Hello, birders! I am trying to identify a nocturnal bird sound in greater Victoria, BC (specifically the Mill Hill Park area, to narrow it right down). I *think *it’s an owl, but it’s not the usual hoo-hoo-hoo-HOO-hoo sounds. Those I have definitely heard around here at night while walking the dog. (I had to find out what it was after I finally clued in that dogs don’t bark that rhythmically! An owl, of course, which I should have guessed much sooner.)
But what’s really got me curious is another call. What I hear, that I can’t identify, almost sounds mechanical, like a small drill speeding up. It starts lower, rises and stops. It’s almost a whine, but a mechanical-sounding whine. It doesn’t sound “bird-like”, but it’s also not entirely mechanical-sounding, either, after hearing it a few times. But at first, it really sounded to me like some kind of drill or machine–there were a lot of people doing home improvement stuff last summer when I first heard it, so I actually thought it was a drill or a sander! It’s a high-pitched whine that starts with a rise, then stops. The sound has almost “rusty” tones, but not as piercing as a “shriek”. It’s unhurried.
I heard it last summer, when I thought it was a human device, and one time I did see two owls high in a tree at the same time as the sound, so an owl is my best guess. However, that was just as dusk was becoming dark. This year, I’ve only heard it after dark, so I can’t spot the bird(s). Now I’m really curious about it.
We also have raccoons around here, but the sounds come from “up”, higher than I’ve seen raccoons in trees.
Owl Calls and Sounds - The Owl Pages is the closest to the sound I can find, but imagine one call, longer, rising, with long pauses in between. Closer is this: http://www.owling.com/seo1-1a.wav with the second call of the four being the closest, but again, of longer duration. I only hear the rising bit, though, and it seems as if it’s usually two birds making the call back and forth between them. It doesn’t sound agitated to my ears, just very distinctive. I haven’t heard it in the winter.
Thanks for any help! I’ve posted to BirdingBC.ca too, but maybe I’ve stumped them there, or maybe it’s such an obvious question that the birders are disdainful.
Owls? What kind of owls? I like owls.
