ML90589411
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Unknown age, Unknown sex - X
- Sounds
- Call; Song
- Playback
- Playback not used
Media notes
2 instances of rapid calls in the last recorded bout here, after the non-singing NOPO flew in the direction of the singing one.
Observation details
One individual singing northwest of Sage Mtn Center, then later from SW - first heard at 0800 before beginning this count. Sang in bouts of variable length separated by periods of silence. Last noted singing near the count end, at 1113. We first located the owl at ca 0850, perched in the dead top of a live Douglas-fir on a rocky knoll above a draw. It was silent between 0855 and 0904; sang from 0904 to 0907. Silent until 0912, when it briefly gave a few more toots. At 0915 it turned so it was facing W, then turned back to the east. Occasionally I heard a few very similar-sounding toots in the distance but at maximum 3 in a row and also heard downslurred, soft "pew" calls - suspected GRAJ mimicry. The owl remained silent after 0912, then sang again from 0920 to 0931. I took a video of part of this bout. Silent again until 0944, then a long bout of singing between then and 1011. During this bout we continued on to the W and checked the RTHA nest. When we returned to the area at ca 1009, the owl was gone from its previous perch but was still singing out of sight, a bit farther to the west. At this point, we saw a SECOND pygmy-owl, nonvocal, in a snag ca 50 m N. It then flew to the west, apparently towards the singing NOPO, and I heard and recorded 2 brief, more rapid series of calls from this direction. At 1015, we saw a NOPO back in the dead-topped Doug-fir. At 1022 it flew S, accompanied by high-pitched MOCH calls. At 1023, a NOPO (the other one?) appeared again in the dead top of the same Doug-fir, preceded by more high-pitched chickadee calls. We suspected it was not the same individual that flew to the south as we did not see it fly back, but it is possible we missed it. We then witnessed an interesting interaction between this NOPO and a male HAWO, which the owl attempted and failed to capture. The owl flew off to the west. It was then silent for a while, but we heard NOPO singing again, distant west of Sage Mtn Center, between 1059 and 1104. Heard singing again at 1113, distant SW of Sage Mountain Center.
Technical information
- Recorder
- TASCAM DR-05
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 90.87 MB