Oh, what a difference a month can make.
In the December edition I wrote about a nest of Tawny Frogmouths, the much-loved, odd-looking nocturnal birds that appeared across the road. As chicks, these birds are even more hilariously funny looking, a puff ball of downy white feathers, two orange, often unblinking eyes staring out, heads bobbing about, ever vigilant.
Over the course of two days, first one and then the other chick disappeared, as did the parents. I scoured the forest, both in the trees and on the leaf-littered ground, and nothing. The loss stung greatly.
Day after day I continued to search. First for an hour or so at a time, and then a few minutes here and there. And then two days ago, fingers in my ears, trying to block out the roar of hundreds of black prince cicadas, I spotted not only the two adults, but two very healthy looking fledged young and… another adult! I had started with four lost birds and somehow ended up with five!
Having thought they were lost, and not knowing when they will be swallowed back up into the depths and shadows of the forest, I have spent a lot of time with them these last couple of days. I have watched them watching me, their eyes closing in the warmth of the sun, their heads curling over to the side, deeply asleep. I have watched the babies snatching at cicadas, gobbling them up and hopping after lizards. And I have experienced the most amazing glimpse into what felt like a secret world: with the sun still high in the sky, they took flight down to the forest floor.
I scrambled, trying to find what was happening, all five birds sitting as the sun shone down into a wide opening, the creek bubbling alone next to it. And one after the other, they spread their wings out and flopped down, spread out onto the earth, drinking in the warmth. The ultimate show of trust, vulnerable to the world and to me.
When you watch nature closely, you experience many losses. But it’s these beautiful gains, these very special encounters that make it all worthwhile. Here’s to a fabulous 2025 and may you have many wonderful wildlife moments in the coming year.
