This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BF1B56.FFAB0A40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks, I just read this on one of the RBA's for Pennsylvania and thought = I'd pass it along. =20 Andy Rabin Gaithersburg, MD andyrab@wam.umd.edu ------------------------------- NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS continue to be captured at a banding station on = Berry Mountain. This station, along with ones on South Mountain in Cumberland County and Second Mountain in Schuylkill County have captured 140 = NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS so far this fall (SW). This compares to just 3 captured = over the same period of time in 1998. It is also nearly one and a half times = the entire seasonal total for 1998. Unfortunately, the banding station are = on private property, though, and are not open to visitors except by = invitation. Still, this may be a good fall for folks to find them on their own. = Scott Weidensaul provides the following instructions: If you're interested in trying to find a saw-whet on your own, try a = calm, dark night after the passage of a cold front, when the strong winds = finally die down -- at least, those are the nights they respond best to our audiolure. We've had good success on or along ridges, in thick forest. = You can use a tape, or just whistle an imitation of their "toot" call (I = only recommend using a tape during this, the nonbreeding season). I'd sit patiently in the dark for at least half an hour, waiting and listening = -- but don't expect to hear an answering toot, the way other owls reply. Saw-whets are quiet and secretive, which is why I think they're usually overlooked. Listen for sounds like a growling, mewing cat, musical = trills, bill-snapping or a very soft, faint toot. Then use your flashlight. If = it's a heavy flight night, don't be surprised if your calling attracts a = number of owls. As to volume, we play our tapes quite loud -- research at other stations shows that the louder the tape, the more owls they catch, = perhaps because it draws them from a wider area. If anyone has particularly good luck finding saw-whets, please let me know where and when. Scott Weidensaul sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net Schuylkill Haven, Pa. -------------------------- ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BF1B56.FFAB0A40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">