Anybody familiar with a Saw Whet Owl???

[Platefire]

  I first saw one about a month ago about sundown. I walked out in the edge of the woods and heard a sound like two rusty pieces of metal rubbing together. Then I seen the puff ball of a bird in the darkness going from tree to tree about 10 feet off the ground and then swooping down and getting insects or food off the ground and flying back up to the tree. Other than making the odd sound it first made it also does a call of three successive low range whistles of equal endurance, tone and volume. I finally figured out it was an Owl except this is the smallest Owl I've ever seen.

  I went in immediately after that encounter and got on the internet and did some research. I went through all the Owls listed and the Saw Whet was the only one that matched. Turns out it's the smallest Owl. It got it's name because the sound it makes sounds like someone sharpening a saw with a whet stone. I went out this evening at dusk and I saw 4 at one time and could hear more calling further in the woods. So we may be getting over run with them. The weird thing is these type Owls are suppose to be further North and not this far South. I lived here all my life and never seen them around here.

Here is a link to info on them if your interested to know more. Have anybody else encountered these???

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Saw+Whet+Owl

[sluckey]

I've never heard of such in Alabama. Did you get a good look? Is it possible you saw a screech owl? They're about the same size as the Saw Whet owl.

Screech Owl

[PRR]

Look on iNaturalist, citizen biologist reports.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/20356-Aegolius-acadicus
PageDown, click "Map".
Also "Recent Observations" to confirm appearance.

There's no real restriction who may report here, so there are false positives and outright mistakes. But the number of observers and observations suggests that if you DO have trees, you *may* have saw whets.

-- I'll also go with Sluckey's opinion. Alabama is one of the very-thin spots for sawwhets (but two observations isn't zero) (Jackson County, AL, USA, and near Hardaway Alabama, US). I also wonder if the recent smoke may be moving birds out of the upper midwest for a season.

[Platefire]

I haven't got a good look at these Owls because I keep forgetting to bring my flash light. Even though I haven't got a goodlook, the call is distinctive like no other Owl and I've heard that. I listened to the Screech Owl on the You Tube you linked andthat's not what I'm hearing with this Owl. I still think it is a Saw Whet. I don't know why they are here but they are here.

I don't know how long they are here but long as they are I will try to get some better
evidence to prove what I think--maybe flashlight, camera and recording of their call

[Platefire]

Well I went back out into the edge of the woods I thought a little better equipped with my phone and a flash light. So while I was waiting for it to get dusk I practiced setting my phone camera to get the best shot along with audio to try to capture their call. Within about 10 minuets I must have seen about 10 Owls. The closest one I must have got 3 minuets of video and even turned on my flash light to try to get it to show up better. The owl was about 20 feet away and I was sitting in a lawn chair. I even got up and started slowly walking toward the owl because I wanted to shine the light on him to get a better visual and be able to identify but when I got about 10 feet away he flew away.

The main call of this owl is three short whistles--tweet tweet tweet. It's a mid range whistle, not very loud and mid range, not to low or too high. It's pretty easy to duplicate by whistling and calling them in.

The video I took was way to blurry to be any good so I deleted it. I pretty sure these are Saw Whet owls but I don't believe I'llbe able to prove it. Platefire

[shooter]

years back, the Robins where all in a tizzy bombarding a maple tree at about 12' up.  Figured it was a cat, so I got the ladder, climbed up to the area of interest, had a dowel rod to prod the cat, but the cat was a 6" screech owl, we're 2' apart, looking at each other.  I talked it into leaving the Robin nest alone.

[Platefire]

In the past we had a lot of the large Owl varieties that I always watched closely but I only see occasionally now. We gave a lot of large trees on our property surrounded by clear space. So I think the Owls like it because they can roost in the trees, spot a potential meal and swoop down and get it. Somehow something shifted along the way where we have very few of the large Owls and are overcome with this smaller type. These owls don't come out
in the open areas but stay in the thickets. I think that is because of their small size they are in danger of becoming prey their selves

[Platefire]

Had a unusual Owl experience this week. The power went off about 11 PM Thursday nite and we were having no storms? So with the AC off, the wife and I went out to sit on the porch. All of a sudden we started hearing Owls making their call at a very high volume and it was multiple owls with different calls. It almost had the dramatic effect as if they were arguing with each other.It only lasted about a minuet and when they quit, it was then dead silent. Never heard anything like that in my life
We got power about 9:30 AM the next day. Turns out the power outage was just localized to few houses on our road.
 

