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Re: Owling in California, revisited

Subject: Re: Owling in California, revisited
From: "Kawika" dkuhn012001
Date: Thu Sep 23, 2010 12:55 pm ((PDT))
Not so strange really, Martyn--using playback, for owls especially, with po=
rtable amps and speakers, has become very commonplace. This playback was li=
kely 3-400 feet from my set-up, where a trail crosses the meadow. While I n=
ever use playback, I've certainly seen it done in forty years of guiding. B=
eginners in this nefarious activity typically play back much too loud, ofte=
n scaring the creatures into silence or flight. In this case the "birder" d=
isplayed this typical impatience, brutally dominated the space, then no dou=
bt left disappointed. I listened again for human sounds, but as I mentioned=
 I was a mile from a road, and one can move quietly in this kind of habitat=
.
I try to stay light about this kind of turn of events, but am reminded of t=
he old song "Laughing on the outside (crying on the inside)"  I'm moving on=
, and look forward to pursuing these voices when I next return to Californi=
a.

Thanks all for your commiseration--
Aloha,
David



--- In  Martyn Stewart <> wrote:
>
> There are other apps too like the Audubon and Bird tunes that Kevin,
> Lang and I have contributed to. What makes me feel is you must have
> heard someone walking around the mic?, The speakers on those units are =

> not the best yet that was so clear, No Car door or rustling leaves?
> Strange one for sure.....
>
>
>
>
> Martyn
> ------------------------------------------------
> Martyn Stewart
> www.naturesound.org
> www.soundofcritters.com
>
> 425-898-0462
> -------------------------------------------------
> Make every garden a wildlife habitat
>
> On Sep 23, 2010, at 1:43 AM, Kawika wrote:
>
> > Hi Folks,
> > When it came to light with Martyn's help that I had recorded the
> > voices of not two, but three!! species of owl, a quiet skeptical
> > voice whispered "too good to be true". Others of you may have heard =

> > a similar voice. I started looking at the facts--
> > 1. All three voices came from the same direction, left of center
> > 2. The calls were evenly spaced, about 30 seconds apart
> > 3. A mixed-species flock of owls would likely be a major news event =

> > in ornithological circles
> > 4. I listened again carefully to this file--the Great Horned Owl
> > voice sequence is strangely truncated
> > 5. While this meadow is more than a mile from the nearest road, it
> > was possible there had been others present at this meadow before I
> > returned to retrieve my well-concealed gear at 0630
> > 6. So, if a birder had been there using playback to see what owls
> > might be there, what recordings might have been used? There are two =

> > birding apps available for ipods--Sibley's and the one called
> > IBirdPro. I checked Sibley's, no match. IBird Pro, E Voila!! The
> > recordings on this app match perfectly the voices I recorded.
> >
> > Well, the Mkh 20's and the SD702 did a great job of capturing what
> > was there to hear. But the real Spotted Owl recording I got remains =

> > the most valuable for this trip.
> >
> > I have enjoyed the humor of this--
> >
> > Aloha,
> > David
> >
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > David Kuhn
> > www.soundshawaiian.com
> > 
> > 
> > 808 335 0398
> > Cell 808 651 8247
> > Mail to: PO Box 1018
> > Waimea, Kaua'i HI 96796
> > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> >
> > --- In  "Kawika" <dkuhn012001@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Of course!! You are right Martyn, Northern Pygmy--I was so amazed =

> > to get two species, was sure of the first as W Screech, the second
> > as a Great Horned pair, and thought the third must be a W Screech
> > variant call--surely not three species calling from nearly the same =

> > direction.
> > >
> > > Thanks so much for listening--I was even luckier than I knew!
> > > Aloha,
> > > David
> > >
> > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > > David Kuhn
> > > www.SoundsHawaiian.com
> > > email:david@
> > > 808 335 0398
> > > cell 808 651 8247
> > > Mail to: PO Box 1018
> > > Waimea, Kauai, HI 96796
> > > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> > >
> > > --- In  Martyn Stewart <mstew@>
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I am fairly convinced that the last owl call is that of the
> > Northern Pygmy Owl. I know the first calls are definitely western
> > screech and great horned owl but i'm sure the other is the NPOW
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Martyn
> > > > *************************************
> > > > Martyn Stewart
> > > > www.naturesound.org
> > > > www.soundofcritters.com
> > > >
> > > > Redmond WA
> > > > 425-898-0462
> > > >
> > > > 47.65420118705451
> > > > -121.98158740997314
> > > >
> > > > Make every garden a wildlife habitat
> > > > **************************************
> > > > Listen to the Birds and the Bees at
> > > > http://naturesound.libsyn.org/
> > > > ------------------------------------------------
> > > > View a Nature Recordists Blog!
> > > >
> > > > http://naturesound.org/Blog/Blog.html
> > > >
> > > > http://naturesound.org/this_weeks_recordings/this_weeks_recordings.=
html
> > > >
> > > > Follow me on AudioBoo
> > > > feed://audioboo.fm/users/31466/boos.atom
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Listen to my sounds on Facebook:
> > > > http://tinyurl.com/ye2dw7p
> > > >
> > > > P please consider the environment before printing this email
> > > >
> > > > On Sep 20, 2010, at 8:53 PM, David Kuhn wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Hi Recordingists,
> > > > > I too recorded some owls this past summer. I was in California =

> > for a couple
> > > > > weeks for a backpack trip and to record (by invitation and with
> > > > > permission)Spotted Owl (Endangered Species) with owl
> > researchers in the Central
> > > > > Sierra. After many stops while driving around the mid-
> > elevation forest, hooting
> > > > > at each stop, we luckily stopped within a few meters of an
> > unseen pair--the
> > > > > high-pitched call is a female in response to the male. Telinga =

> > stereo into
> > > > > SD702---
> > > > >
> > > > > http://soundshawaiian.com/mp3/SPOW.mp3
> > > > >
> > > > > A few days later in Yosemite I set up to record overnight in a =

> > meadow at 7500
> > > > > feet elevation, then returned the next morning to pick up
> > gear. I didn't know I
> > > > > got these owls until I had time to audit the unattended
> > recording when I got
> > > > > home to Hawaii--what luck! Western Screech and Great Horned
> > Owls, 0600 hours.
> > > > > The echo is off big Douglas fir and Lodgepole trees around the =

> > meadow. SD702
> > > > > with MKH20's in a mod SASS--
> > > > >
> > > > > http://soundshawaiian.com/mp3/Owls%20Yos.mp3
> > > > >
> > > > > Aloha,
> > > > > David
> > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > David Kuhn
> > > > > www.soundshawaiian.com
> > > > > david@
> > > > > dkuhn012001@
> > > > > 808 335 0398
> > > > > Cell 808 651 8247
> > > > > Mail to: PO Box 1018
> > > > > Waimea, Kaua'i HI 96796
> > > > > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> > > > >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>








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