Subject: [Tweeters] tooting owl question
Date: Feb 14 16:00:25 2009
From: J. Acker - owler at sounddsl.com


Richard,



Why can't there be two species of owl calling?



Your description is accurate for a Northern Pygmy Owl (NOPO). Single toot,
monotone, about 17 toots/min. In my ear, it is a "purer, more bell like
tone" than a Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO). NSWO calls to my ear tend to be
two slurred tones in the toot. (There are some who claim that NOPO and NSWO
can not be distinguished). At this time of year, NSWO tend to be highly
responsive, and the toots can rise in frequency as well as volume. A NSWO
most likely would have responded to your toots if you had called back with a
NSWO tooting.



Western Screech-owl do not give a toot call that I am aware of. I had a
pair nesting next to my garage for three years, and am familiar with their
calls. In the 16 recordings I have from other sources, I do not have
anything resembling a "toot" call.



I often have other owl species respond to a NOPO call. A possible scenario
for your experience is that you have a NOPO calling (6:30-7:00 am is about
perfect NOPO calling time these days with the sunrise as it is), and a WESO
challenged the NOPO. The NOPO shut down (as it did to you on your previous
experience), and you are left with a WESO doing the classic bouncing ball
call. WESO are also late callers, and will call even after the first crow
calls. NSWO on the other hand, tend to shut down an hour or so before
sunrise (with the exception of the lonely bachelor).



Me thinks you may have two birds..Did you have a sense of direction that
these calls were coming from the same direction?





J. Acker

Bainbridge Island, WA

Owler at sounddsl.com



A voice unspoken (or unwritten) is a voice unheard.

Be heard!



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
Pterodroma at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 8:49 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] tooting owl question



All right, I've got a potential 'new' yard bird at stake here in Bellevue,
Eastgate just south of I-90. Northern Pygmy Owl maybe but that would be
unprecedented around here but not impossible I'd think. Maybe just a
Western Screech, ...or, a longer shot, Northern Saw-Whet (again
unprecedented but not impossible).



Here's the deal. At 6:50am this morning, early light, I stepped out on the
back porch to find myself greeted with single toots repeating monotonously
on the same pitch every 2-3 seconds for about 2 minutes. Hmmm..., sounds
kind of like a Northern Pygmy, me thinks. Of course, after 2 minutes and
the instant I answered back, first toot, it quit, not to seen or heard from
since.



Just a few days ago, I heard a definite Western Screech at about the same
time, 6:45am or so, early morning light. That one gave me a start at first
because the first sounds were single toots repeated like and not dissimilar
to the one this morning, but only twice, maybe three times before going off
on it's more familiar "bouncing ball" call for a minute or two then quite
all together for the day.



I don't recall having ever heard Western Screech Owl just giving single
toots much less repeatedly for several minutes. Is this unusual? As much
as I would like for this to be a Northern Pygmy Owl, my first guess is
Western Screech that for whatever reason decided to toy with me and prompt
me to ask some of you brighter 'Tweets' out there for your thoughts.
Saw-whet isn't out of the question but in all my experience with them, the
toots are on a slightly different pitch and repeated monotonously at a
faster pace.



Western Screech Owl detections in my neighborhood are quite infrequent. I
heard them for a few nights when I first moved here in the Spring 1994, then
never again until last year when I started hearing them (one)again during
the winter and occasionally into the summer. Then nothing until a few
mornings ago when it became only my first yard owl detection at all in 2009.



Thanks for your thoughts and insight.



Richard Rowlett

Bellevue (Eastgate), WA



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