[shooter]

owls aren't known as pack hunters so my best guess is territorial disputes, or you have adults and juveniles teaching n learning..  here we have cayotes, when the pack is hunting you'll hear them as individuals, can almost visualize them working the prey into the trap.  It's the kind of sound makes you grip the 3030 a little harder

[Platefire]

I think your right, it was a Territorial Dispute. I see the Saw Whet Owls are getting fewer and fewer by the day. I think what ever drove them down this far South has subsided and they are clearing out and going back North. It's been kinda hot around here

[shooter]

the migratory birds are doing weird stuff up here.  I'll watch spring/fall volumes flock n fly North, only to see the same volume heading south 2 weeks later.  mostly blackbirds n grackles.  my 'lil park has songbirds with calls i've never heard in 30+ years.  my guess, the arson fires up north are messing with the environment enough to confuse the birds.  temps n humidity seem about normal here.  I've asked the wrens what's up n they'll gabber for 15 minutes in reply but my bi-lingual language skills are lacking 

[Platefire]

Well just about all the Saw Whet Owls are gone. Last two times I waited for them at dusk, only seen one. We're having a drought right now, so I wouldn't be surprised if all the animals are leaving and headed toward water.

I've been hearing a new sound in the woods at dusk or first dark lately I would describe as a rough gagged screech. It really sounds kindof spooky. Makes you think, what kind of evil animal is that? I did a search of animal sounds on the internet and the only thing that cameclose was a Barn Owl. Didn't know any Owl made a sound like that but that was pretty close to what I'm hearing

[sluckey]

Did it sound similar to this?

[DummyLoad]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.merlinbirdid.app&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

You probably have something similar loaded on your smartphone? Perhaps different altogether if an iPhone.

Sister found a hoot owl nest in my neighbor's yard with that app. Cool stuff!

--Pete

[PRR]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.merlinbirdid.app&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1
You probably have something similar loaded on your smartphone? Perhaps different altogether if an iPhone.

The iPhone app seems to be:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673

or: App store, search for "Merlin Bird", verify it says Cornell. (Yes, seems to be the same app only built for iPhone ecology.)

"What's that bird? Ask Merlin—the world’s leading app for birds. Just like magic, Merlin Bird ID will help you solve the mystery.
"Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it's powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos.
"Merlin offers four fun ways to identify birds. Answer a few simple questions, upload a photo, record a singing bird, or explore birds in a region."

[Platefire]

No sluckey, it's not Screech Owl. I don't even know if its a bird. I've lived in North West Louisiana all my life and never heard anything like it.

I have an Android, no Iphone but I can find animal sounds by google. It's hard for me to come up with a description to describe it. I was thinking today it sounds similar to a Buck Snorting but with a more harsher Jagged edge to it. It's the kind of sound that when you hear it, you just kind of stop what your doing and think, "What is the world is that"?

We have had reports in the local paper in community about 8 miles away a claim of a Bear sighting. To me that's about the same as a Big foot sighting:>)
I'm pretty sure it's some kind of bird that migrated to this area because of the crazy weather and fires going on. We have heard it about three different times lately right at early evening first dark after dusk. 

[separateness]

Just throwing this out there but I know the first time I heard a vixen cry I thought a night hag was coming for me

[Platefire]

I haven't heard the weird call in several days now, so I'm thinking what ever it is, has moved on

[PRR]

As fall migration arrives, apps that ID birds by sound have taken off
As fall migration begins across the Northern Hemisphere, apps like Merlin, which is put out by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have caught on among birders and non-birders alike.
Seen on APNews but I can't get a direct link.

[Platefire]

Just about every time I do a google search on a bird call, I usually find what I need
On the Saw Whet Owl, the wife and I were setting on the porch and I thought I heard a Saw Whit call. I answered them back in kind and they answered
back until I just got tired and finally quit

[shooter]

 
i'm not alone!
we'd walk through our trails, i'd hear an interesting call n spend the next 10 minutes trying to dial in the sound, then call out.

[acheld]

Merlin Bird ID is very cool.  My morning walk through a local park takes me through a dense glen of small  trees.  And every morning I hear the same bird song, but not once have I seen the bird(s) singing.

A fellow retiree suggested Merlin, and when I pulled up the app and started recording, within seconds it had ID'd the bird as a Carolina Wren. 

The app is  clearly doing spectral analysis.   Hmm, I wonder if it can ID Jimmy Page . . . 

[shooter]

AI can now decipher keyclicks by sound and know what was typed,  human speech is just a walk in the park for AI   

[Platefire]

In post #17 I mentioned a unidentified animal sound that the wife and I were hearing but had apparently went away. Well it's back in full force.It's like a high pitched raspy bark. After a little practice I got it pretty close and it began answering me back. I was hoping it may come up close soI could see what it was, but it kept its distance.

