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That's right! Northern pygmy owls don't give a hoot-they vocalize in a series of single, short whistles, presented at one or two second intervals, employing other calls for special occasions.

One of ten species of Alaskan owls, the Northern Pygmy limits its northern range to Southeast Alaska, indulging us alone with its venerable presence. It appears adorable and perfectly fierce at the same time, standing a modest seven inches tall in heels but with large, yellow piercing eyes.

You know how people tell kids they have eyes on the back of their heads? Pygmy parents aren't just kidding-at least, they appear to have them. Consistent with other members of their genus, they have patches of black outlined in white on the back of their heads that create the deception of eyes, an expedient ruse against predators like other owls, ravens and jays.

This is one owl that is not only active during the day but actually sticks around in the presence of curious humans. I met my first pygmy owl, Chuck, in December, 2006 when he (maybe she) discovered that a tree six feet off the front deck of my Whale Pass cabin was a good place to hunt.

Chuck had perched on a limb about five feet up in a cedar tree, keeping vigilant watch on the ground below for errant mice, songbirds or large insects. A plethora of forest mice were attracted to the smells of home and the cleared area made it easy for Chuck to swoop down and grab unsuspecting victims.

I could walk around on the deck right next to Chuck and he would just look at me and stay put. If I went into the cabin where I didn't interfere with his hunting, he would sit there for hours, perching in the same place day after day, although sometimes trying a different branch. After about a month Chuck apparently decided to hunt in a different location and did not return. The remaining mice could now continue their frustrated efforts to infiltrate the cabin. I missed Chuck.

In a recent walk up a dirt road along a creek, an odd-sized bird shot past me from behind with the characteristic rapid wing beats of a pygmy owl. It alighted in a small spruce tree and when it failed to fly away as I caught up and approached the tree, I suspected it was my favorite owl. Although this is normal behavior for a pygmy owl, it is so odd to approach a bird without it flying off very quickly.

Pygmy owls nest in old woodpecker holes or some sort of cavity in dead trees without redecorating. Mrs. Pygmy typically lays three or four white eggs which, in non-standard owl behavior, she does not begin to incubate until the clutch is complete, thereby securing a group hatch, as opposed to throwing a birthday party every one or two days for a week.

While she broods on and over her egg children, the male hunts steadily to feed everyone. The owlets will fledge after about a month in a daunting first flight which often finds them clinging and dangling inverted in their initial efforts, until they gradually begin to climb and fly upward. What a picture they invoke in those first few weeks while still being fed and defended, high up in the canopy, perched shoulder to shoulder and calling for food.

Look for pygmy owls atop the highest spire of a tree-often the easiest place to spot them-in open forest, wetlands or along roads. They like to hunt in more open areas but are difficult to find when perching and roosting in thickets (often alder), where they are safer from predators. Their secretive ways make them an unusual treat to behold.