Stuart Rae

Brood of three

The male Tawny Frogmouth covers the chicks during the day

The pair of  Tawny Frogmouths which nested earliest in my study area in Canberra now have three well-grown chicks, about three weeks old.

I recorded their activity remotely last night on a Bushnell trap-camera set on an adjacent branch, and they seem to be bringing in moths to the chicks. Certainly small wingless tubular bodies and one very small frog. There are lots of Bogong moths Agrostis infusa in Canberra at the moment as they migrate from their breeding grounds to the hills south of the area. So there is plenty food for all five birds.

Click on this link if you would like to see footage of the three chicks jiggling for space on the nest.