From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Fri Oct 3 21:38:43 2003 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h944aPID016122 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:36:25 -0700 (PDT) Received: from imo-m04.mx.aol.com (imo-m04.mx.aol.com [64.12.136.7]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h944Z6ZP016072 for <[[email protected]]>; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:35:06 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [[email protected]] by imo-m04.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v36_r1.1.) id t.6.19930b55 (4196) for <[[email protected]]>; Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:34:59 -0400 (EDT) From: [[email protected]] Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:34:58 EDT Subject: Re: [SBB] Northern Saw-Whet was really a Northern Pygmy Owl... To: [[email protected]] MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: 6.0 sub 10581 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.2+ X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2+ Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Those phonetic renderings of the Saw-whet Owl vocalizations by Heintzelman did not strike me as helpful at all. I do not think the Saw-whet and Pygmy sound all that much alike, actually. A big difference is the pacing, with Saw-whet always quick (but somewhat variable, sometimes changing pace even while you are listening to one). Most often times it is nearly 2 notes per second. They Pygmy is quite a bit slower, I'd say 1 note every 3 to 6 seconds, and sometimes longer. The quality of the notes is also different. Risking my own phonetic failings, Saw-whet is generally higher pitched, "too too too too too..." and the Pygmy lower "hoop"..."hoop"... The Pygmy also has a territorial/agitated call that begins with a rapids series of toots (faster than Saw-whet) that are higher pitched than its normal single "hoop" call, and the individual notes in the series are fairly abbreviated. The series often accelerates and rises some in pitch, and then is ended with a break followed by one normal, lower pitched "hoop." (In the Sierra Nevada they end with two or three "hoops," and the rapid series tends to stay more on one pitch.) The series of notes calls to my mind the cadence of a stubborn car engine chugging to start as the key is turned. The only other call that is characteristically Saw-whet, and regularly heard, is very different -- a high, rising "EeeeeEEEEE." It sounds spooky, and is given by agitated individuals, sometimes between swoops at your head if you are doing imitations. I think this is the "saw-wheting" type note. They make some other little sounds, too, but why complicate life too much? Mirriam's Chipmunk does indeed have a call (among others they make) that is rather like a Pygmy-Owl call. To my ears they are different, mostly in that the chipmunk call has a slight chirp quality to it. I do not hear the chipmunks during crepuscular times, but by mid-morning and in the afternoon it is worth considering. Bill's comments on the time of day are correct: Saw-whet is nocturnal, Pygmy crepuscular and diurnal. There are rare exceptions, such as Saw-whet calling briefly shortly before sunrise, as the sky is lightening, but that is unusual. Fledgling Saw-whets, however, become active at dusk, but their calls are quite different, and that is another time of year. The resident Saw-whet is strongly linked to conifer forest in this region (where Pygmy also occurs), but is rarely away from the Douglas firs or redwoods. They certainly occur in mixed forests, though, as long as conifers are present. Bill mentions migrant Saw-whets. Do we know that those are not simply local dispersants? Curious, David Suddjian Capitola, CA [[email protected]] _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]