Early Morning Call - Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

Observation: This animal is waking me up almost every night with a loud noise and only in the middle of the night. I think maybe it's mating, I've only heard this animal in the spring/summer. I've recorded an audio file and hoping to find out what kind of animal it is.

LEO say: This is a wonderful recording and provides a very good opportunity to identify the species by the call. We suspected an owl and found a similar call on the Alaska's Owls webpage. You can listen and compare the two audio clips. We think it is a northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) that is keeping you up at night. Here is the recording. You can hear Roxanne Benson's recordings at the link below and to link.

Resources:

Alaska's Owls – "Throughout the breeding season this bird roosts during the daylight in or near its nest (in tree cavities). It will also roost in dense stands of conifers in winter. The Northern Saw-whet is usually found in forested or wooded areas. This rare owl has been recorded nesting only in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, and is not seen frequently anywhere in the state." Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game