Notes on a Barred Owl Interaction #2

[Alfred Maley]

Most of the time the pair of Barred Owls roost/snooze/preen a ways apart from each other in the crabapple trees. For some reason or other they then get closer together (1-2 feet apart) and then the male will have a conversation with the female. One of these conversations occurred yesterday about mid-day before the male flew down to the lawn and began a 10 minute “sunbathe”.

The sound he made can actually be described, unlike many other calls these owls make. Imagine an owl that stuttered, trying to say “whoopie pie” and it just came out as a soft “whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop”. What in the world this means I have no idea. It may mean “I’ll be right back” or “wanna go sunbathing with me?” or anything devious minds can imagine. It will take several more observations of the context to have any idea, but this call seems to always be given when the male is physically close to the female, as if he didn’t want anyone to hear what he was saying.

Al Maley
Hampstead NH