Look Wut I Got! (Scroller and Photo)

[monstersinthedungeon]

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). 

[the_great_she_elephant]

I once knew a bloke who called his dog Gunna (cos we're gunna keep him):^O

[monstersinthedungeon]

Love the flying owl, Tas, that's Screechy to a tee - especially when he flew over to me the other night.

She-ele, I love that name - even though it has funny origins, it has a nice strong sound to it (Gunner).

Oh boy, what a day I've had today!

We have a really nasty rooster. We have several roosters, but all the rest are really placid and easy-going and don't get in each others way at all, they co-exist very nicely. But this bloody rooster has been nasty since the day he learned to crow. I hatched him from an egg (well, not me personally, my incubator did the hard yards) and today he beat up our friendliest rooster really really badly.

Poor Mr Frizzle is the loveliest rooster, he only has one eye (an altercation with the dogs and a very expensive vet bill later making him the most expensive rooster in the history of the universe). He takes excellent care of his hens and doesn't beat up on anyone. 

I heard a big ruckus this morning, rushed out and these two roosters are going at each other hammer and tongs, both absolutely covered in blood. No doubt whatsoever who started it, as this other rooster (I call him Hagar the Horrible) is aggressive to everyone- he even attacks my gumboots every morning. No one likes him (i.e., the rest of the chooks).

So Hagar is in my quarantine run until OH gets home to dispatch him. (I have warned him on several occasions - the rooster, not my husband - that if he didn't start being nice he would be dinner, so he's had his chance).

Poor Mr Frizzle is feeling very sorry for himself, he wasn't even looking after his wives this afternoon when they were let out to free-range, which is extremely unusual for him. Hopefully he will pull through okay, he is a tough old bird.

After that we had calm for, oh, at least 15 minutes, then I hear Squiddy Wiggles (the pup) HOWLING at the top of his voice. Rushed out and found he had somehow gotten himself under the house and couldn't get back out. Two torn-off boards later and he was - very gratefully - freed. No idea how he managed to get under there in the first place, obviously neither did he, as he couldn't figure out how to get himself back out.

Uneventful afternoon until this evening when it hosed down with rain and of course the calves decided that they couldn't find their way back to the home paddock (with their night stable and DINNER). Moooooo, mooooo, MOOOOOOOO, we're LOOOSSSSSTTTT. Bear in mind they traverse the massive 200m distance at least twice a day; once on the way out, once on the way back. So of course Muggins here has to go out in the pouring rain and near dark to lead the poor lost souls out of the wilds and back into civilisation.

Hhhhhhhh.

I guess at least I can't say my life is boring :^O

[soul_art]

Herbed Hagar with mash sounds good !

Hope Mr Frizzle feels better tomorrow.

I bet those calves know exactly what they're doing monsters LOL  probably taking bets on how long they have to whinge for before you come running :^O....know I'd be the same though!!

poor squiddy, bet he doesn't do that again.

maybe tomorrow will be calmer ???  NAH!!!!

[tasfleur]

What a most splendid post at #401 Monsters ... an absolute hoot (pardon the pun .. owls and all that) ....  :^O

All that in one day, never a dull moment .... poor Squid/Dunno, he's going to give you many a hairy day as time goes by ...  ;\

Monsters, you REALLY DO have to write a book, you have a most exquisite way of description and visualisation .. it's wonderful ..  :-x

[cat_mioux]

:-x  I have caught up with Monsters farm.

[tasfleur]

:_| .... Mr. Screech 'flew' off the front page, so I have shooed him back ...  ]:)

How are all the animals going Monsters? ..  :-x  It's time for another chapter for the journal, and perhaps some more pictures please please please?

[terracottacar]

Herbed Hagar with mash sounds good !

And peas and gravy!

[tasfleur]

 ... not to mention "bubble and squeak" ....  :^O

[monstersinthedungeon]

Tas :-x thank you for shooing Screechy back onto page one!

I'm very proud of my clever birdie today.  Last night it absolutely HEAVED down with rain. Went outside this morning and NO SCREECH in his tree. Heart missed a beat, because he is always sitting in his tree waiting for me every morning. Looked onto his trellis, no Screech. Little bit panicked, I turned around and there he was, sitting on another piece of trellis, tucked up under the guttering of the house. Clever birdie had sheltered there from the rain.  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, will do so tomorrow if he's still there.

Had to lug my ladder around to feed him, he was very grateful for breakfast. He has been missing breakfast lately every few days - obviously caught too many bugs the night before and has not been hungry, but I guess last night he didn't get in much hunting. He stayed there all day (miserable wet day). OH came home tonight and I had to go out with a torch to greet him, as I couldn't turn on the outside light, because it's right beside where Screech was sheltering and I didn't want to disturb him. OH is going to drop the trellis down tomorrow so Screech can get right up under the eaves. We're also going to try and make a little shelter in "his" tree so he can take his pick of shelters when the weather's inclement.

On a sad note, tomorrow is goodbye Hagar day. :_| As horrible as he is, I am feeling really rotten about him being dispatched - this will be the first healthy animal we have slaughtered. We have dispatched chooks before, but only to put them out of their misery when they were on their last legs, never a healthy one before. Although this is what we have planned (to grow and eat our own birds) it's really, really horrible to face the reality of it. I feel especially awful because Hagar has been segregated from the rest of the birds for the last few days and hasn't been happy about it.

On a scary note, I went out this afternoon for just one hour; came back and found someone had tried the padlock on the gate. I always leave the combination in a specific (locked) series; when I got back the numbers were completely different, someone had been trying the code. Nothing was taken, but it made me both anxious and angry, wondering if it was just an opportunist with good timing, or more worrying, were my movements being watched? There have been a lot of petty robberies around the area lately.

[j*oono]

Hagar!  Oh no.  Please don't do it.

In future please don't name them 😞