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Probable Saw-whet Owl/ Saturday report, Santee area, SC



Saturday, Jan 22, (before the snow)I visited Santee NWR's Cuddo, Bluff,
Dingle Pond areas; Goat Island and had the following noteworthy birds:


Tundra Swan 2 (flyovers--no waterfowl at all in Bluff)

E. Screech-Owl 2 gray phase

N. Saw-whet Owl 1 (heard only, various peculiar vocalizations I am pretty
confident were Saw-whet, in direct and repeated response to my Saw-whet
recording.  This was not within the NWR, but thick pine plantation near
Dingle Pond area. Any additional info anyone might have concerning N.
Saw-whet Owl calls would be appreciated.  I was playing a copy of the
Peterson Western CD call which features a small series of the "tooting" call
followed by two cat/sapsucker like raspy calls.  The bird responded several
times with identical series of muted "whoop" notes, something like a very
slowed down Least Bittern call: "whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop" etc.  Next, two
significantly louder, two-note calls separated by about 30 seconds of
silence and which could be described as hoots or whoops:  "hu-hoo" but
lacking the quality of Barred or Great Horned hoots.  Finally, after much
listening, flashlight scanning, etc. and no more of the hoot/whoop calls, I
twice heard a low, almost Screech-Owl like whinny call that was not, in my
opinion, a Screech-Owl, as I am very familiar with their vocalizations.
This was more whining or catlike and clipped off short.  Anyone had similar
experience with Saw-whet calls to corroborate or argue against my
identification?)

Brewer's Blackbird 22 (with a couple thousand Brown-headed Cowbirds &
Redwinged Blackbirds)

Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1

Fox Sparrow 1
LeConte's Sparrow 6 (3 along wildlife drive, Cuddo; 3 in broomsedge field
outside refuge, near Pine Island Unit)

Our phone service was out previously, so this is a few days late.

Tim Kalbach
Columbia, SC
grebe@mindspring.com