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I.D. bird call. Owl?

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  • 25-04-2011 4:46am
    #1
    il gatto
    Registered Users Posts: 3,021 ✭✭✭


    Hi, I'm hoping the good folk who frequent this board may be able to help me out. Tonight (Sunday) I was leaving my uncle's house in south Leitrim when I heard an unusual sound. My fiance and uncle hadn't heard it before either. Then my cousin came out and said he'd heard it several hours earlier too. We walked into the stand of trees (hardwoods) beside the house to see if we could get closer. Before we pin pointed it, it stopped. This was about 2 a.m.
    It sounded for all the world like one of those party horns with the coiled paper tube which shoots out when you blow it. It called for a second or two, one call at a time and repeated 2-3 times a minute.
    Having Youtubed the various owls found in Ireland, I'm fairly convinced it is a Long Eared Owl. The sound we heard is similar to sounds jumbled up in this piece
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM7WPdpiwPc

    It sounded just like from 1.30 on the video except without the "busier" squeeks and squawks in between. I've heard owls before, but usually screeches and hoots. This was a new one on me.
    Having said all that, maybe it's not an owl at all. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help on this.:)


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    #2
    cuddlycavies
    Registered Users Posts: 970 ✭✭✭cuddlycavies


    Familiarise yourself with Curlew cry and eliminate if required.


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    #3
    il gatto
    Registered Users Posts: 3,021 ✭✭✭il gatto


    cuddlycavies wrote: »
    Familiarise yourself with Curlew cry and eliminate if required.

    No. Not a curlew. They're a constant around these parts. Thanks for the suggestion though.


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    #4
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    il gatto wrote: »
    Hi, I'm hoping the good folk who frequent this board may be able to help me out. Tonight (Sunday) I was leaving my uncle's house in south Leitrim when I heard an unusual sound. My fiance and uncle hadn't heard it before either. Then my cousin came out and said he'd heard it several hours earlier too. We walked into the stand of trees (hardwoods) beside the house to see if we could get closer. Before we pin pointed it, it stopped. This was about 2 a.m.
    It sounded for all the world like one of those party horns with the coiled paper tube which shoots out when you blow it. It called for a second or two, one call at a time and repeated 2-3 times a minute.
    Having Youtubed the various owls found in Ireland, I'm fairly convinced it is a Long Eared Owl. The sound we heard is similar to sounds jumbled up in this piece
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM7WPdpiwPc

    It sounded just like from 1.30 on the video except without the "busier" squeeks and squawks in between. I've heard owls before, but usually screeches and hoots. This was a new one on me.
    Having said all that, maybe it's not an owl at all. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help on this.:)

    Perfect description of Long-eared Owl, il gatto. Anyone who has heard it would recognise it immediately from that description.

    The adults are actually quieter than the young, and you usually only get the calls of the young recorded on the internet - as in your YouTube clip which is a mixture of adults and large young calling.. Go back in daylight and search for an old crow or magpie nest in this hardwoods.....and look for a pair of ears sticking up!

    Lovely find, I am jealous!

    LostCovey


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    #5
    il gatto
    Registered Users Posts: 3,021 ✭✭✭il gatto


    LostCovey wrote: »
    Perfect description of Long-eared Owl, il gatto. Anyone who has heard it would recognise it immediately from that description.

    The adults are actually quieter than the young, and you usually only get the calls of the young recorded on the internet - as in your YouTube clip which is a mixture of adults and large young calling.. Go back in daylight and search for an old crow or magpie nest in this hardwoods.....and look for a pair of ears sticking up!

    Lovely find, I am jealous!

    LostCovey

    Thanks, LC. Because of the time of night I instantly looked in that direction alright. Even though this particular call was new to me (not the screech or hoots I'd heard before), I was fairly certain it was coming from something approx. wood pigeon sized (timbre of the call) and something roosting fairly stationary rather than flitting about. There have always been crow's nests in those trees. I shall be back in a week or so and will investigate in daylight. Thrilled to have come across it. I'm not a huge bird watcher really, but unusual things like owls, kestrels, falcons, ravens etc. I find really interesting. Might stick up an owl box in the shed at home. Thanks for the replies.:)


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