Greg asked -

> Did my wife Sally and I hear a boreal owl in our neighborhood S.W. of
> Snohomish early Saturday morning, 5/31?

<snip>

Unlikely. The winnowing of a Common Snipe is often mistaken for the call of
a Boreal Owl. If there are marshes, short-grass meadows, or damp fields
around your area, I would favour the snipe. Check it out on your bird tapes
and see if it fits. Note that the pitch of the winnowing of a snipe shows
more ups and downs through its course than the tooting of a Boreal Owl which
usually rises for the first two or three notes then stays at the same pitch
for the duration.

<snip>

> Does anyone know how long boreal owls call? Could it be 45
> minutes or more? I receive only the digest at this time, So you may reply
> to me directly if you wish.

The following is based on my experience with the species in NE BC, latitude 58N:
Boreal Owls start calling in late February and the calling season can last until
around the middle of April depending on weather and the individual bird. In
high breeding season, a Boreal Owl usually calls from sundown to around 1 AM
then lays off until about an hour before dawn then goes at it for another
30 minutes or so. During these intervals, the owl can be calling constantly
with very little pausing, similar to N. Saw-whet Owls. Note that June is well
outside the normal calling window of a Boreal Owl.

- Jack

Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca