grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (09/07/90)
I was talking to my brother in NJ this weekend, and he told me that the local screech owls were very vocal again. This reminded me that, for the past 4 or 5 years, I have noticed that the screech owls were always very vocal in the first couple weeks in September. Then, this week, I began hearing western screech owls and northern pygmy owl in my own yard, for the first time, and they can be heard almost every night. Now, assuming these species are truly non-migratory, and I am not getting an influx of new individuals, does anyone have any ideas why this might be? I've not seen any literature on the subject, and I am truly curious. BTW, I have not noticed this behavior in Great-horned owls, and my barn owls have been relatively silent lately. -- -Greg Pasquariello grp@unify.com
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (09/11/90)
In article <GRP.90Sep7102106@magpie.unify.uucp>, grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) writes: > > I was talking to my brother in NJ this weekend, and he told me that the > local screech owls were very vocal again. This reminded me that, for the > past 4 or 5 years, I have noticed that the screech owls were always very > vocal in the first couple weeks in September. Then, this week, I began > hearing western screech owls and northern pygmy owl in my own yard, for > the first time, and they can be heard almost every night. > > Now, assuming these species are truly non-migratory, and I am not getting > an influx of new individuals, does anyone have any ideas why this might be? > I've not seen any literature on the subject, and I am truly curious. I found the following reference to screech owls in "Owls of North America": "The calls heard in late summer and autumn are most often family calls, presumably given so the birds can keep track of one another and remain comparatively close as a family unit while they range in search of food." Mike