Today there is (nearly) a new Frogmouth

Over the 9 years I have been aware of the Tawny Frogmouths that nest in our big Yellow Box I have noticed that the male, who does the daytime brooding, gets very agitated when the chicks are hatching.  This view has been confirmed by an ANU researcher who is doing a long term study on the birds in areas of Canberra Nature Park.

Looking back at the 8 years for which I have more detailed records suggested that given the date on which he started brooding in 2017 today was the day on which hatching would be due.  This morning he was his usual somnolent self.  However in the afternoon he seemed a bit wriggly and at one point I thought I saw a white bobblehead.

That turned out to be a false alarm - watching through my binoculars revealed the white object was an entire egg - but it still indicated that there was some action in hand, so I set up the telescope with attached iPhone on camera function. At first he was quite still.
 Then the edginess returned.  (This is quite unusual for this bird - he usually just sits there zoned out all day.)


 He obliged with a nice spread of the wing, showing the pretty pattern of the primaries.
 Then BINGO!  there is the egg.
 At times it seemed he was very aware of our actions; peering directly at the house (about 30m from the nest).
He also seemed at one point to get very antsy with parts of the nest.  Whether this was just finding something to take his mind off a sharp little beak poking into his belly or something more rational I don't know.

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