Another rainy night, and several interesting sounds. I picked up screech owls a little before midnight, and again around 1:30am. There were also a few different calls that I am uncertain about, some I have good ideas, others I do not have any idea.
Western Screech Owl: A screech owl started calling with just single notes before eventually going into the familiar bouncing-ball sequence with a response from a second owl. Download Western Screech Owl
Mystery Chirps: Although they sound familiar, I am not sure whether these chirps are from a bird or a mammal. It could be a River Otter, or some kind of bird. Recorded at 1:20 am. Download Mystery Chirps
Rhythm: The calls of a distant raven, a small song bird, and dripping water looped to create what seemed an interesting rhythm to me.
Challenge Call: It took me awhile to figure out what this call was most likely from. See if you can guess without looking at the file name.
Mystery Call: At first I thought this might be a gull, but now I’m thinking probably not. I do not know what it is. Recorded at 01:32. Download Mystery Call
Whistles: Initially these sounded like a human whistling, but then the extended period over which I heard them (from about 06:20 continuing sporadically until after 07:00) and the varying distances made me think it wasn’t. Subsequent listening has convinced me that it probaly is a person whistling, I’m just not sure why they were out there for so long (perhaps walking a dog?). Download Whistles
Mystery Call 0702: This very brief call was recorded at 07:02. I do not know what made it, but if I were forced to guess, I would say Varied Thrush. That’s mostly due to the buzzy nature of the call. Download Mystery Call
High Calls: I’m uncertain whether these are Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, or both. They sometimes travel in mixed flocks, and I’ve had difficulty consistently sorting out the differences in their companion/flock calls. Download High Calls
Red-breasted Nuthatch: It’s been a good year for Red-breasted Nuthatches around Sitka. It sounds like at least two were in the neighborhood this morning. Download Red-breasted Nuthatch
Crossbills: I believe these are Red Crossbills, but there’s a chance they could be White-winged Crossbills. Their flight calls are different, but I’ve not yet learned how to distinguish them consistently. Download Crossbills