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).
Ha ha Monsters, I put that less than handsome Frogmouth there just to get your attention ... :^O ... I must agree that it is nowhere near as handsome as Mr. Screech xxx
What a hoot about the "milk train" ... they're not silly you know: they know which side has the sweetest sugar, why do it any other way when Momma will spoil them ... 😛
I agree, you could just about write a book about all the goings on at "Monster's Farm", even make a movie, it would be a hit for sure.
Dear Screech, he does know how to keep the routine on the straight and narrow doesn't he ... :^O That is a bit of a worry about his leg though, but here's hoping it's just a little bite from something or the other that will heal very quickly without anything drastic happening xx
Can't wait to see the new member of the family, how exciting ... it isn't that salt water crocodile is it? ... 😮 .. which reminds me, how is the turtle going?
Okay, not a salt water crocodile....
He arrived on Thursday night. We are still calling him "Puppy", 'cos we can't find a name that fits.;\ Ten weeks old and a massive bundle of mischief.
I've done exactly what I said I didn't want to do; i.e., try to replace Spud. Couldn't help myself, I saw him and he looked so much like our Spuddy that I was powerless to do anything else but adopt him. He was driven up from NSW and I picked him up from the driver on Thursday evening. Cried all the way home because he wasn't Spud.
Please don't get me wrong, this little guy has already stolen my heart, he is super cute and full of personality, but I was silly (and I knew it) to get someone so closely resembling Spuddy. I need a name for him super fast because I have already called him Spud once by accident. 😞
He looks so sad in the photos (he was actually just being serious for the camera), but he is actually a very happy little chappy, and far too smart for his own good. He figured out the cat door watching the cat use it once - followed him straight out afterwards. Watching TV already too - Tango was the only dog who recognised TV previously. After only two days is going piddles on command. (Still a few accidents inside, but doing extremely well in such a short time).
He HATES his crate, throws a heck of a trantrum - screams, cries, HOWLS, so as a result now sleeps cuddled up with me in bed :8} - told you he was too smart for his own good.
And here's another adoptee too smart for their own good:
This guy (girl?) now has me trained to give him a handful of chook food every afternoon. We have six bush turkeys that visit every afternoon chasing down the scraps from the camel/calf mash and this smart fellow comes right up to the house as I'm doing my chores and follows me around until I go and get him his dinner. "No scraps for me, thank you!"
Monsters, he is absolutely gorgeous; look at that face .. then looking down at this paws you suddenly see just how big he's going to be ... I think you should call him something related to a polar bear, he looks a bit like one ... :^O
Love his ears, I guess he'll grow into them ... 😛 ... I'm not really a dog person, but that polar bear sort of dog, well yes, I could love him ... :-x
How is Mr. Screech?