So I came in the house, got on line and started listening to animal calls. I think I found it called a "Fox Bark". They use it as an alarm to warn theiryoung or danger. So it may be a whole Fox family we have here. If you would like to hear what I have been hearing, just click on this link, scroll downto Foxes and play the sound clip.


https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-sound-identification-guide/

[shooter]

the fox wander through this area about every 3-5 years, the off years are taken over by coyotes.  I've got a 15 year old "generic" den.  originally excavated by a ground hog, a fox wintered over next, rabbits like it for quick escapes from the raptors.  when we added the back half house to the front half, I took all the debris, piled it up, the wild blackberries covered it up, added some brush over the years, walla, animal motel.

[Platefire]

I've got something similar. There use to be an old barn with a tin roof on the adjacent property. The owners burned the old barn but left the derbies. So all the tin is on the ground now and it makes a pretty good shelter. The Armadillos really like it. I went out there this afternoon to see if the Foxes mighthave used it, but didn't see any sign of them. They are hanging around somewhere close by
 

[PRR]

Back in my hip days I slept on a high quality Japanese style futon. Long-grain premium cotton fill. They don't make them like that any more. It got too funky even for me so I dragged it deep in the woods. I'm sure generations of critters have lived in it now. Cardinals and squirrels stealing fluff for nests, maybe a skunk burrowed into the mattress. Don't really want to disturb it.

[PRR]

 Why you hear owls hooting more in October
Bob Duchesne, Good Birding
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/10/03/outdoors/more-owls-in-october-explanation-joam40zk0w/

People often ask where I find the inspiration to write a different column every week. Sometimes I get inspiration from alert readers. For instance, I recently received mail, asking me to explain why owls are hooting in October.

My first answer is that they like to make Halloween spookier. Messing with humans makes them giggle. However, my second answer may be closer to the mark. Mating season has already begun.

Maine has three common nesting owls. One of them, the tiny northern saw-whet owl, generally leaves Maine during the coldest months. The other two don’t migrate. In fact, great horned and barred owls don’t even wander very much. They always have some notion of their territories, and are apt to proclaim it periodically. The hootin’ and hollerin’ starts in August, but intensifies in October.

Nesting season starts early. Baby owls must be able to hunt soon after they fledge. They must be fully developed by the time they leave the nest. This means that the owls have to start making babies early, since the youngsters spend a long time on the nest before departing. Barred owls sit on the eggs for about a month, then tend the nestlings for another month. For great horned owls, it takes even longer — 10 weeks or more before the chicks are ready to leave the nest. Once off the nest, barred owl chicks may stay in the area for up to half a year, before wandering off to make their fortunes elsewhere.

Great horned owls start nesting earliest, usually in late winter. Barred owls nest a little later. Both begin announcing territories in autumn, and not just for mating purposes. Competing owls don’t like to intrude on each other, lest a fight break out. By announcing their territories, they can stay out of each other’s way.

Owls hoot to attract mates, although that’s often a foregone conclusion. Great horned owls mate for life. Barred owls probably do. In the offseason, both mates remain in the same general area, although they don’t typically roost together. Barred owls are typically cavity nesters, though they sometimes use open nests. They identify a number of potential nesting sites within their territories, and may switch from year to year within the same area. Great horned owls will often reuse the same nest. Once the pairs reunite in connubial bliss, it doesn’t take long to set up housekeeping.

Another reason that owls nest early, especially great horned owls, is that they don’t build their own nests. They generally take over the nests of other large birds, such as great blue herons and red-tailed hawks. By the time the rightful owner returns to the nest in the spring, the owl is already on it.

Perhaps the better question is this: why do the owls quiet down in early summer? Because they’re busy. They’re sticking close to the nesting site. They’re feeding the kids. They’re not keen on announcing where the babies are, in case some predator might be listening. Great horned owls don’t have to worry about predators very much. They are so ferocious, not even eagles will mess with them. Only unattended nests are vulnerable. But barred owls must be a little more cautious. Great horned owls, some hawks and even raccoons can raid their nests.

Now that you’re eavesdropping on owls, let’s make sure you know who you’re snooping on. The hoot of a barred owl is famously described as “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” It’s basically a nine-note phrase, though sometimes embellished with a few screeches and cat-calls. The great horned owl booms a deeper five-note phrase, often described as “Who’s awake? Me, too.”

Listen also for call and response. Owls often answer each other. Female voices are higher in pitch.

It’s not a total shock to see owls out in the daytime, especially in winter. When food is scarce, they may be forced to hunt in daylight. Sometimes, they’ll perch out in the morning just to warm up in the sun. However, they’re not likely to linger in daylight. Crows are apt to take exception and harass them. This mobbing behavior becomes more aggressive as crow nesting season approaches.

