What makes that clinking noise in the trees at night?

Maybe cicadas? I’m not sure if they’re that far up north though. They’re everywhere down here in Texas and they sound like what you’re describing!

I’m sure it’s NOT bats (they’d be flying) ... and racoons trill (plus you’d hear them shuffling around on the limbs).

I believe you are hearing cicadas. In the next week or so as it cools off you’ll hear less & less of them. (I live in WI, and by next week they’ll all be dead here).

It’s snarlry toothed, warty-nosed witches tapping their fingers while they wait for you to go to sleep so they can try to get into your room and steal your soul for the devil. What else could it be?

My guess would be frogs. They have an incredible range of sounds that they make. There’s a type of tree frog (as an example) called a carpenter frog because it sounds like someone hammering. Or the pig frog, that sounds like a pig grunting.

maybe frogs.. but i would check for creepers o.O