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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).
I laughed at the finch telling you off, reminded me of a budgie I had ๐
We get a lot of wildlife in the area, but not always in our garden.
Occasionally we are very lucky... came home from shopping and on my front bedroom gutter, or above it really, were two lovely bright red parrots... I am still waiting for the rainbow lorikeets to discover us. The blue wren often sits in the grevilia tree and sings.... a young kookaburra often comes to the back yards here, he is a real sticky beak, watches us constantly...
Its always nice to talk of pets and see pics too ๐
What a wonderful situation you are in there Monsters, it sounds like a piece of paradise with all the birds and animals you have around you.
We have galahs and black cockatoos, blue wrens and a few visiting little animals here and there but they are resident in the nearby trees and the forests close by.
One of these days in the near future, we're going to be moving close to that xx
Hoping to see another picture of Screech and co. when you have time Monsters ... :-x
We are very lucky, Tas, I remind myself of that every day. It's hard work too, especially when hubby is away working, but my "work" is so rewarding. There is so much laughter watching all the funny antics, although there can be frustration too, because animals rarely do what you want them to do!
Here is a photo of Screechy Boy taken this evening. It's hard to get a nice shot of him, because he really doesn't like the camera and was saying "Will you just hurry up with the photos and feed me my dinner, please?" I must get OH to take a photo of Screechy all snuggled up with me, which he does every morning, climbs right up under my chin. I am sure he would stay there all day if he could. The problem is that he is not that fussed on hubby and won't sit nicely for a photo when he's around.
Also a photo of the camels, also waiting for their dinner and also saying "hurry up, already!".
Not a great photo because it's almost impossible to get them to keep still. I represent food to them (not me literally, but me as the food bringer) and food is VERY EXCITING, so they wave their heads around as though they have to convince me they may well drop from starvation before my eyes if I don't feed them RIGHT NOW.
Richo ..... ๐ฎ ..... ]:) ..... :^O (the eyes, or the mouth??) .... ]:)]:)
How Screechy has grown Monsters, he is gorgeous, I will love those kind of birds forever for a special reason now .. dear Mr. Screech. Tomorrow, I'll make a new picture of him, and of the camels too, just look at those beautiful faces (sorry Richo) .... :^O
Good to know that Squid is thriving and enjoying his new life at your house xx
