Welcome back Frogmouth

I had thought the bushfire of last February would have persuaded the Tawny Frogmouths to leave our garden for somewhere less exciting but they returned and nested successfully last year.

They duly vanished for January as usual and a neighbour reported seeing one in February.  It was in range of our pair so I assumed they were still touring the area. However I didn't see them here at in February or March and I had become convinced they had left.

This mornign as we drove out I saw a familiar blob in a slightly strange place.  I checked it out when we got home and there was a Tawny Frogmouth.

The somewhat chubby shape suggests a male, but the amount of Tawny suggests it is a female, fluffing out her feathers in view of the relatively low temperatures and strong winds.