November Frogmouth update

The year has not been without its dramas.  The worst was on 21 October when we found this little mess on the ground ...
... about 20m from the nest.  Obviously the poor little blighter had fallen from the nest and couldn't be got back into it.  According to HANZAB this is quite common. 

Its sibling was still in the nest in good shape.
After a further couple of weeks the survivo was in good shape and had, IMHO, had its first flight and returned to an alternate perch in the nest tree about 10m from the nest.  
This gave a total brooding period of 61 days, exactly the same as 4 out of the previous 5 years.  Incubation was a day shorter than usual while the hatched chick was a day longer than recently.  No biggie.

A few hours after the previous image was taken I noticed that the adult male was back in the nest with the chick clinging to the branch a metre or so lower lower down.  A Pied Currawong - nesting in the same tree was swooping viciously despite being chased by the adult female Frogmouth.

Mum joined dad in the nest while Junior clung on (check the bottom of the first image).
This shows them less camouflaged.
 Eventually all three made it to the nest and calm restored, both to them and me.
The following day they were about 50m away with the male plus chick siting in a different tree to the female.  By the 9th normal post-fledging service had been resumed with all three sitting in a row on the Acacia branch.

Comments

Jeni at Northern Rivers Dreaming said…
We envy you your Tawny Frogmouth experiences, and love your posts about them. We've got them here, but have never located their nests.
8 November 2013 at 09:35:00 GMT+11
Flabmeister said…
Thanks Jeni.

Much as I hate Pied Currawongs I must acknowledge that I first found the Frogmouth's nest by looking to see what a Currawong was swooping. My suspicion is that the bird had been brooding for about 5 days 30m from my study window, at eye level.

I reckon in breeding season - according to HANZAB likely to be Sept/Oct - look very closely at any indications of mobbing directed at something in a tree.

This morning the family were about 50m from the nest tree, so all is well.

Martin
8 November 2013 at 10:23:00 GMT+11
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