The ?barking call? of the WESO is the warning/danger call. Before they were extirpated from Bainbridge, this call was heard in response to a barred owl call. I witnessed a barred owl make a pass at a WESO that I had called in back in the mid ?90?s, when barred owls were a novelty to the Island. The barking call was also given one night by the pair nesting in a box behind my garage when a raccoon was prowling the area, and another time when a barred owl showed up when the WESO had recently fledged young. (I found young WESO feathers on my driveway the following morning.)

At this time of year, the WESO have completed nesting, and the fledged young have dispersed.



-Jamie



J. Acker

owler at sounddsl.com <mailto:owler at sounddsl.com>

Bainbridge Island, WA



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Jeffrey Baker
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2017 9:26 AM
To: Tom and Carol Stoner <tcstonefam at gmail.com>; Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Western Screech Owl, perhaps



It's entirely possible. They use to be in Lincoln Park prior to the Barred Owls moving in a few years ago. Barred Owls prey on the Western Screech, so if you did hear one that is fantastic. I may go out this weekend and see if I can call them in for identification. What part of the park were you in?

Thanks,
Jeff Baker
West Seattle

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom and Carol Stoner
Sent: Aug 30, 2017 9:17 PM
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu <mailto:Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Tweeters] Western Screech Owl, perhaps

Wednesday evening at 9:00 I heard an odd call from an area east of the north end of Lincoln Park. My first thought was Barred Owl, but the call I heard was not "who cooks for you?" The unfamiliar call eventually segued into the bouncing ball notes of a Western Screech Owl. When I checked Xeno-Cantu, the initial call matched the "barking call" of a Western Screech Owl. Are there any other possibilities?



Carol Stoner

West Seattle