8/30/2023 0 Comments Hawk sounds![]() A second hawk-owl called in flight nearby. Just when Mark’s nerve was beginning to crack, the noise stopped and something happened that thrilled him to the core. By now the temperature had dropped to -17☌, so when the driver got out he left the engine running and chatted to the farmer on his doorstep. Punishing Mark slowly, it made its way along an invisible path through the trees directly behind him, then appeared on the road while the owl continued to hoot in the distance. Moments later a rickety old tractor with snow chains rumbled into earshot. Muted by snow and distance, it sounded like the whistle of an American freight train but diffuse, rising and rippling slightly. When a very distant hawk-owl finally became active at dusk, its voice emerged as if from nothing. For an hour, all remained silent and still. ![]() On the other the forest blocked his view. On his side of the road there was a ploughed field. ![]() He rested his microphones on the snow, uncoiled 20 m of cables and stood at the far end. Towards the end of the next day, Dick and Killian dropped Mark off at the same spot. In March 2003, however, the blanket was still flawless and the owls were preparing to breed. At the end of winter the snow could have melted too quickly, causing the vole population to crash and the owls to move on. The previous autumn a surplus of voles had attracted irruptive owls to settle in the area. Fairly large patches of old growth remain but otherwise it is commercial, dotted with small farms and fields. ![]() The area around Yläne has a lot of forest, more than usual for south-western Finland. Perhaps through the sheer power of his will, the owl did call, and an obsession with hawk-owls was born. Mark pointed his parabolic dish despite Dick’s discouragement and an air temperature of -10☌. When Dick spotted the Northern Hawk-Owl Surnia ulula perched in a tree on the other side of the field, everyone sprang into action. “You’re wasting your time”, said Dick, “they never call during the day.” The road had been long, straight and snowy, and Mark had fallen asleep. ![]()
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