Last weekend (Aug. 14) we spent some time at a friend of my wife's who lives in a house where she has odd occurrences from time to time. I posted a thread on this visit here[/URL].

When I was there I took pictures, video, and ran an audio recorder in a couple of the upstairs rooms where unexplained noises are often heard. I felt goosebumps in the corner of one of the rooms. The pictures didn't turn up anything, I haven't had a chance to view the video in its entirety yet, but I did come across a couple of odd sounds in the audio recording I made.

The first one sounds like it could be someone screaming, or it could be a squawking bird outside. It is very faint, it's hard to hear over the noise. I had to boost the recording quite a bit and then equalize out some of the noise to bring out the "screams". Note that there was a TV on in the house at the time, so some of the noises/music you hear is from the TV.

Screams? Or a bird? (40 second WAV)[/URL]

NEW: My video camera, which was running in the spare room at the same time, also picked up the "screams". The sound quality is slightly better on this version, and it sounds more like a child screaming than a bird!

Screams (from video camera) (30 second WAV)[/URL]

The second recording was taken in the room where I felt the goosebumps the first time I went in. There is also a TV playing in this one, so that's what the singing is. I can hear what sounds like a child running (footsteps). This is a sound that is commonly heard coming from the upstairs rooms when there's no one up there.

Footsteps? (5 second WAV)[/URL]

Any thoughts?

EDIT 8/23 - posted links to WAVs instead of MP3s (better quality), and added link to video camera's rendition of the "scream"

[ August 23, 2004, 01:30 PM: Message edited by: Kevin P ]

Hmmm.....Well it seems you've captured something. I can definitely hear the screams in the first one. The first thing that popped into my mind was that it sounded like a parrot. I also hear the footsteps in the second one. And I agree on that one too, it does sound like a child running. It's so hard to tell though because of all the bachground noise.

I honestly am having a hard time forming an opinion either way. Next time I would definitely leave the recorder running, but with nothing else on in the house. I think you had already said that, that was the plan. Sorry that I can't be of much help. I'm definitely interested to hear what everyone else thinks.

I heard the screams in the first recording....that noise gave me goosflesh all over. If it was a bird it would of had to have been close to the window for it to sound so clear. It would be interesting to see what you could record there with no back-ground noise.

Actually, the screams were very faint. I boosted the recording quite a bit to make it audible. Most of the noise in the screams recording was just background hiss (which got amplified as well), and a little bit of noise from the downstairs TV. If it was a bird, it was far away, otherwise it would have been a lot louder.

If it was a parrot, like Trinity suggested, it would have to be in a neighbor's house, since parrots can't survive in the wild in the arctic zone we live in. =)

Next time, I'll definitely try to arrange it so the house is empty and everything is turned off while recording.

Yeah I had to turn my speakers way up to hear it!To me the first one sounded like a bird.. if not a bird it kinda sounded like a rabbit. Like when I rabbit gets cornered by another animal they will scream like that.

The second one was so short that I couldn't make much of it.

Ok, for those who have broadband, or are patient, I uploaded WAV files of the two clips. These files are much larger, but they aren't compressed so they are higher quality--the sounds are more audible.

Screams (1.8 MB WAV)[/URL]

Footsteps (205 KB WAV)[/URL]

I'm wondering if the screams are an animal outside--a bird or a rabbit as suggested. The footsteps are more intriguing. If you don't hear them at first, play the file several times in a row. You'll notice they sound like a child running across the floor. It also helps to use headphones instead of speakers, to hear the sounds better.

[ August 18, 2004, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: Kevin P ]

I just finished listening to the second set of recording you posted. I couldn't hear the footsteps in the first one, but can hear them in the second...i don't have headphones, so I turned the speakers up high and put my head to it :-)
Do you know any of the history of the house, did a child die or was very ill in the house...or lord forbid, did your friend loose a child.
Also the more I listened to the scream one the more it sounded like a crow....are there crow where you live? They can cry and make noise like that...

Haha that first one makes my dog go nuts lol!

The second one I listened to a couple of times and could hear the footsteps this time. Very faintly but they're there.

Yeah do you know the history of the house?? That would be something to look into.

Ok, I listened again. Still going with a bird for the first one. Not saying that that's what I think it is, but that's what it sounds like. Well, there's parts of it that sound like a bird, then parts of it that almost sound like a person. Very strange.

I have to agree again as far as the second one goes, it does sound like someone/something running across the floor.

I'd be very interested to hear about some of the history of the house.

[ August 18, 2004, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Trinity ]

I don't know much about the house, nor does she. It belongs to her boyfriend's parents (who moved out several years ago), and the two of them live there. He's not very social and doesn't seem to believe there's anything there. She's the one who tells the stories, sees things, hears things, feels things, etc. I doubt I'll be able to get much info on the history. Maybe she'd know if her boyfriend had a young sibling who passed away in the house.

Moonspirit - yes we have crows around here, and know what they sound like, but I've never heard a crow scream like that! =)

The first time she told us about the house being haunted, she mentioned hearing voices in the kitchen (that suddenly stop when investigated), hearing footsteps upstairs, and she's seen apparitions too - a man outside that sometimes follows her boyfriend around when he's outside. So if there is a child ghost, maybe there's an adult ghost too? It's intriguing.

