I captured the attached recording at McLellan Conservation Area in Spokane County, Washington right after sunset. I didn't recognize it in the field. With analysis apps I'm getting Spotted Owl, Barred Owl, and Flammulated Owl. Spotted seems impossible in this location. I'm not sure about it. Can anyone ID it from the recording? Thanks!
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Owl Help? McLellan Conservation Area - Spokane Co. WA, USA (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mselle
- Start date
Hi! Thank you for your help. I have attached four spectrogram images. At the 5.2 second mark, is the main call that is repeated many times. There's a chatter type call at the 22.5 second mark and another different sequence at the 26.5 second mark. The one from 33 seconds on has another image of a call that looks more distant at the end indicating perhaps a second owl. Let me know what you think. Another reviewer elsewhere also thought there were two juveniles calling.
Attachments
tom baxter
Well-known member
I don’t think it sounds like a spotted or barred but I guess I can’t say for sure. Sounds just about perfect for Flammulated to me.
Compare here. XC483520 Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus)
Compare here. XC483520 Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus)
See what you think of this cleaned up version (attached). Thank you!
Although this would be extremely late for a Flammulated. They started their southward migration back in August. They also don't call very much during their migration and into early winter leading to very difficult studies of where they actually winter and migrate through annually.
I really am perplexed by this Identification. The owl is too high pitched in my opinion for a Flammulated Owl. It really to me seems like a Western Screech Owls tone but the pattern is different. I'm thinking it could be a young Barred Owl, but there is also a little bit of a tone difference there too. The "whoa" call is the one confusing me the most. It sounds like a mix of two Long-Eared Owl calls, however the habitat wouldn't match up. I really don't think I am able to personally pin this one down or feel confident in Flammulated Owl ID. Nice job getting a recording, I hope others of better expertise are able to help you ID it and explain why/how they did it.
tom baxter
Well-known member
I retract my initial comment, but have no other suggestions to offer unfortunately. I don’t study owls specifically but I do a lot of night hiking for wildlife, and I travel a lot, so I do hear a lot of them. This is not something I’ve heard before.
Since you last replied a local owl expert listened and has no doubt about the Flammulated Owl ID. I'll take a look at the spectrogram again considering the pitch issue. Thank you so much for your help with this one! I've been perplexed too. I have heard Flammulated Owls in May and June "singing" but have never before heard their calls, so I have not had a point of reference. The local expert commented that Flammulated Owls have been positively identified across the river (Lake Spokane - it's dammed) from this location.
Thank you for listening and for your help. I obviously haven't heard something like this before either. If you're interested, take a look at my reply to Andr3w for a bit more. Take care.
