[birding] Screech-Owl singing, mystery night sound, raptors

[Joel Geier]

Hi folks,

Around 2 AM this morning I got up to check a computer run, and heard a
WESTERN SCREECH-OWL calling for the first time here since early last
spring. It was really singing, and drew responses from a couple of other
screech-owls further off along Tampico Ridge. 

I also heard several calls from what sounded like a good-sized bird or
perhaps several individuals calling at different times, seemingly headed
south over E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. It was a fairly sonorous,
up-slurred "wooOO" on about the same pitch as a Tundra Swan (one of my
guesses as to the identity). Not like any owl sound that I recognize,
and not at all raspy like herons/terns etc. It would be interesting to
hear if any Tundra Swans showed up in the valley today.

We also had our first VARIED THRUSH of the fall singing here in the
early morning gloom on Wednesday (14 Oct). 

Yesterday a MERLIN tangled with one or two SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS (judging
from the ruckus -- I heard the protestations of the hawk near the edge
of the conifers on Coffin Butte Landfill's buffer lands and looked over
to see three similar-sized birds, two of which went into the forest
while the Merlin left and went winging over our yard).

Speaking of raptors, RED-TAILED HAWKS seem to be finding something good
in Soap Creek Valley. Since Oct 1 there have been up to five in about a
third of a mile stretch of Soap Creek Road at the OSU beef ranch.
Yesterday after dropping off Wil at Crescent Valley, I had to brake hard
to avoid hitting one that came out of the ditch with something dangling
from its talons ... just about dragged its prey across the windshield.

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis