The other night I put the dog out... and there was that noise again... "beep beep beep beep"... sounds just like the backup alarm on a utility vehicle, or worse, the overflow alarm on a septic tank. Several years ago - the first time we heard it - we checked every tank on the resort to make sure we weren't having a spring overflow problem - the beeping seemed to be moving around and we couldn't catch up to it. This is not a fun thing to do in the middle of the night with knee to hip deep snow and five or six tanks with alarms on our 11 plus acres! "Beep Beep Beep" - never stopping - no vehicles backing up, no alarm lights flashing, what on earth?
It's a saw-whet owl, is what. A tiny, persistent and lonely little saw-whet owl trying very hard to make contact with another saw-whet owl. Calling out "beep beep beep," flitting from tree to tree, searching for a mate. Late winter/early spring is courting season for saw-whets - and what a mating call! I don't suppose it bothered anyone until the advent of back up alarms on vehicles and septic tank alarms, but now!
The neighbor's dog was reacting the same way we did the first time we heard the calls - since she's a dog we heard "bark bark beep beep bark beep" - meaning, we assume, "someone please come and take care of this alarm going off, please!" Poor lonely little owl - I hope he finds a mate SOON!
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