[obol] Cool Owling Experience...but uncertain what I heard

[Cindy Ashy]

I got pretty good at getting the Barred Owls to answer
back years ago in Florida with the "Who cooks for you,
who cooks for you, who cooks for all" type calls and a
certain trill sound I can make with a small clay
ocarina. Lately, I've been listening a lot to owl
sounds and trying to learn to imitate others. I
decided to stop at Ona Beach SP tonight well after
dark and try them out. 

There was a half moon above the tree height but still
pretty dark because of partial cloud cover. I walked
the path from the parking lot to the ocean with no
flashlight and trying not to make any noise other than
the calls I was making. I tried the one and two note
versions of Northern Pygmy Owl calls, the bouncy ball
Western Screech Owl calls, the long shriller and
continuous calls of Northern Saw-whet Owl, and the
Barred Owl. I've decided Owling is sort of like
fishing. Nothing really exciting takes place for long
periods of time but its fun just being out there
trying and then all of sudden you "get a bite" and
it's a rush. I was about 1/3 of the way down the path
when I got my "bite" with the best bait being the two
noted Northern Pygmy Owl call. At first I just got an
agitated Great Blue Heron but then from low in a tree
I heard a whistle come back which was exciting enough
but then almost immediately afterwards from high in a
tree I heard a much lower toned owl....3 hoots and
then a drawn out inflected 2 part hoot. I answered
with another series of two noted Northern Pygmy Owl
calls...and it answered back....I answered again with
a series of two note calls....then I waited.....long
pause......then, it answered in what seemed like a
more agitated voice and then I saw if fly east out of
the tree with its dark silhouette against a small
patch of moonlit sky. It called once more in the
distance and then I never heard it again. It was so
cool having this owl talk back but the question is
which owl was it? I know from the silhouette it was a
large owl. I knew for sure it was not a Great Horned
and at the time I easily eliminated Barred (I'm very
familar with their primary sound). From memory of my
sound files, I thought I might have a Spotted Owl...I
knew it was a long shot but still it was an exciting
possibility. As soon as I got home (drenched as a
drowned rat), I listened to the Spotted Owl sound file
and became even more convinced. Later, I listened to
all my owl sound files again and re-discovered a
secondary call by the Barred Owl that might also fit
the bill...and I eliminated all other owls as
possibilities....then I read in the Burrows/Gilligan
Birds of Oregon book that the Spotted Owl voice sounds
"...like the Barred Owl's hoo-hoo, hooooo notes, but
generally higher pitched and without pace changes..."
My sound file of the Spotted Owl does show pace
changes, in fact more so than the Barred Owl's
secondary sound....the sound I heard in the tree is
more like my sound file of the Spotted Owl than the
secondary Barred Owl sound but I could have been
hearing the "I'm agitated by this agitated pygmy owl"
sound.

Any opinions?

Cindy Ashy



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