Smith, J Pygmy Owl 25 Feb 1990 Landels-hill Big Creek Reserve Santa Lucia, Monterey Co. 200ft elev. Up ~200ft from creek bottom along the road from the house ~1mi w 1/2miles. The vegetation opens up as you climb the trail. I heard the owl giving the slow monotone "hoo-hoo-hoo" The sound of the "hoo" has an airy quality like a rubber doll when squeezed at the middle, but not so squeaky. Quite a breathy tone. It also did a very melodic "vattle-cha" of a golden-fronted Woodpecker. It came in ~10yds from me when I imitated it with a whistle. It is a diminutive owl approximately 5-6" in length. The body is stocky, but the tail is narrow (1"wide) for the breadth of its chest. It is a russet colored back, the belly is predominately white with streaks of russet. The tail is dark with white bars. When it flies it looks like a varied thrush---broad body, long wings but short tail. When I called it in it perched ~12' high in a juvenile tan-bark oak(?). It then flew to a larger Redwood where it perched near the trunk (~1') at 20-25' high. The trees sprays were bright gold surrounded by chest puffs. The feet were yellow as well as the beak. The back is olive brown not quite russet, the white streaks start ~at the tip of the 1's and continue up ~1" but then back looks solid. Eyebrows are flecked quite on brown. It perched in a oak ~20yds from me (it is 20' up) it had its back toward me but would rotate its head cell around to look at me as I called to it. Stellar's Jays were quite noisy in the area dwarfing the owl in comparison of body size. It has dark patches(?) on nape that look like ears.