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Old 08-03-2008, 09:42 PM
 
1,384 posts, read 4,438,008 times
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For the past week or so I've been hearing this strange whistling sound outside. Since I'm usually walking 3 little dogs, hearing the strange whistling sound slowly approach w/each whistle has been a little unnerving. Tonight I saw what was making the sound-a pair of owls.
The whistling sound they make sounds a bit like a wooden train whistle toy a kid would blow into, or a scratchy woodwind instrument. Not a fluty or tonal whistle, and not the screechy sound of the barn owl (not ruling out the barn owl though). It was already pretty dark when I saw them perched in the pines, so i couldn't observe much detail other than their 14-16" height. They were not nearlly as shy as most owls, happy to sit there and stare my dogs and I down.
Does anyone know which owl this is? I've listened to all the owls on my Thayer's birding software and still can't tell.
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Old 08-04-2008, 09:27 AM
 
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Here is a list of owls found in NH from the Department of Fish/Game/Wildlife:
Owl, Barred +
Owl, Boreal
Owl, Eastern Screech +
Owl, Great Gray
Owl, Great Horned +
Owl, Long-eared
Owl, Northern Hawk
Owl, Northern Saw-whet +
Owl, Short-eared
Owl, Snowy


If it has a "+" that means it breeds in NH as well

Checkout the Short-Eared owl: Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus - Information, Pictures, Sounds Supposedly its call resembles "an old steam engine". That website also has information on other owls as well (including calls).

How long was its call? That's a biggie when identifying owls...
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Old 08-04-2008, 09:41 AM
 
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Thanks for the link and the list.
It's a very distinct call, and I realize it may not exactly match the audio available on the web, but still tough to ID. The call is one extended sound, rather than several hoo hoo hoos. And both owls in the pair sounded identical, calling back and forth to each other. Tonight I'll go out before it gets dark and bring my camera.
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Old 08-04-2008, 10:55 AM
 
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...I know the exact sound you are talking about- this is erking me now.
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Old 08-05-2008, 09:48 AM
 
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Lisa - is it a barred owl?. They make a sound of "who cooks for you, who cooks for you allllll". Sometimes they really drag out the "all" of their call.

I have several around the house. When one starts they all start calling from opposite ends of the valley. Also as a side note, the male turkeys will gobble at the owls during the spring -- Barred owls and Turkeys are enemies, as the owls will prey on the young turkeys.
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Old 08-05-2008, 01:29 PM
 
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Thanks leggo, but the sound I'm describing is not a typical owl call. When I first began hearing it(before seeing the owls) I had no idea what kind of animal was making the sound. That's how peculiar it is. I popped outside last night several times w/my camera, and it was the first night in awhile the owls weren't out!
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Old 08-05-2008, 06:53 PM
 
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The hard thing is many owls make many different calls. A friend of mine is an avid birder (both by hobby and profession); I'll send him an e-mail.
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Old 08-08-2008, 03:09 AM
 
Location: ~~In my mind~~
2,110 posts, read 6,935,768 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BF66389 View Post
Here is a list of owls found in NH from the Department of Fish/Game/Wildlife:
Owl, Barred +
Owl, Boreal
Owl, Eastern Screech +
Owl, Great Gray
Owl, Great Horned +
Owl, Long-eared
Owl, Northern Hawk
Owl, Northern Saw-whet +
Owl, Short-eared
Owl, Snowy


If it has a "+" that means it breeds in NH as well

Checkout the Short-Eared owl: Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus - Information, Pictures, Sounds Supposedly its call resembles "an old steam engine". That website also has information on other owls as well (including calls).

How long was its call? That's a biggie when identifying owls...

Are those all the breeds of owls there are? I had no idea there were that many. Living where I do, I get to see some bats, coyotes, black widows, and some snakes. I havent seen an owl in a very long time. They are so beautiful.

Lisa, did you ever figure out which breed your owl was?
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Old 08-10-2008, 06:39 PM
 
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Those are all owls that one could see in NH; though obviously only those that breed in the state would be seen frequently.
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