It may not have been a distress call. ?I have photographed many ?female osprey sitting on nests. ? They will make a call which ?our human brains interpret as sounding like ?a distress call. ?I believe it is a call to their mates for food.?
An osprey once hovered near my house making a similar call. I believe it was calling out to its mate in an effort to locate the nest. ?This would make sense in your case since the cries you heard were after dark.?Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA