Lil' Tooters

Sunday July 22 2018

They can drive you mad, these juvenile screech owls, always hiding in plain sight, but incredibly camouflaged. They might even give you a tooting clue during the middle of the day to zero in on… and you still probably won't find them.

There are at least 3 juveniles, and 1 adult hanging in the cottonwood trees in the creek. I hear them often at night, and I'll see their silhouettes as they fly in to check me out (some seem to be very curious). I spent half a day hunting for the adult the other week, and finally find him (her?). I think it's the male I hear hooting at night, and, yet another year went by, I could not find their nest that is very near and fledged at least 3 young.

This youngster tooted once this afternoon; I went looking for him, (also heard one tiny chirrup out of a sibling, but could not find him), and after looking and looking and looking, and staring and staring, I finally realized that stump-y thing in the crook of a cottonwood was one of the juvenile screech owls staring at me, and not, in fact, a stump of wood.

Here's what a screech owl sounds like. For several weeks, these youngsters only did one little "whop!" at a time; they've just in the last couple of nights started doing the whole ping pong ball call.

Cute lil' bugger!!!!!

My Little Squeaky Toys

Sunday June 26 2016

It's hard to believe (once again) I never found the screech owl nest along the creek, particularly since it fledged four babies this year.

In the evenings, they start squeaking and tooting away (they totally sound like dog squeaky toys), and I step outside and creep closer, and peer through the trees and spot one or two or three or four of them, and we stare at each other, bobbing our heads at each to get a better focus, and talk and toot to each other.

They sure don't sound like what you might think an owl sounds like!

A little down this page:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Screech-Owl/sounds

you'll find some screech owl calls (the adults sound like ping pong balls). The babies in my trees sound like the one labeled "Agitated bark and bill clap".

I actually saw one fly into the glass door one evening (!!!!) and was afraid/hoping I might have to rescue him. I've saved a few birds who have flown into the glass door or windows, though some hit too hard and were too far gone. He sort of ended up on the porch rail, and after he sat there a bit, he flew up into a tree. I walked after to watch him, and he just kept bobbing his head and looking at me.

I like to think of them as my own little live squeaky toys, glad they allow me in their presence as they are growing up.

Foiled Again!

Thursday June 2 2016

It happened again, for about the 8th spring in a row: the resident screech owl pair had at least one baby, and I could not find the nest.

Every year it's like this: beginning of the year, in winter, I start hearing the male screech owl, tooting away for his mate. He's very vocal. You can hear some screech owl calls here. I can catch a glimpse of him in the cottonwood trees just before dark. Sometimes I'll even hear him during the day, in which case I can usually spot him.

The female rarely pipes up. In fact a couple of springs I thought, 'Oh, poor guy, he can't find a mate.' And then months later I'll hear a screech baby or two.

I know this pair nests within a 100 yard radius, likely in a hole in a cottonwood tree on one of the creeks. And I can never find the nest.

I heard the male occasionally this winter/spring, and heard the female only once or twice. I knew they were nesting again. Could not find the nest again.

And look who shows up 2 nights ago. 

This year's adult, staring at me, telling me the baby has fledged. It's nearby. I can hear it, but I can't see it. Where is he hiding his babies?

*and... last night - I heard 2 babies!