Not as wise as an owl

Into the Hills posted about seeing some rescue owls. He wanted to learn how to call tawny owls out of the trees, and I thought "Hey! take a blip of my hands!" Turned out to be surprisingly difficult, though enjoyable.

Cup your hands with a good seal, except at the thumbs. I find it easier to have the thumbs well bent, and the slit needs to be narrower. Then 'kiss' your thumb joint from the top and experiment blowing down into your hand cup. It may take a while.

Once you've got the hang of it you can warp the shape of your hands. Tawny owls make quite a strangled range. The female call can be done by starting a hoot and suddenly moving the base of your hands apart.

Can do nightjars with the same cup. All you have to do is what flute players call flutter tonguing. Put your tongue at the base of your top teeth. Hold it just enough to let your tongue move when you blow. Makes a good 'churr' when you blow into your hands.

I take my hat off to anybody that writes an instruction manual.