[obol] Boreal Owl, Sisters Mirror Lk, Deschutes Co.

[Kevin Spencer]

OBOL,

After reconsidering my listing of a Western Screech Owl, Sisters Mirror Lake, Deschutes Co., based on the fact that I didn't at the time think that the calls sounded like Western Screech Owl when I heard them, (but it was the closest  sound of a species I was familiar with), and that I thought at the time that the habitat was "odd" for a screech owl, and that I have since listened to Boreal Owl recordings (Stokes Western Region), I believe that the calls I heard were unmistakenly those of a Boreal Owl.

The calls were very much like the whistles of a Western Screech Owl, but the calls I heard lacked the slower and faster portions of a Western Screech Owl. The whistles were evenly paced or spaced whistles repeated in a series. The Stokes recording that I've listened to since are what I would call exact copies of what I heard on the evening of 13 Aug. The habitat included Lodgepole Pine and Mountain Hemlock. There were many scattered openings, and the topography was rather level. The habitat I have usually found W. Screech Owl  on th eastside has been mostly deciduous and associated conifers in Klamath Co. while in Lake Co. in association with Juniper. The elevation at Sisters Mirror Lake is at roughly 6000 ft. Elevations for locations I've encountered W. Screech Owl in Klamath Co. is 4200 ft,  around the Upper Klamath Lake, and roughly 4500 ft near Fort Rock, and 6000 ft for Picture Rock Pass over in Lake Co.. So, maybe the elevation may not seem to be that odd, but the habitat certainly didn't fit what I'm used to. However, upon hearing the recordings I am convinced that the calls I heard were those of Boreal Owl. 

I also see that Todd Lake, an area  where Boreal Owl has been detected in the past, is not that far away. Sisters Mirror Lake is just east of the Lane County line, and is in Deschutes Co. From the north end of the shallow portion of the lake I would say the calling came roughly 100m to the east of that north end of the lake. The bird called for a few minutes, starting at roughly 9:30 pm, when it had become about as dark as it was going to get. There was no moon. I did not hear it again that night. The next day we hiked out to Devils Lake Trailhead, roughly 4-4.5 miles. 

Thanks to Dave Irons who caused me to revisit some questions I had at the time when I heard the calls.

Kevin Spencer
rriparia at charter.net