Date: 7/27/26 5:36 am From: Alfred Maley <alfredmaley...> Subject: [NHBirds] Notes on a Barred Owl Interaction #2
Most of the time the pair of Barred Owls roost/snooze/preen a ways apart
from each other in the crabapple trees. For some reason or other they then
get closer together (1-2 feet apart) and then the male will have a
conversation with the female. One of these conversations occurred yesterday
about mid-day before the male flew down to the lawn and began a 10 minute
“sunbathe”.
The sound he made can actually be described, unlike many other calls these
owls make. Imagine an owl that stuttered, trying to say “whoopie pie” and
it just came out as a soft “whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop”. What in the world
this means I have no idea. It may mean “I’ll be right back” or “wanna go
sunbathing with me?” or anything devious minds can imagine. It will take
several more observations of the context to have any idea, but this call
seems to always be given when the male is physically close to the female,
as if he didn’t want anyone to hear what he was saying.
