Friday 4 January 2008

Owl Central

The tawny owls have been out and noisy over the last few days. The male and female calls are straightforward enough to recognise but there was an additional sound that I was puzzled by. It sounded a bit like a bird imitating a dog barking or a deer grunting. At first I didn't make the connection with the owls but listening to some tawny owl recordings I heard a similar sound on just one recording. It was described as a female impersonating the male cry so at the moment that it is my conclusion. I shall see if it disappears when the owls stop calling.