This is Screech.
For the last couple of months we've had a very diligent Tawny Frogmouth pair sitting on their nest close to the house. We've watched with anticipation and were finally rewarded by seeing a little bundle of fluff popping his head out of the nest.
Then last weekend - DRAMA - I walked outside to see a massive monitor making his way towards the Tawny tree. Screamed at hubby to come and help, we tried to avert disaster, but the monitor was way too fast for us and scaled the tree.
Mumma Tawny was very panicked, as the monitor came closer to the nest she flew off into a nearby tree. She gave me a look of absolute desperation HELP ME! (yes, she did!) but the nest/monitor were way too high for us to do anything. Hubby tried to throw things at the monitor, but I stopped him as the monitor's life is no less precious than the chicks - I didn't want to see the monitor get toppled out of the tree and hurt or killed. Plus hubby damn near hit my car with a rock. ;\
I put some eggs around the base of the tree so the monitor could see them, in a vain attempt to lure him away from the chick. We had to go out briefly, so wished the Tawnys good luck. Alas, when we came back, the nest was empty :_|
Went about our afternoon chores when suddenly I spotted baby Tawny! Sitting on the ground next to the tractor. We dropped everything, made him a makeshift nest and put it up in the tree, then caught him and put him in the nest. We saw Mumma and Pappa Tawny watching nearby.
Cut down a long story, Bubba kept jumping out of his nest over the next three days and Mumma and Pappa abandoned him, so the decision was made to bring him inside to keep him safe from both the monitors and our dogs. (our four young ones would kill him).
He will be released as soon as he can fly properly and learn to catch his own bugs (I am catching them for him at the moment). He's all puffed up and hating me in the photo, that's a good thing, we don't want him imprinting on us. He's feeding really well though (I hate you, I hate you, yum, yum, more please, I still hate you).
Thinking about Monsters and Master/Miss Screech tonight ... :-x
It is wonderful Crystal, and Screech is truly free as well.
Hi Tas, Crystal
Thanks for your piccies Tas, I needed a smile.
We lost another one of our lovely dogs on Sunday morning. :_|
Spud died on Sunday morning after -we think- being bitten by a snake.
The vet couldn't save him.
I am just so numb, two of our gorgeous dogs gone within a couple of weeks of each other. Life is just so bloody cruel and unfair sometimes. I have actually been harder hit with Spud, I think because Tango had a full life and the end was expected, Spud was not even two years old and it was such a shock to lose him. Also two so close together. I have spent the last two days mooching.
The first photo is him as a pup, the second one after having a wonderful time playing in all the puddles after the flooding. The fellow in the tyre is Charlie, he has to always be up on something.
