Who was that owl?

Royal Terns came up Weesuck Creek this morning -- the first real arrival here in numbers (I had previously heard a single bird calling somewhere out on Shinnecock and there have been Royals at Pike's Beach, Westhampton Dunes). Royals are yet another example of the post-breeding dispersal that enlivens our summers here. Northern Waterthrush is still here and still 'chinking' away -- perhaps the same bird that I've been seeing the past few days although now moved over a bit from its previous location near the pond. Same with the Spotted Sandpiper. And the Yellow-crowned Night Heron was still working the mud flats in the early morning low tide.

At least one correspondent (Bob McGrath) wrote to me about the unusual owl call that I heard the night before last, venturing the opinion that it might have been a Long-eared Owl. Although, I didn't say so, this is my opinion as well. I didn't hear the call again last night but I spent some time yesterday searching for the owl in our cedar and pine trees and also listening to recordings of Long-eared Owl calls. I didn't find the live owl and neither did the Blue Jays. And I didn't find the exact sequence (a series of longer notes following by short medium-range hoots) reproduced anywhere but I did find recordings with similar sounds. The problem is that most of these recordings were made in Europe and the few American recordings that I heard were from the Western U.S. or Canada. Many birds, but owls in particular, have regional accents and it is also clear that Long-eared Owls produce a variety of sounds including longer and shorter hoots. So the question remains somewhat up in the air. But Long-eared Owls are not unknown around here and, although they are certainly more common in winter, there are spring and summer reports from both Breeding Bird Atlases (although no definite proof of breeding). Long-eared Owls are exceptionally adept at hiding themselves and their vocalizations are so little known that North American birds are sometimes described as 'generally silent' or 'not particularly vocal', descriptions that apply more in the winter than the spring and the summer. I don't plan to stay up all night but there's a good chance that if it does call again I'll hear it. And maybe run outside with a flashlight to try and find it.

Eric Salzman