Of course, owls can also be aggressive as nesting season approaches, especially when they perceive that you’re the threat. A great horned owl defending its territory can get quite impatient with humans. Attacks by barred owls are rarer, but not unheard of. Hmmm. Maybe they really are making Halloween spookier.

How do you weigh a SawWhet Owl? Stick his head in a tin can!

   about 5:50

[shooter]

been hearing this "smokers cough cackle laugh" since about June, finally took some time to stalk "the sound".  Flicker in a dead tree, with dozens of holes, would cackle for 30 seconds, then keep moving it's head in various positions, "listening",  stick it's head in a hole and route out a bug.
5 minutes in it spotted me, looked for a few seconds, went back to hunting, I went back to fall chores.

[PRR]

> Anybody familiar with a Saw Whet Owl???

3 hours ago:

Southwest Harbor police rescue saw-whet owl after it was struck by car
by Brandon Whitlock, WGME    Fri, November 3rd 2023
https://fox23maine.com/news/local/southwest-harbor-police-rescue-saw-whet-owl-after-it-was-struck-by-car

SOUTHWEST HARBOR (WGME) - "The Southwest Harbor Police Department says it helped rescue a saw-whet owl after it was struck by a car on Friday.

"The police department says an officer came across a car with its 4-way lights flashing. The officer got out to assist the driver and the driver gave him a saw-whet owl that had been struck by the car.

"Southwest Harbor police say the owl is now in a box, in a cool, dark place in their office while they wait for a Maine Game Warden to come grab it and bring it to a rehabber."

[Platefire]

Well I hope he recovers and gets back to its Saw Whetting. The ones that was in our area are all long gone now. I've went down in the edge of the woods several times where I use to see them at dusk dark when they use to come out, but nothing. Just like in the picture of the injured one, they look like a little puff ball
 

[EL34]

We have screech owls hereThey are spooky sounding when you hear them at night
While mountain biking at night with lights in Rhododendron tunnels, I have seen them take off and fly right in front of me down the tunnelsPretty cool sight to see them just ahead of you flying along

[shooter]

we had for many years, a great horned that loved to sit on top of the barn, you'd be out walking at night and whoosh, the moon would eclipse n he'd just glide from behind, 10' overhead, sending shivers of fear down the spine.


during my animal rehab days, I always had a couple laundry baskets as make-shift wildlife carriers, came across a car/truck struck full grown red tail just standing by the side of the road, gloved up, pick it up, the eyes looked good, it could "perch" (a neuro-check) so I boxed it up, called the Raptor lady.  she gave me weekly updates, 6 weeks latter I met up with her and she had me release the bird, I swear it looked at me perched on my arm, thanking me, then launched, made a long slow circle, landed in the tree tops a couple hundred yards away.

[PRR]

I thought we mentioned a bird-call App but can't find it now.

Article:
I Can't Stop Using This Free App That Uses AI to Identify Birds
"The feeling of being encouraged to stop, look, and listen to what’s going on around me"

Old Mainer cars have a Chickadee on the license plate but the last few years there have been very few birds of any feather. Except turkeys, which were hunted to extinction, re-seeded, and are getting to be a hazard.

[shooter]

very few birds of any feather

the pond area is a natural aviary on our place, the "song birds" are showing, especially those odd warm days in Feb.  the "count" is way down though.
the hunters; robins, blue-jays, and small hawks are above average last few years.


I've had a resident woodcock for the 35years here.  one or two sightings a year is about all that bird will show ya.  Usually by scaring the ba-gebies outta ya at dust when you kick it up

[acheld]

I'm a Merlin Bird ID addict now . . .

Drives my wife crazy when we're out on a walk in the woods and I whip out the phone and wave it in the air trying to catch the sonic waves, chirps, drumming and drones. 

But it's so satisfying to be able to identify a Carolina Wren when I can barely see it . . .

[shooter]

 
i'm still oldskool, was tracking a sound, took 15 minutes to finally nail down the sound of a Cardinal.  He "seemed" to be the park lookout, made these Odd chirps, after 5minutes standing still it would go back to it's normal calls, I'd move, odd chirps.  we played man n bird till I finally had eyes on.
beats the nature channel hands down 

[Platefire]

Yeah, nothing as good as a real encounter. Glad I live where I do===not exactly in the sticks but not in town either. Closest neighbor is about 1/4 mile. I got up about 3:30 AM the other night and just peaked out the picture window in the frontyard and there was a doe and a fawn. Looked like they were munching on the new spring grass. No traffic on our road that time of night, so they had free reign. I watched them a while and went on back to bed