Notes on the Spotted and Flammulated Screech Owls in Arizona

The Huachuca Mountains of southern Arizona, where these notes were taken, have been visited so frequently by ornithologists that they hardly need an introduction here.The nocturnal birds of that region, however, have been very much neglected due to the extreme difficulties of night travel.Steep, rocky slopes, and much dense brush do not encourage activity at night.Fear is another discouraging factor, a fact seldom admitted.However, I have never known a man who did not show fear in some way when he suddenly found a rattlesnake within a few inches of his leg, or who felt perfectly comfortable in the presence of a growling lion which he could not see in the dark.Fear need not prevent one from accomplishing a given task but it does prey upon the nerves.The concentration necessary to interpret the slightest sound by ear, and at the same time keep an elusive owl within one' s range of vision, noting its actions, and anticipating its movements, is no small drain upon one' s nervous energy.Since 1920, when I first became interested in the screech owls of the Huachuca Mountains, hundreds of trees have been climbed and many nights have been spent in the field in an endeavor to delineate their respective ranges and to learn something of their habits.This year fifty nights were spent in the field and some twenty square miles of country were worked.Considering the number of days and nights spent. in the work, the results have been rather discouraging.However, I believe a summary covering my observations of the past ten years will be of some help to those interested in the two owls treated in this paper.THE SPOTTED SCREECH OWL (Ohs trichopssis) Range.-TheSpotted Screech Owl is a permanent resident in the Huachuca Mountains.Specimens were taken during February,