They were whip-poor-wills (Caprimulgus vociferus).
It is a species of nightjar that actually says “whip poor will” in its call. The birds have unfortunately become less common in recent years. But a few of these land on the trees near the house and call every night in the summer. When they are very close, they don’t sound exactly like whip-poor-wills. They litterally jar the house.
The genus name for this species is Caprimulgus. That means “goat sucker.” It was once believed that European nightjars sucked milk from goats at night. I’ve not heard of a similar legend about whip-poor-wills.
[…] The answer. […]
I’ve been hearing a whipporwill at night (and early morning) this year, too. I may have heard it last summer, but not before then. Hearing their loud calls means summer is officially here!
Birds should not have whiskers!