Sounds like a raccoon to me. I hear them screaming at night all the time, but Ihaven't heard them in the daytime. However, raccoons are often active during the day, especially in more isolated areas (raccoons have apparently become more nocturnal in response to pressures from people). So you may have heard two raccoons having a tussle while out foraging. I would not be concerned - as scary as it sounds (and as annoying as it is when it when it wakes you up), it's normal for raccoons. If you see a raccoon behaving without fear during the daytime, yes, call animal control in case of rabies - but if you're just hearing them, I would not worry. Right now the mommas are probably foraging more to feed babies, and scuffles and fights may be more common.

Raccoon babies are now ready to be weaned and they make some awful rackets. They are like little two year old humans who fight over everything and cry/scream if they don't get their way. And they have a large variety of sounds they can make. And like human children, they don't always sleep when they are supposed to so seeing them during daytime isn't that unusual.

Maybe a screech owl?

Rabbits also scream horribly when they are attacked. Although you probably wouldn't hear that every day. But believe me, once you've heard it, you won't forget it.

When I read your description, I thought of fox. I've heard Mama Fox calling alarms to her babies and I honestly thought it was a child screaming.

I think the consensus here is that it is probably some type of wild critter and probably nothing to worry about. Those nature noises can be eerie though.

There are some sites on the Internet that will give you an audio sample of various animals. Do a search, and listen, and maybe you can figure out what it is. I know how scary some of those sounds can be!

You heard coons fighting. I hear them every night just as soon as I turn the lights off and go to bed. It is usually over with quickly and sounds worse than what it is. If you've planted sweet corn they will get into it.
Sam

Have you got a tape recorder? Maybe you could record it for the game warden to listen to.

I decided it was raccoons and then, this morning, as I was sitting down to the computer, a young fox came right up to the basement window and made the sound. Sounded like it was right in the basement which freaked me out but I got to watch him run back into the woods. My cat was a little weirded out... :)
Thanks!

That's interesting! If I have ever heard a fox, I didn't know what it was. When I lived in the woods, i sure heard a variety of odd and unusual noises many of which I could not identify. I sure would have bet on baby coons since they have such a wide variety of sounds. I finally got to the point of hearing a weird sound and just assumed it was "some" animal. Glad there was never an axe murder attacking people near me - I wouldn't have batted an eye at a blood curdling scream. LOL.

I had just about the same experience earlier this spring, and scared the daylights out of me. We live with woods behind us and a cornfield on the other side,and had seen a red fox a few times during the winter. Luckily I remembered a co-worker who is a deer hunter telling me about a fox walking under his stand early one morning screaming its head off( scared him too!) They do this hair raising noise during mating season also.

Has anyone ever heard a fishercat? I have heard screams also and wondered if it was a fishercat. Someone said that they scream something awful.

Rabbits being attacked make a very high pitched screaming noise. I hear it on occasion here in Santa Fe where we have a lot of rabbits and a lot of coyotes. Hopefully it's quick and painless. :-( Socializing young coyotes often make short yipping noises.