Kathleen Hunt's father wrote:

>I tried to identify it from the book (an old Peterson). It was definitely a
>hoot, not a screech, so I thought great horned or barred. It repeated the
>same pattern: hoot-hoothoothoot-hoothoothoot-hoot. Now the book says a
>barred owl is sometimes called an eight-hooter, and there are eight hoots
>for you, but, according to Peterson, not in that 1-3-3-1 pattern. The book
>seems to say that it should be 2-2 and then another 2-2.
>
>Do you have any owl experts to advise of this? And how do you find an owl?
>Do they hoot from the same tree where they live and drop their pellets? Do
>they favor conifers over deciduous trees?
>
>Or does one go out and pish? But if I'm a successful pisher, will I be
>carried off?
>
>***
>
>What do y'all think? Would this be a female great horned?

I think so. And you can tell your father there are very few reports of
pishers among great horned owl prey remains.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416