Online Exclusive:
Night Owls Audio
Audio Script:
In an owl prowl you are trying to estimate the number of owls in a given area. Since they are nocturnal animals you have to go out at night if you want them to respond to the call. The night that I was out with the research group was almost freezing and there was a bright harvest moon in the sky. The mood was a very eerie and silent as we traveled down the river, and the only sound I would hear was this rhythmic stroke of the oar.
When we would get to a section we would stop and play the track from Cornell’s ornithology department. I was sitting right in front of the speakers so the hoot would startle me every time that it played.
At six in the morning, about three hours after the morning began and just as I was giving up hope, we heard our first owl. Its call was very faint and then got louder. After listening for a few minutes we could hear two owls answering our call, because they nest as breeding pairs.
That was a great experience; and the excitement of it makes me want to be a field researcher, but I would maybe look for a job in a warmer climate.
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Karly A. Pence is senior double-majoring in journalism and geography at MSU. This is her second appearance in EJ. Contact Karly at pencekar@msu.edu.
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