Last night in that moment when you realize, it will soon be bedtime, a Barred Owl nearby began to call. I was in the kitchen wiping down the sink and countertop. Both of the windows were open and it sounded so closeI thought it must be perched on top of my patio umbrella. It called out again, several times without a pause. I got a fix on where I thought it must be, up high in the Ash tree at my back fence. The goofy feeling caught me unawares, the one you get when you catch yourself grinning without warning or conscious thought. It was just there on my face, the best kind of self indulgence.
Every self respecting naturalist learns how to call in Barred Owls. Around dusk on nature walks with students or adults for that matter, everyone sits down at the edge of a clearing in the woods. The goal of the evening is to engage a Barred Owl and absolute silence is the rule. After a 10 minute walk, the leader gives a hand signal and everyone sits down. The naturalist cups hands around their mouth and delivers a well practiced greeting. The call is paraphrased into human English with phrasing that corresponds to the owl’s timing and tune. “Whooo, Whooo, Who-cooks for Youuuuu.” He raises the pitch to match the bird’s and we wait.
The bird will vary its song so the well practiced expert does so as well. “Whooo, Whooo, Whooo”. After a short pause, “Who-cooks” pause, “Who-cooks” and a long pause. You have to be patient. Owls can hear from far off and they often move cautiously to investigate another bird (sounds like a bird). They fly so quiet you simply cannot hear them approach or land in the same tree you are sitting under.
After several minutes of wannabe hooting and silence, people need to be reminded (with hand signals) to sit still and keep quiet. If they get lucky the wait isn’t too long. From nearby they hear it clear as you please. OMG, it really does sound like, “Whoo, whoo, whoo cooks for you.” If the caller is skilled, they may exchange calls for several minutes. You are never too old to take pleasure in that moment. “I engaged with an awesome owl last night.”
It occurred to me in the kitchen that I might try to answer the owl’s call. But I was just sucking up the moment and the grin was still pulled back against my teeth. Identification by song or call is just as credible, just as rewarding as visual confirmation. Brushing my teeth I thought about feral cats in the neighborhood. They keep the mouse population in check. Owls exercise major control over wild mice populations but they are happy with lizards and birds, other small mammals, even insects. So I offered up some good karma for the owl’s sake.
Today, and every other morning this summer I hear another bird calling out its unmistakable song; “Cock A Doodle Do”. Someone up the hill, maybe on the next street has a rooster. Keeping urban chickens is a popular trend now. Most towns have rules about how many, odor control and containment but think about the eggs. But keeping a rooster; it must be a pet. I remember in Todos Santos, Mexico they had feral chickens everywhere. The roosters crowed all night and you just get used to it. But I don’t remember any Barred Owls there. My local rooster up the street would be no match for the owl and not that I really care, but he need be advised to keep inside from before dusk to well after dawn or all his master might find is a crime scene with feathers and picked over bones.
Every self respecting naturalist learns how to call in Barred Owls. Around dusk on nature walks with students or adults for that matter, everyone sits down at the edge of a clearing in the woods. The goal of the evening is to engage a Barred Owl and absolute silence is the rule. After a 10 minute walk, the leader gives a hand signal and everyone sits down. The naturalist cups hands around their mouth and delivers a well practiced greeting. The call is paraphrased into human English with phrasing that corresponds to the owl’s timing and tune. “Whooo, Whooo, Who-cooks for Youuuuu.” He raises the pitch to match the bird’s and we wait.
The bird will vary its song so the well practiced expert does so as well. “Whooo, Whooo, Whooo”. After a short pause, “Who-cooks” pause, “Who-cooks” and a long pause. You have to be patient. Owls can hear from far off and they often move cautiously to investigate another bird (sounds like a bird). They fly so quiet you simply cannot hear them approach or land in the same tree you are sitting under.
After several minutes of wannabe hooting and silence, people need to be reminded (with hand signals) to sit still and keep quiet. If they get lucky the wait isn’t too long. From nearby they hear it clear as you please. OMG, it really does sound like, “Whoo, whoo, whoo cooks for you.” If the caller is skilled, they may exchange calls for several minutes. You are never too old to take pleasure in that moment. “I engaged with an awesome owl last night.”
It occurred to me in the kitchen that I might try to answer the owl’s call. But I was just sucking up the moment and the grin was still pulled back against my teeth. Identification by song or call is just as credible, just as rewarding as visual confirmation. Brushing my teeth I thought about feral cats in the neighborhood. They keep the mouse population in check. Owls exercise major control over wild mice populations but they are happy with lizards and birds, other small mammals, even insects. So I offered up some good karma for the owl’s sake.
Today, and every other morning this summer I hear another bird calling out its unmistakable song; “Cock A Doodle Do”. Someone up the hill, maybe on the next street has a rooster. Keeping urban chickens is a popular trend now. Most towns have rules about how many, odor control and containment but think about the eggs. But keeping a rooster; it must be a pet. I remember in Todos Santos, Mexico they had feral chickens everywhere. The roosters crowed all night and you just get used to it. But I don’t remember any Barred Owls there. My local rooster up the street would be no match for the owl and not that I really care, but he need be advised to keep inside from before dusk to well after dawn or all his master might find is a crime scene with feathers and picked over bones.
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