The Eurasian Scops-Owl to be precise (Otus Scops).
Which according to the “Merlin Bird ID” app is a:
“Very small owl with golden-yellow eyes. Cryptic and well-camouflaged, with streaky gray-brown plumage that blends in perfectly with tree bark. Small ear tufts raised when alert. Much more easily detected at night, when monotonously repeated and well-carrying song, a single plaintive hoot, is given. Found in a variety of open woodlands, scrubby areas, orchards, and parks.”
I love this owl, and for the last 30+ years I have been listening for it on my first night in Mouzieys. One year I didn’t hear it and I thought it was dead until I realised that I had probably been listening to generations of owls, not just one. I didn’t see it for may years until they started turning off the street lights at 11:00pm, then it would sit on top of the lamp post to hunt and when there was a moon I could watch it smoothly glide down, snatch up something, and then return. It makes the most fascinating call that pierces the darkness and seems to echo over the whole plateau (Google it or download the app and listen to various recordings). And look at that face!
Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One). p. 53
I’m used to the noisy summer nights of New Jersey, filled with cicadas, cat birds, the occasional nightingale and siren, and of course traffic, planes, and people. Nights are almost silent here all year long, aside from my little Scops-Owl, which I assume explains my fondness for it, although I have always loved owls (thank you A. A. Milne). And once I got the Merlin App I was able to identify my little friend and learn more about it.
If you don’t know Merlin, from the Cornel Ornithology Lab, download it right now and start identifying birds. I will be using it to track the comings and goings of our feathered residents in this blog (see “Farmer’s Almanac”) and I guarantee you will love it wherever you live. If you can, give the Lab a donation when they ask — the app is free and is part of a massive crowd-sourced global bird census if you are willing to note what you hear and when.
