On Thu, 21 Dec 1995, Anna Coles wrote:

> I have a question related to the "rabbit in distress" screams [...]

> Also, I didn't know tapes of such screams were available. Where might
> one obtain such a tape? Have I just missed them in birding supply stores?

Well, as Herb says, they are used widely by those who regard four legged
critters without hooves as "varmints," and the back of rod and gun
magazines will have ads.

Herb is also probably right that they are more likely to call in owls at
night than hawks in the day. I've seen a picture in one of said rod and
gun magazines showing a Great Horned Owl perched about six feet from
these guys in a blind with a speaker. But judging from the way
Sharp-shinned and Coopers Hawks will occasionally come flying out of the
shrubbery at you when you make squeaking noises to attract small birds, I
bet you might get some interest from the daytime raptors, too.

I actually have a secret weapon for electronic birding. Think, what could
be more attractive to predators than the sound of a dying rabbit? That's
right, a dying *baby* rabbit. Well, it wasn't dying really. The dog
found a half-dozen 1/3 grown rabbits in the backyard, and their screams
attracted the attention of me and my housemate (Sandy, the mammalogist)
before anything dire happended to them (see Primal Scream thread...). For
something smaller than a kitten, they sure can make a racket. So, being
as how I had a fancy tape recorder and microphone, and harassing mammals
was practically Sandy's profession, we got some recordings. Sandy held a
youngster and gently poked it in it's belly while I held the microphone
six inches away. The tape sits on my shelf. Maybe I'll pull it out for
the Everett Christmas count...


Chris Hill
Everett, WA
cehill at u.washington.edu