[obol] Pre-dawn Owl

[Cindy Ashy]

Tom,

I'm glad you posted about your little owl. The replies
have helped me better interpret my sound files.

The Stokes Field Guide gives 3 different calls for the
Pygmy Owl, all series of monotone notes, in this
order:

Pygmy Owl Sound #1:

tooo (3-4 sec delay) tooo (3-4 sec delay) tooo (3-4
sec delay) tooo (3-4 sec delay) tooo

Tone corresponds to a low "B" on my D key tin whistle.

Pygmy Owl Sound #2:

too (1-2 sec delay) too (1-2 sec delay) too (1-2 sec
delay) too (1-2 sec delay) too (1-2 sec delay) too
(1-2 sec delay) too (1-2 sec delay) too 

The tone is one note lower on my D key tin whistle
(whole step) than the first one and a little shorter.
I originally assumed the differences in the tone,
duration of the notes, and delay between notes as
individual variation and/or geographical
variation....but now I think it could be more an
example of the "introductory notes" after it's been
quiet a while. 

Pygmy Owl Sound #3:

to-to, to-to, to-to, to-to, to-to, to-to, to-to,
to-to, to-to

Rapid succession, one two-syllable call every second,
same tone as first one.

The Peterson sound guide gives the one-syllable call
with a tone more like #1 above but with the spacing
between notes more like #2 above...in fact, a little
faster. Their two-syllable call is very similar to
Stokes.

It will be fun to see what calls the owls (and other
birds) respond to. I'm wondering if you're trying to
fool an owl, wouldn't it be better to imitate the
"introductory" calls when you first arrive.

Cindy Ashy



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