandering the desert. Or maybe it was birds? Andrew had asked earlier, WHAT is that NOISE? Quail? But quail usually nest at night. And it didn't sound like quail anyway.

Whatever it was, it was a cacophony. We tossed and turned. Scott finally said, ENOUGH, I'm shutting the windows. Between the shades and the goatbirds, I can't sleep. I'd rather be hot.

(Goatbirds!! Tee hee! That cracked me up.)

Now I still couldn't fall asleep wondering about these mythical, loud creatures behind our house. I started thinking about when I was growing up – we had no a/c – and the racket the tree toads would make at night. You wouldn't believe how loud those things are. They don't sound like goats or birds, though.

Scott said, well, anyway, I don't think we have tree toads or frogs here in Arizona.

I said, well, that's what you think! According to HM (our resident nature geek), however, tree frogs are the state amphibian (so there)!

I finally could bear it no more and today I googled: In fact, our goatbirds are not likely to be tree frogs, after all; tree frogs live in the woods at higher elevations in Arizona. We live in the low elevation Sonoran desert.

Goatbird

I did find this, though! The Sonoran green toad:

Toad and spadefoot activity is highly correlated with the monsoon season. Some species may be active as early as late spring while others will be out only after summer rains. If it is cool enough, desert amphibians may occasionally be active during the day. However, most species are primarily active at night when one often hears the strange calls of males from quite a distance. Some sound like bleating sheep, others chirp, snore, or wheeze; some make almost no sound at all.

Summer rains! Bleating sheep!

I win, I win!