Timing of Frogmouth breeding 2017

[Martin Butterfield <>]

The family of Frogmouths at our garden have left the nest this morning.  I observed one chick take its first flight (10 metres) at 20:09 last night and the other must have left after it became too dark to see.

They were very late starting to build the nest this year (6 September vs a modal date of 21 August) but caught up a bit with quick nest building (14 days vs an average of 16.5 days).  Since then processes have been pretty much on average.   Incubation was 28 days as it has been for 5 of the 8 years for which I have records (1 years of 27 days and 2 of 29 days) and the chicks were in the nest for 35 days rather than an average of 34 days (excluding last year which was a very long 41 days - I think a reflection of a very wet Winter). 

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/