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).
Here is a really sweet and quaint poem about the Tawny Frogmouth
by Francis Duggan :
From lamp of sun he hide himself away
And in timbered country rest during the day
And his camouflage so good 'twould seem that he
Is decaying wood that fork from branch of tree.
As darkness fall from hiding he fly out
And in search of small prey hunt the woods about
And with skink and mouse and insect in his diet
He fill his crop under the cloak of night.
Living in woods throughout Australia north, west, east to south
An owl like bird is the tawny frogmouth
But he lack big eyes and round face of the owl
And all in all a different sort of fowl.
With mottled feathers darkish brown to gray
From lamp of sun he hide himself away
And he fly out when woods are dark and quiet
And hunt for food under the cloak of night.
I did separate the four verses but posting it compressed it again .. :8}
Screech is absolutely beautiful, and a perfect name for him too .. :^O xx
You are doing a wonderful thing and it will be great to see how he grows.
Me too Debra9275, it will be really something to see when he spreads his wings: my guess is he very well might stay around monster's property for a long time even when free.
