There was a bird singing in the middle of the night. What kind ?

My guess is you were listening to a Northern Mockingbird. Any bird disturbed during the night might sing, of course, but the Mockingbird is the most prominent night singer in the US. We don't have Nightingales here sadly.

Hey I live in western NY, too, and this has not happened to me yet. Would a nightingale sing at night? What did it sound like?

According to Wikipedia, it sounds like that's what it is. But they aren't native to North America (Europe and southwest Asia). It is possible some have been brought over. Anyone else know about this?

Here in Denmark there's always a whole chorus of birds singing in the middle of the night in the summertime.

I had this same question a number of years agao and a friend of mine who happens to be a birder shared her most plausible answer with me. Probably it is a mockingbird, since a young male mockingbird practices all night long so that he can use his "wonderful song" in the daytime on the females. He was certainly lucky at the time, that he was not trying to impress me.....

One of the mimids. Catbirds, Mockingbirds and thrashers often sing regardless of the time of day or night.

whipoorwills(sp?) often make calls early in the morning, but its not exactly singing

could it be a nightingale they are small and sing real pretty

doves they'r everywhere annoying things