My sister in law and brother used to live in an old haunted farm house. (Gorgeous house!!!) They used to hear the same thing. Almost like a tv was on upstairs, while they were downstairs...but when they'd go up to check it out, it would just stop.

Hmmm....maybe your wife's friend could look up some of the history? I can understand her not wanting to ask her boyfriend, esepcially if he doesn't think that there is anything strange going on. I agree, it is very intriguing. The more I hear about it...the more I want to know!

Does your friend have a tape recorder that she can just sit in the room that you felt something in? Maybe when she is in the house slone? That could be something to consider....

I know it is frustrating when you see something and feel something and seem to get nothing on film. Saturday the "ghost hunters" found nothing unusual anywhere and got nothing on film. Sunday morning I felt the cold spot once again here in the computer room...I said, "Geez..you couldn't of done that yesterday?" Snapped a picture..maybe something will show up maybe not. Question for you KevinP....when you sense a spirit...is it a subtle feeling? Or overwhelming? Is feeling a cold spot the same as sensing something is there?

She's coming over Friday night so I'll ask her some more things. Such as if the footsteps she hears always sound like a child. I'll play the recording and see if she hears the same footsteps.

Next time her boyfriend's parents are around she said she'd ask them, but that could be a while. I don't know how often they visit.

When we first showed up, her sister in law was there and she said she heard footsteps before we arrived. I asked her what they sounded like and she said they sounded like faint child-like footsteps. After that I went upstairs with the camera and felt the goosebump sensation in a room upstairs, which is where the recorder was when it picked up the footsteps.

If the house belonged to her family (instead of his), we could probably find out more, since we're friends with her, but not really with him (he keeps to himself mainly, he never comes over with her when she visits us, some boyfriend she has).

I did mention to her one time to take pictures if she saw, heard or felt anything but I don't think she has yet. I don't know if she has a tape recorder that would serve that purpose. I used a portable minidisc recorder with a plug-in microphone to get my recordings.

I still have the video I haven't reviewed yet. The video camera was running at the same time the MD recorder picked up the "screams", so it's possible that the "screams" could be on the video tape as well. Hopefully I'll be able to check that out some night this week.

quote:

Ooooooh I can't wait to hear about the results of that video!!

I'm looking forward hearing about the video too I guess the crow theroy was a little out there
Just one more question for you, and I promise I will leave you alone =) Are you a "reader"? Not a pshyic (sp?) but someone that can pick up on spirits/ghost easy and are able to communicate with them? I am sorry for all the questions, but I am new to this paranormal thing and I guess I am like a school kid..filled with questions.
Thanks in adavance.....
PS I plan on having my husband hear your recordings...see what he thinks they could be...I bet he won't say it "sounds like a crow" LOL

No, I'm not a reader or psychic, I'm just a guy who's fascinated with the paranormal and discovered that I can "feel" sensations in haunted places, but I can't (as yet) communicate with them, or even know for certain that there's something there. I just feel goosebumps, or disoriented, and have to make assumptions based on that. Heck, I have a lot of the same questions as you have. I'm basically a newbie too. I hang out here, read books about ghosts, and check out haunted places in order to learn more about them.

As for the scream, I was playing around with it on the computer, slowing it down, to see if I could make heads or tails of it, even slowed down it sounds more like a bird than a human. I don't think it's a crow though. =)

The footsteps do sound like footsteps though. That could possibly be a real EVP.

I'm really not certain what made that screaming sound as it was hard to tell with the TV voices/noises. It did sound a bit like some kind of bird though. Was there a window open? It does sound far away. Was the screaming taped in the same room as the footsteps tape? The footsteps are faint but it does sound like either footsteps or some sort of knocking. If that is the same sound that is heard coming from that room when noone is up there then you may very well have captured something intersting with this one. I too can't wait to hear if you find something in the video.

Even if nothing more comes of the tapes/video this time some of what you have experienced this go around will help with your next try ie: knowing what rooms to focus on and eliminating the background noises (TV, ppl etc). Maybe in the meantime your friend may hear the screaming noise again to be able to identify for sure what made it. Good luck with the next investigation. =)

Thanks for answering my questions KevinP. I have been doing alot of reading...researching..I have gone to alot of different websites. Some of them are good, some not so good. There is so much out there on the internet, that it boggles the mind. I have alot of evp's saved on the computer(not mine) that I listen to over and over again. Some of them are very clear, and some are down right spooky.
Keep us all updated on what you find out on the video.... =)

If it's a bird it certainly is a strange one. I did hear a similar bird near my house two nights ago.
The strange thing about the sounds is that it changes so much. Several of the noises are similar in tone, pitch and length but some of them change. Most birds don't do that.
It does sound an aweful lot like a small child in pain and fear. You know how small children will give that wail where they take in breath between screams to keep the scream loud when they are suffering from something.
Even that footstep one is hard to distinguish. It could be footsteps or it could be someone knocking or banging on something. It could be from nearby never mind in the house.

Or it could be that bird screaming and then knocking. =)