CLOSED: Which Owl is Waking Me Up???

It is just after 4 AM. For the 2nd night in a row, I've been jolted awake by 30-minute hooting spells from the woods at 3:45 AM.

The phrase is 8 accented hoots: Hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo; hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo. The emphasis is on the 2nd "hoo" in each set. I looked it up, and the Barred owl makes the most sense for my area, BUT it is lacking a last noise, a "whoo-ah" for an eighth hoot: one of my books describes the full song as "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you ALL" My bird also adds an occasional "wahh" noise after a long pause.

I am in NE Mass, in swampy mixed woodlands. My only other candidate would seem to be the Great Horned owl, one of which I did see during the day perched not far from my house last year (I've never actually seen a Barred owl). The books describe the Great Horned hoots as "booming"; I really would call these rather soft (enough to wake me up, however!). Also, the Barred is said to be heard more b/f dusk. 3:45 AM is certainly NOT DUSK.

Which owl do I put on my "wanted" poster?! ;0) Or, it may not be an owl at all. I'm going to take some "Tylenol PM"!

I'd suspect it is within the range of variation in the song for Barred Owl, maybe a young bird from this spring just starting to tune up for the first time and not very good at it yet.

Resin

Zhinu, I was just kidding about the "wanted" poster. But even the most adorable baby kitten is somewhat less so @ 4 AM.

Resin, a young bird practicing sounds logical. I have noticed that my property abounds with odd Juvie fledges at this time of year. I have a large pond, and I'm not too far from the ocean. Last year, I had a fledgling cormorant bumbling into trees and then falling out onto the lawn- he was fearless and walked up to me in confusion! I had to explain that 1. He belonged closer to the sea, and 2. he isn't a "perching bird" in the classic sense, and that he would never be able to lite on a white pine branch like the song birds! He hung around the shore of my pond for a few days, then took off. This year I have a black-crowned night heron that must be this year's fledge b/c he is very pale, but still has the black feather "crown". He isn't afraid of me, and he doesn't know he's a "night" heron- he's sitting on a snag in broad daylight! Funny babies... I love them all!

Jax4ever - should have put a :o) after that, I was just running with the joke.

Our Barred Owls have been more vocal lately and Dh hears them in the morning. We tend to just get the Who cooks for you ...

This message was edited Aug 8, 2008 10:04 PM

I should put Adorable Baby Kitten out on the hit for Adorable Baby Owl!!! I need SLEEP!!!

I just read that Tylenol is making an extra-strength sleep aid. They're calling it Tylen-Owl!
Har!!

lol ... wouldn't that be something to keep you up at night?

LOL tylen-owl.

Love that you have a "chief bag checker" at your house too. Mine is also present wrapping inspector among other things.

That's Jax! He supervises EVERYTHING!!! I'm just his valet.

Yep, I completely understand. Beautiful boy!