Thursday, December 7, 2017

Seeds, Flowers, and Dead Branches

This morning I finished sowing the last of the TreeProject seeds:
We have quite a mixed batch this time, with a eucalypt, two different acacias, a hakea, a melaleuca, and one I've never seen before, Calytrix tetragona, common fringe myrtle.

My first dahlia flower is opening:

But the most exciting thing this morning was this:
Do those dead tree branches look like they have eyes? Zoom in for a closer look:
Definitely eyes! Eyes that follow you around without appearing to move. They belong to an adult (on the right) and baby tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides. The adult is a perfect dead branch, but the baby is still a bit fluffy to be convincing.

They were in a tree across the road from our place. Their nest may have been somewhere within sight without us ever realising. The birds are nocturnal, and can be very hard to notice during the day because they blend into the forest so well.


8 comments:

Pamela said...

How spooky! You must have good eyes to have spotted them!

Lee said...

I've never seen or heard of these birds. Amazing and incredible creations!

Wendy said...

These things are Awesome! (I spent a half hour while waiting for someone wondering if the branch on the tree across the carpark was actually there when I arrived....) Lucky you for having a family close by!

Maria said...

How wonderful to have spotted the mother and baby tawny frogmouth Owls 🦉 ...

Jeanette said...

Very special residents.

Jo said...

They are amazing. Well spotted. Good photo too.

Jeann of Melton said...

In all the time we spent camping in the bush and bird watching I only saw one tawny frogmouth. They camouflage so well. Well done for spotting them. You are so lucky to have them close by.

jacaranda said...

We have some amazing species in our country.