E Screech Owl call in daytime? (3 Viewers)

[Cillana]

My mom and I have been hearing this call for the past few days. We're painting the house so we're outside a lot. She at first thought it was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. But I said it didn't sound right. Too staccato and higher pitched than what we heard. I thought about it and realized what it was that it reminded me of, an Eastern Screech Owl. I played the E. Screech Owl and sure enough, it sounded just right. The next day I told my mom this and she didn't believe me. So I played both for her and then we waited until we heard the bird call again. She then agreed that it sounded like the owl. I've never heard of them calling during the daytime. Do they call in the daytime? Anything else it could have been?

It sounded like this: http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Megascops-asio-1.mp3

This was in east Texas. It seems we were usually hearing it in the late morning to noonish. I also heard it during an eBird count so I'd like to get a proper ID so I can add it to the list when I submit it.

 

[DarkFireFalcon]

Try listening to the Lesser Nighthawk song.

 

[Hamhed]

Hi, Cillana -
We have had Eastern Screech Owls nesting in boxes in our yard though not this year. They seem to call during the daytime once the young owls are nearing time to leave the nest. In our area, that time is mid-May. I don't know whether they are just "training" the owlets to the sound of their voice or coaxing them to come out of the nest or just reassuring them that Mom and Dad are still close by. We have heard the young birds making quiet trills from inside the box days before they were to fledge.
The sound you provided a link to is the same sound we hear in Western North Carolina but the sound we hear when the young are ready to fledge is the descending trill rather than what is called the "monotonic" trill.
Cool sound, whatever the reason!

Steve

 

[Cillana]

I think the Lesser Nighthawk is higher pitched than what we heard. But mainly they aren't found in my area.

The trill was definitely monotonic.

 

[Cillana]

*bump*

Whenever I try to find info via Google all I get is stuff about Barred Owls calling during the day (which I already knew) and E Screech Owls responding to taped calls during the day which I wasn't doing and I highly doubt any of my podunk neighbors were either.

 

[njlarsen]

My wife recently in New Mexico heard a Western Screech-Owl in mid morning. Unfortunately, I was out of reach of the voice

Niels

 

[fugl]

Following up on Hamhed's post, here is all that is said about daytime singing in BNA-online's lengthy section on Eastern Screech Owl vocalizations--

"Males and their incubating-brooding mates sing antiphonally day and night, whereas neighboring males sing synchronously at night. . .".

So, maybe that's what you've been hearing--antiphonal singing by a mated pair with eggs or young chicks? Or is it too late in the year for that in your neck of the woods?

 

[Cillana]

I've never seen a nest hole, fledglings, etc. So I don't know the timing here. One of my FB friends lives in New Orleans, Louisiana and he has a pair that lives near him and they usually fledge around May 10.