ML459472711
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Playback used
Media notes
This media was downloaded from a recording app used on my phone during NSWO playback surveys. recordings were faint to begin with and quality was lost by downloading it from an app, emailing it to myself to edit, and then trimming the audio.
Observation details
I'll be happy to supply the full written survey methods for the Playback/response surveys, but here is a summary of how I counted the birds individually: The methods of counting individuals during these surveys was very much in favor of an extremely conservative count. After the first Saw-whet Owl was heard any additional owl heard could not be counted until an owl was detected calling from each previous location. This means that a second owl couldn't be added to the data until the first owl was heard calling from the same location again, and a third owl couldn't be included in the data until owls called from the location of both the first and second owls again. Even though visual detections were welcome and exciting, they were not included in count data because they could very likely have been owls who previously called. Multiple owls calling from the same direction and distance were only counted if their calls overlapped, which was the case this night and the nights of January 10th and 26th. Three visuals were obtained this night each of low flyovers through open wooded tracks surrounded by dense understory. Two were very likely the same bird making laps to see what the playback was about. Birds were only counted if they either gave a "long whine" call, or any variation of their "toot" series. While their barks and hisses and bill claps became distinct to me throughout the season I did not include those detections as individual birds unless they gave a long whine call or a toot series. The long whine call is an ascending "cry" that lasts for about 2 seconds before it descends. Most the toot-series that I heard this season was a rapid series of "toots" that lasted about 4-7 seconds. During the first 3 seconds the toots would rise in tempo and pitch and then level off for the last 1-3 seconds. Four birds this night were first detected from long whine calls and two birds were first detected from toot series. Each bird counted was either heard multiple times throughout the survey or associated closely with additional owls that called and were all counted as one. I managed to record one or two distant "toot series" this night, that audio will be attached as soon as I get a chance. Additional observers were Dr. Andrew George (and two of his boys), Mary Marine, Emma Buckart, Luke Headings, and Andrew Braun. I would be happy to send the reviewer more details about where specifically each owl called from with coordinates that I took the night of the survey, but I will refrain from spreading this information widely in order to protect the owls for future seasons if they continue to overwinter in this county. Banding efforts may be included in future research.
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 79.74 KB