Hi Dan,

I have whistled in many Northern Pygmy-Owls over the decades while leading birding trips, most often while whistling to pull out a sample of local songbirds. But the odds of getting a response are low in any one spot, so keep whistling in every forested zone. I find September and February-March the best months to get a response from the owls, but have found owls in every month.

I don't think there is a single best go-to spot, as the birds seem to use a variety of conifer and mixed forest habitats. I like the Douglas-fir/Ponderosa Pine spots best.
And a spot where the little owl is very responsive one day may be silent the next. Or not -- some owls are responsive again and again. I whistle a minimum of 5 minutes, often 10, in a likely looking spot or previous spot, as it often takes a while to get lucky.

A few places I have turned up Pygmy-Owls repeatedly (also places I bird repeatedly) are Swakane Canyon about 7.5 miles up; Camas Ck. Rd about 7.2 miles out; and Vantine Rd. near Tenino just about anywhere from .5 miles to the end; and anywhere in Robinson or Manastash Canyons.

A vocal response often leads to the bird flying gradually in and perching in the upper portion of a tree, as long as you keep whistling and whistling. I've only spotted one perched, without my having tooted, a handful of times.

Good luck, Bob Sundstrom

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 28, 2017, at 3:36 PM, notcalm at comcast.net wrote:
>
> Hello Tweeters,
>
> I would like to locate a Northern Pygmy owl in Eastern or Western Washington.
> I have tried many times this year to find one and have not.
> Any help and information would be appreciated and kept private.
>
> Thank you,
> Dan Reiff
>
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> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
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