Owl ?

Ok, here’s where birding gets tantalizing (?) frustrating (?)…….again!!

We were just out on a snow walk in garland near a wooded creek. I heard an owl.

I heard it twice give 3 note, medium pitched hoots — lower pitched than Saw Whet, and Northern pygmy, higher pitched than Long eared — not screech, not great horn, not barred, not barn, not snowy, not short eared. Comparing what I heard with app and with Sibley’s description the best match is Spotted Owl (Sibley’s description attached along with rang map), .

But here’s the tantalizing/frustrating part — insufficient evidence!!!! Again!!!

I tried to tape it with phone app, but it didn’t call again.

Spotted sounds quite preposterous!!!!, But who knows in these strange times — if I had some evidence!!

Probably it was an ECDO, but I didn’t think so at the time — now the doubting starts to set in……. I’ll try to go listen some more later !!!