[obol] Boreal Owl Song- Question 12/31/07?

[Tim Rodenkirk]

Just back from a couple days of snowshoeing near
Diamond Lake in Douglas Co.  My wife and I spent the
past few nights at motel along the N. Umpqua River and
drove up to the snow each day. On New Years eve we
were slugging up the Mt. Thielsen trail (there was
12-16" of fresh powder and we were breaking trail,
slow going!).  After about a 1/3 of a mile I stopped
for a chickadee/kinglet flock when I suddenly heard a
perfect Boreal Owl song.  As it was 10:30 in the
morning on a beautiful blue, crisp morning I thought
this a bit unusual.  There was a Gray Jay or two in
the area, so I suspect they imitated the song although
they were in the opposite direction from where I heard
the song.  Has anyone ever heard a Gray Jay imitate a
Boreal Owl song?  I know they can imitate pygmy-owls
pretty well. It was an impressive imitation if that is
what it was?  Makes you wonder where they learned the
song if so??  We were in a mixed conifer stand
dominated by mt. hemlock/lodgepole pine with scattered
pacific silver fir, noble/shasta red fir, western
white pine, and with even a few ponderosa pines, not
exactly Boreal Owl habitat but hey, who knows?

Nothing other unusual to report; Mt. Thielsen looked
like an ice sculpture, it was absolutely gorgeous up
there!

Merry New Bird,
Tim R
Coos Bay


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