Hey Alex, have you seen this: Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter?
I've used it as a link on several occasions. It's one of the better compilations of info in one place, including sound files. You may find better specifics elsewhere, but for one-stop shopping it quite good.
By the way, I've got to come clean about that Valentine's Owl. It's a released bird, not naturally occurring. The Times had an article about this on Tuesday. There are a lot of issues here, and some birders are rather contemptuous of this project, which may have more to do with publicity than science. I'm planning a post on the topic, which will go a little deeper than the Times, I hope.
Alex, in the parking lot of a Motel Six in Yuma Arizona
last month, standing in a graded & landscaped cactus garden,
when I went out to the car to get our bags, stood a Pygmy Owl on its pencil legs staring at me as if to say; yeah that's right... I live in a motel parking lot.. what are you going to do about it. I got within two feet of the little guy before he popped back down his hole beside a cholla. I've had an even closer encounter with a young Great
Horned, it hopped on my wrist, but I've never had a conversation like I did with the Pygmy. Owls are the most
human of all birds don't you think?
Actually, I always thought Owls were a lot like Cats. You may have noticed, however, that the Goddess does have one sitting on her shoulder. I'm afraid the most human birds are the ones we don't like: Starlings, House Sparrows, Pigeons, et al. These have prospered by involving themselves with humans, while wilder species have declined. We are known by the company we keep.
Owls are generally prized by birders. We had a Saw-whet recently, almost as small as a Pygmy. You have a lot of different birds out there; one of these days…
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- jim 2-21-2002 3:05 pm
I've used it as a link on several occasions. It's one of the better compilations of info in one place, including sound files. You may find better specifics elsewhere, but for one-stop shopping it quite good.
By the way, I've got to come clean about that Valentine's Owl. It's a released bird, not naturally occurring. The Times had an article about this on Tuesday. There are a lot of issues here, and some birders are rather contemptuous of this project, which may have more to do with publicity than science. I'm planning a post on the topic, which will go a little deeper than the Times, I hope.
- alex 2-21-2002 3:22 pm [add a comment]
Alex, in the parking lot of a Motel Six in Yuma Arizona
last month, standing in a graded & landscaped cactus garden,
when I went out to the car to get our bags, stood a Pygmy Owl on its pencil legs staring at me as if to say; yeah that's right... I live in a motel parking lot.. what are you going to do about it. I got within two feet of the little guy before he popped back down his hole beside a cholla. I've had an even closer encounter with a young Great
Horned, it hopped on my wrist, but I've never had a conversation like I did with the Pygmy. Owls are the most
human of all birds don't you think?
- frank 3-21-2002 8:45 pm [add a comment]
Actually, I always thought Owls were a lot like Cats. You may have noticed, however, that the Goddess does have one sitting on her shoulder. I'm afraid the most human birds are the ones we don't like: Starlings, House Sparrows, Pigeons, et al. These have prospered by involving themselves with humans, while wilder species have declined. We are known by the company we keep.
Owls are generally prized by birders. We had a Saw-whet recently, almost as small as a Pygmy. You have a lot of different birds out there; one of these days…
- alex 3-21-2002 9:08 pm [add a comment]
Did you hear its eerie song? While cowbirds & starlings may act like humans, I think owls look like us.
- frank 3-22-2002 12:18 am [add a comment]
Well, maybe if you're one of those good-looking people. Of course, I'm good looking too, but in my case it means that when I look, I see things. (At least 90% of the birds I've seen were actually there.) Unfortunately most of our Owls are wintering or passing through, so they don't vocalize much, but our Spring songbirds are starting to come along, and they're already singing.
- alex 3-22-2002 12:40 am [add a comment]