SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 
643 
HO. 1. First nest-box departures of male and female Eastern Sereeeh-Owls in 1999-2010 compared to local sunset. 
EST (solid curve). Falmouth. Massachusetts. 
earliest or the middle of April at the latest. There 
were minor differences among individuals, as 
some were more regular in their habits than 
others; my emphasis is on the overall consistency 
across individuals and years. 
The distribution of the departure times is shown 
in Fig. 2. The mean (± SD) delay between sunset 
and departure time was 21 ± 12 mm. Most 
departures before sunset occurred during the 
nestling period, i.e., late April through early June, 
