# Midsomer Murders - What is that nocturnal animal/bird cry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581 "2014-11-04T05:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/1 "2014-11-04T05:25:23Z")
In pretty much every episode of “Midsomer Murder” with an outdoor night time scene, sooner or later you hear a cry. A sort of loudish “YAWWK.” At first I thought it might be the death cry of some animal, but sometimes you’ll hear it repeatedly, just a couple minutes apart, and I don’t think there would be that many animals getting offed that quickly. So, maybe some bird? Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/2 "2014-11-04T05:37:28Z")
I believe it’s a fox. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/3 "2014-11-04T07:50:06Z")
It could be this bird, a nocturnal predator: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/European\_Nightjar](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/European_Nightjar) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZKJLEkzH78) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/4 "2014-11-04T10:28:10Z")
[This old blog](http://www.rousette.org.uk/blog/archives/midsomer-murders/) talks of the gratuitous use of fox and owl sound effects > [@](#): > > There are many reasons to find Midsomer Murders laughable1, but the thing that gets me every week is the sound effects. At some point, the people responsible for sound effects must have reasoned thusly: > > Midsomer is a rural area. > Rural areas have lots of foxes and owls. > Foxes and owls come out at night, and their calls are a bit spooky. > Therefore, every night scene should have a minimum of one fox scream or owl hoot per two seconds. > If there were as many foxes in Midsomer as there appear to be from the soundtrack, the dead bodies would never actually hit the ground — instead, they would recline gently on a carpet of screaming foxes. If there was a BAFTA for “Most Gratuitous Use of Nocturnal Animal Cries and Calls” (and there should be) then Midsomer Murders would be a dead cert for the award. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/5 "2014-11-04T14:16:54Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > [This old blog](http://www.rousette.org.uk/blog/archives/midsomer-murders/) talks of the gratuitous use of fox and owl sound effects I am not sure I agree. I live in a town, but I have a family of foxes living in my back garden, and quite often hear fox cries at night. On the other hand, fox calls don’t really say “rural” any more in Britain. There may be more urban ones now. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/6 "2014-11-04T14:31:37Z")
Foxes, eh? Thanks! Off to google for an audio sample, just to make sure… ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/7 "2014-11-04T14:41:47Z")
Shoot, too late to edit, but I found a video called ‘Cry of the Red Fox’ and that is absolutely it. Thanks again for solving that little mystery. It nagged at me for at least two seconds every time I heard it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/8 "2014-11-04T14:54:15Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I am not sure I agree. I live in a town, but I have a family of foxes living in my back garden, and quite often hear fox cries at night. > > On the other hand, fox calls don’t really say “rural” any more in Britain. There may be more urban ones now. London set soap Eastenders also uses that same wretched fox sound any time people venture into any sort of woodland at night. It’s very irritating. If they want eerie I don’t know why they don’t use tom cat calls and the sound of catfights. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/9 "2022-10-26T01:21:42Z")
It’s night in Midsomer county in the UK, and evil is afoot (this happens often there, surprisingly). Suddenly the quiet night is rent by the shriek of some nocturnal denizen of the woods…piercing, frightening, and reminiscent of a fisher cat here in the US (except I don’t think they have those in the UK). What could it be? Some kind of owl? A velociraptor? It starts in earnest around 00:50 here…but honestly, pick any episode and you might hear it. What the hell is that? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HwVZ5BrPKfo/maxresdefault.jpg "Midsomer Murders - Season 6, Episode 5 - Birds of Prey - Full Episode") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVZ5BrPKfo) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/10 "2022-10-26T01:24:42Z")
> [@Midsomer Murders - What is that nocturnal animal/bird cry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581): > > In pretty much every episode of “Midsomer Murder” with an outdoor night time scene, sooner or later you hear a cry. A sort of loudish “YAWWK.” At first I thought it might be the death cry of some animal, but sometimes you’ll hear it repeatedly, just a couple minutes apart, and I don’t think there would be that many animals getting offed that quickly. So, maybe some bird? Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/11 "2022-10-26T01:27:07Z")
My god, it was so strange I didn’t thinkto look. Mods, please delete this thread! ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/12 "2022-10-26T01:27:39Z")
A fox. I have only heard them on TV programmes such as MM, but they are pretty unmistakable. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/13 "2022-10-26T01:29:18Z")
No need to delete, I think. Other people might have the same question. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/14 "2022-10-26T14:54:32Z")
Threads merged. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midsomer-murders-what-is-that-nocturnal-animal-bird-cry/703581/15 "2026-05-01T01:05:46Z")
Bumping this to say that we’re now watching the series Silent Witness and every four or five episodes that same fox cry sounds in the night. The Foley artists must’ve loved using it.