canberrabirds

Day in the life of a Tawny Frogmouth

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Subject: Day in the life of a Tawny Frogmouth
From: Muriel Brookfield <>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:09:23 +1100
Around 09.00 yesterday there was an avian brouhaha about 10 metres from our place. In a stringybark was a Tawny Frogmouth and a pair of Gang-gangs, being harassed by six Pied Currawongs in surrounding trees. The Gang-gangs made a colossal noise, with the female finally hanging upside down from the branch. They then flew off.

Meantime the Frogmouth was barking fiercely with wide open beak, showing the lovely lemon-velvet lining to its beak. Eventually the currawongs drifted away. Later in the morning the frogmouth preened and began to make its oo-oo-oo call, but very very quietly. Practising its wooing call, or making contact ?

In the evening, in the gloaming, it began take-off preparations. At 1930 it stretched first one long wing, then the other, shuffled and rotated its head. Repeated this at intervals until 1940, when it was quite a bit darker. Then in floated two dark shapes to two nearby trees, one adult Tawny and one smaller. A family re-union! Followed by a bit of hawking near a street light, and then off hunting in more distant places.

Alas! they were not there this morning.

Muriel Brookfield
COOK, ACT


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