The survey method is in need of refinement this year. I thought I would share some of the interesting tidbits about screech owl behavior that I learned during the research. In comparing study plots in both rural and suburban areas, he found that the screech owl populations in suburban areas were more dense and stable than in rural areas. During late winter months when surviving is most precarious due to diminished prey and the higher demands of breeding, the suburbs provided a steady supply of prey birds of the same species. The trees planted in the suburbs also provided more nesting and roosting cavities than in equal-sized plots found in rural areas.
Screech owls have a variety of vocalizations, each with a purpose.
The single-tone trill is used primarily by the male, particularly during courtship and nesting in February and March. It is a bonding signal to coordinate family movements. In February, during courtship, the male will begin the single-note trill shortly before sunset and repeat it about once a minute for the next two hours. The female, who is the quieter of the two during courtship, picks up the slack during nesting and fledging. She uses the descending trill that is characteristically a nest-site territoriality defensive signal.