Michael,

Don't count out Barred Owl. They have an increadable range of
vocalizations. They go from the typical "who-cooks-for-you
who-cooks-for-you-all" to a sound like a yaping monkey in a tropical
forest to a sound most similar to the blood curdling scream of a cat being
flayed alive (opps, don't ask me how I know what that sounds like :) ).

--------------------------------------------------------
Russell Rogers
4510 Glenn Way SW
Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 935-6280
rrogers at halcyon.com
--------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 26 Nov 1996, Michael B. Brown wrote:

> This morning, around 5 A.M. as I tried to convince myself to get up, I heard
> *something* calling repeatedly outside. My first thought was "owl!".
> As I thought about how to describe the call I came up with the following:
>
> A high pitched "ha HAAA hoo".
>
> Just now, I was listening to my Peterson CD. The closest call to what I
> heard comes from the Burrowing Owl! Of course, range is all wrong, and
> habitat seems unlikely. But what Peterson transcribes as "a mellow co-hoo"
> sounds remarkably similar in combined pitch and quality. If I were to modify
> the Peterson description, I would say "co-HOO ho".
>
> Now, it also crossed my mind I was hearing some sort of fowl. I know there
> is at least one rooster within a half mile. The quality of the call might be
> described as fowl-like. If it WAS some sort of fowl, it was out of its
> territory, it sounded quite close.
>
> Ideas, anyone?
> Michael B. Brown