FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: GH Owl calls: Excerpt from AC Bent

[K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As a follow-up, the scream calls are included on the Stokes CDs
for both young GH Owls and Barred Owls.

Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN


On Wed, 3 Jan 2007, K Dean EDWARDS wrote:

>
> Don,
>
> I heard similar calls in the woods behind our house in Jan 2004.
> Originally thought young owls but after Wallace pointed out that
> it would be insanely early for Great Horned Owl young --- but hey,
> global warming... :-) --- I did a search and found some info in
> Bent's Life Histories.  Below is part of an email I sent to the
> group back then that includes the bit from Bent.
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 10:11:42 -0500 (EST)
> From: K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Tennessee Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Excerpt from AC Bent
>
>
> Below is an excerpt taken from the account for Great Horned Owl in
> A.C. Bent's "Life Histories of N.A. Birds".  This is what I read
> that lead me to believe we heard yearling GH Owls returning to their
> parents for a handout.  The second paragraph describes almost exactly
> what we heard.  Granted, 17 January is a good bit later than 23 October,
> but... ya never know.  Haven't heard the screeching since that night
> but I'm hoping to get out some more this weekend and see what else
> I can find out.  I'll post what I find.
>
> ...
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
>
> Excerpt from
> Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey, Vol. 2
> by Arthur Cleveland Bent
>
> ...
>
> Clarence F. Stone, of Branchport, N. Y., tells me an interesting story of
> a pair of young owls that followed their parents about all summer, and
> even up to the latter part of October, in the vicinity of his camp. He
> writes: "Almost every night during the month of June 1932, just as the
> shades of night darkened the woods, two large owls, uttering harsh
> screams, the like of which I had never heard, came down through the gloomy
> hemlocks in the bottom of the gully and took perch on lumps of shale, or
> on the dead fallen trees still clinging to the perpendicular clifFs. In
> July they changed their route by coming around Chasm Lodge from the upper
> backwoods of pine and hemlock, where they took perch in the lofty pines
> and gave vent to rather terrifying and horrid screams. These two owl
> screamers traveled together, apparently hunting, and alternately uttering
> the loud, raucous screams that were evidently prompted by the urge of
> gnawing hunger. Almost nightly during this month, a pair of great horned
> owls came to hunt and hoot around the lodge. Invariably, a little time
> later, the two screamers gradually approached the hunting area of the
> hooting owls. Both the adult pair of hooters and the two screamers had two
> nightly sessions, first from just at dusk to near midnight and again just
> before the dawn of day."
>
> Again, on October 20, he writes: "As it was very rainy all the fore part
> of last night, the hideous screamers did not come to entertain me as
> usual, but at 4:30 o'clock this morning, I was awakened by the booming
> hoots of adult great horned owls, and a few minutes later I was fully
> aroused when the two ferocious screamers suddenly began their harsh yowls
> in the big pines over the roof of the lodge." On the evening of October 23
> the four owls "went on a rampage" again, and he saw the young owls clearly
> enough to identify them as great horned owls, with well-developed ear
> tufts, and to see them giving their harsh screams "four to six times a
> minute." And he says, in conclusion: "In this instance, at least, it seems
> that the young owls of the year were yet, so late in October, partly
> dependent on, or at least following, the parent great horned owls about on
> their hunting excursions. At no time did I hear the adult owls utter
> anything but the hooting owl language. Only the young owls of the year
> shrieked the loud, harsh, blood-curdling screams. And I am inclined to
> believe that these harsh cries were simply hunger screams, characteristic
> of yearling great horned owls."
>
> ....
> =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
>
> The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
> first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
> You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
> you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
> appear in the first paragraph.
> _____________________________________________________________
>      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
>                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> _____________________________________________________________
>                To unsubscribe, send email to:
>                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
> ______________________________________________________________
>  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
>       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
>        endorse the views or opinions expressed
>        by the members of this discussion group.
>
>         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
>                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>                ------------------------------
>                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
>                         Cleveland, OH
>                -------------------------------
>               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
>                          Rosedale, VA
> __________________________________________________________
>
>          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
>              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>                          ARCHIVES
> TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
>
>                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
> Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
> Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
> Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
>
> _____________________________________________________________
>
>
>
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________