Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Whooo's Who?








Since this is the time of year when owls are most active, we thought you might like to test your "Owl I.Q."

A. Which owl's call shows concern about your dinner?





B. Which owl communicates with a high pitched hissing scream?



C. Which owl vocalizes with a high pitched trilling call?



D. Which owl's call is a monotonous "hoop, hoop, hoop"?


E. Which owl calls with a low pitched monotonous "ho-ho-ho-hoo-hoo", and is answered with a higher pitched "girly" version of the same call?

F. Which owl's vocalization sounds like a knocking or tapping "Pup-pup-pup-pup-o" issued in a rising crescendo; and which female owl of the same species has a hawklike "ker-WHEER" call?  (Hint:  This one is not a native species.)

G. Which female owl's call sounds like "to-whit", to be answered by the male's "to-woo"?  (Hint:  This one is not a native species)

H. Which owl issues a long, booming "oo-hooh", and may bark and growl if it feels threatened?  (Hint:  This one is non-native also)



Find out the answers to these and dozens of other fascinating facts about our planet's amazing birds of the night by attending one of our Owl Prowls.  Prowls begin in our Nature Center building where you will meet some of these amazing creatures, and be given a short course on "hooting".  Prowls then proceed onto our outdoor trails, where we will try our hand at hooting to see if we can get some of our local owls to answer.

Don't delay--Owl Prowls are filling up fast, but there are still some openings.  To make reservations call 636-225-4390, Ext. 0.

OWL PROWLS ARE SCHEDULED FOR:
December - 12/13, 12/19, 12/20 & 12/27
January - 1/2, 1/9, 1/10, 1/23 & 1/30
February - 2/6, 2/7, 2/13, 2/20, 2/21, 2/27 & 2/28


RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Adults - $9.00
Children - $7.00

Sessions start at 7 p.m. and last approximately 1-1/2 hour.

Be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes or boots as our paths are not paved.

Try your hand at identifying the numbered owl photos, and then matching the photos to their call descriptions.  

For the answers check back for the next installment of "Whooo's Who".




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