Beep...Beep...Beep....goes the Northern Saw-whet Owl

A few evenings ago we were treated to an unusual sound that Joan and the kids could not figure out what was making it. Joan called me on the cell phone and asked me to stop at the top of the driveway to figure out what was making the “beeping” noise. When I got out of the truck I knew exactly what was making the usual beeping sound, a Saw Whet Owl. For those of you who have never heard one they sound like the warning sound of a truck backing up in reverse.

Here is a brief history of the Northern Saw Whet Owl:

A small owl of all types of woodlands, the Northern Saw-whet Owl can be found roosting in winter in small, dense conifer trees, sometimes even in parks and gardens. Its defense upon discovery is to sit still and not fly, leading people to perceive them as "tame."

Appearance
Adult Description
• Small owl.
• No ear tufts.
• Face white, outlined in brown and white.
• Under parts white streaked with brown.
• Eyes yellow.
• Bill black.

Immature Description
Upperparts completely dark brown, under parts bright buff. White Y on face, made up of eyebrows and white mark between eyes. Lacks white spots on back.

Cool Facts
• The main prey items of the Northern Saw-whet Owl are mice, and especially deer mice of the genus Peromyscus. Adult mice usually are eaten in pieces in two different meals. One owl was found dead after apparently trying to swallow a large mouse whole.
• The female Northern Saw-whet Owl does the incubation and brooding. The male brings all her food while she is incubating. She leaves the eggs for only one or two short trips each night, to defecate and cough up a pellet.
• While the female saw-whet broods her nestlings, she keeps the nest cavity very clean. But, when the young are about 18 days old, she starts spending the night in another hole, and then the dirt starts to accumulate. When the young owls leave the nest after another ten days to two weeks, the nest cavity has a thick layer of feces, pellets, and rotting prey parts.

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/120234