Upstate NY Woman Captures Eerie Screams on Ring Cam – What is It?

Blood-Curdling Screams

It's enough to freak anyone out - especially if you don't know what it is.  A woman in Upstate New York shared a video from her Ring Cam recently and it was equal parts perplexing and terrifying, but not all that unusual.

The entire video is a little over a minute long, and Sandy Thompson from Potsdam, NY (about 3 and 1/2 hours north of Albany) posted the video from her Ring Cam along with a question, hoping to get some clarity regarding the odd, and somewhat frightening audio.

"Can someone tell me what this noise is? Is something getting hurt? Or this is just the noise they make? It was a bit unsettling."

"Unsettling" may be the understatement of the year.  These screams sound like bloody murder and if I heard these same noises in Albany where I live, there's no doubt I'd call 9-11.

Thompson posted her Ring Cam video to a Facebook group for wildlife enthusiasts in Upstate NY, and there was no shortage of theories from people who have experienced something similar.

What Was It?

The Ring Cam video is about one minute and eight seconds long, and the most audible "screams" come at the 10-second mark, and again at around the 35-second mark.

The screams come in waves, and people familiar with wildlife in Upstate New York were quick to point out the horrifying sounds more than likely came from a pack of coyotes.

What Do Coyotes Scream at Night?

Various sources theorize that Coyotes are often responsible for making those eerie screams heard at night in the wilderness, but it's a mystery why the shrieking becomes horrifyingly loud, and then abruptly stops.

The scream may come from a pack of coyotes trying to get back together again after a period of individual hunting.

Another reason that coyotes howl is to "advertise their presence to other packs, essentially warning those other family groups against trespassing across territorial boundaries."

Is it the Sound of a "Kill"?

Many people assume that deafening sounds made by a coyote pack indicate a kill, but wildlife experts will tell you that's not necessarily the case.

Why would coyotes announce "free food" to other predators?

The shriek could however be the sound of another animal under attack by a group of coyotes, and that could produce a blood-curdling sound.

In general, while the sounds at night might be alarming, typically, there's nothing to be concerned about, unless the coyotes are visible and are aggressive toward humans or pets.
Chances are they're a few hundred yards away, so if you hear these noises at night, there's no imminent threat to humans.