Help with calls

[Ira Sanders]

Birders,

For the last couple of weeks, late at night, about midnight to maybe 4 am, I've frequently been hearing 2 different birds move around the neighborhood above and below my house.  One I'm convinced is a Barn Owl by the screeching call it gives.  The recording is the last one below.

The other is the one I'm hearing right now.  It is a medium high pitched whistle that almost has a double reed (thrush like) quality to it.

It's out front and I'll try to record it again.  It's very faint on the recording at about 11 sec and again at about 25 sec. on one recording but is a little better on the second recording made a few days ago. 

Any help would be appreciated.

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Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

"My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

[Lisa Carp]

Last week I heard the exact same screeching by our house at 3 in the morning. I got up to look & the owl was sitting on a lamp pole nearby. There was just enough light to see it with my binos & I was shocked to see a white face with a brown body so I was also thinking barn owl (which made no sense) until I looked at Sibleys & that is what an immature GH Owl looks like. Evidently they can snap their beaks together & make a clacking sound too but I did not hear that.

I do not know what’s making the whistles in the other tape.

Lisa Carp

Superior

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[Charles Hundertmark]

Immature Great Horned Owls do have a shriek like a Barn Owl.

Chuck Hundertmark

Lafayette

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[Nathan Pieplow]

The shriek that Ira recorded is that of a young Great Horned Owl. They make these shrieks starting in the nest and often continuing until well into the winter. Adults can make somewhat similar calls. These shrieks are squeakier and more nasal than those of Barn Owls, and usually shorter and more upslurred too. Here's an old post from my blog about how to tell Great Horned shrieks from Barn Owl shrieks:

http://earbirding.com/blog/archives/2365

I'm not sure what Ira's whistled sound is. Young Long-eared Owls give a short high-pitched whistle that is somewhat similar, but this doesn't sound right for a Long-eared to me, or look right on the spectrogram.

Nathan Pieplow

Boulder

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[Ira Sanders]

Thanks all on the GHOW.  I had a nagging suspicion it might turn out that way.  I knew they had a call like that but didn't know they kept it up until winter.  

Now to figure out the other call.

Ira Sanders

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[John Rawinski]

That last one sounds like a Great Horned Owl young fledged bird. Years ago, I spent a lot of time around a young GHO owlet and they make that call as a "feed me" begging call to get more food.  Adults bird occasionally do that call as well. 

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO

[J V Rudd]

Hi,

I can't help you with the whistling sound, but that screech is a juvenile Great Horned Owl. I had a similar experience, at the same time of year, two years ago while camping in RMNP. Tracked the juvenile down and confirmed they were making that bizarre sound. Both of my birding apps have a recording of an immature Great Horned Owl that match that sound as well.

Good Birding!

Van Rudd

Louisville, CO

On Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 12:47 AM Ira Sanders <zroadr...@gmail.com> wrote:

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