New England Birds Plus

I’ve been recording audio overnight from the deck here in Essex since August 26, 2017 when I purchased a recorder capable of recording all night, a Sound Devices MixPre-6 & Audio-technica BP4025 stereo mic. I start recording around 10pm and generally turn it off at 6am, starting earlier isn’t really an option with all of the traffic noise. This setup will make a Blue Jay calling 500′ away sound like it’s in the yard. I live in a commercial / residential neighborhood with a few good sized lakes close by, a few wet / swampy areas and lots of woods.

As we all know there are owls everywhere (well… almost) and apparently around my house in no exception.

Prior to starting this little project I’d occasionally hear a Screech / Barred or Great Horned once or twice a year at most. Now a month and a half later I’m finding the Barred Owls call almost any night it’s not raining or windy, rain seems to keep all critters tucked away making for a very quiet night. The Owls may still call on windy nights but I can’t hear it if they do over the wind / leaf noise.

I’ve also learned that all three Owls may call together having recorded a Screech calling with a Barred and a Great Horned chiming in, something I was fairly certain wouldn’t happen to keep the smaller Owls from becoming a meal.

Here’s a list of the Owls and the dates I’ve recorded them starting on August 26, 2017. I try to record every night barring heavy rain or high winds.