Western Screech-Owls

Western screech-owls are the only owl that I commonly hear (and occasionally see) in the Portland area. One year we had them nest in a tree right in our front yard. From the neighbor's second story window you could see one of the parents sitting in the entrance to the nest, and after the owlets fledged we watched them take their first flights, call back and forth to their parents in strange, screeching calls, and we had one reluctant flier sitting on our fence during for a couple of days. It made for some great photo ops (I'll see if I can't dig up those photos in the near future - that was back in my film days) and luckily it evaded any cats or other predators.

Off and on throughout the year we can hear the characteristic rapid, whistle-like hoots from inside our house at night. Tonight was one of those nights, and I stepped outside to get a better listen. Here is a little recording I made so you can hear them too. Sorry about the background noise - it was a bit windy/rainy out. I'm actually still hearing them now, about half an hour after I made the recording.