[TN-Bird] a trill for a trill

Hi Folks,

Tremont.  Walker Valley.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  
eastern Blount Count.  See coordinates in my sig.

About 7:30 last night, as I was chopping wood for a campfire (90 5th
graders - excitment!) I heard an old friend.

Mr. Bufo americana, the American Toad was trilling (or trolling?) for
ladies from a nearby ditch.  I stopped chopping for a second to hear
this, one of my favorite anuran (frogs & toads) songs. Just as I was
about to heft the axe again, I heard a sound that I'm very familiar
with, but it caught me off guard.  From very nearby, an Eastern
Screech-owl was trilling.  Though I've heard both songs many times
before, I never really thought about how similar they are.  Not close
enough to confuse, but close enough for comparison.  Within a few
minutes the kids came, and we never heard the owl again, but I was
able to quiet the kids enough to point out the toad again.  I wonder
if the owl was trilling in response to the toad?  I mean if my poooor
rendition of an owl can get one to call back, maybe the toad is close
enough too?

Won't be many bird sightings here today.  40 MPH gusts.
Good day!

charlie

=====
**************************************************
Charlie Muise, Senior Naturalist
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Townsend, TN  lat 35 deg, 38'23"  long 83 deg, 41'22"

"Up, Sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough"
 - Ben Frankline, Poor Richard's Almanac

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
http://platinum.yahoo.com
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
=========================================================

Other related posts: