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).
Just dropping in for a moment after reading all the updates on this thread ... how beautiful is that, the little calf in the wheel barrow and then the dog wanting the limo as well ... :^O .. :-x
Can't wait to be able to come back next week and rejoin the thread properly, what an uplifting and wonderful place to be ... :-x
*Waving to Monsters, Mr. Screech and all associated living things around the farm today* ... :-x
Monsters ..... :-x:-x ..... I thought you would be busy, couldn't wait for you to get back xx
Dear Screech, he really is very special isn't he? It's possible he will stay around for ever even when he has a family, and they will stay around as well, it's going to be interesting to see what happens.
How wonderful about the animals, all well and happy, you are doing such a wonderful job Monsters.
We've got an owl flapping around at night here now, not a 'friendly' bird like Screech, but we often see him perched on the porch roof guttering when we come home sometimes quite late. Don't know what kind it is, but it seems relatively small for an owl. By the time we put the car away he's flown off.
