25- Slow Down. Protect our wildlife!

Bubbles the Tawny frogmouth came to me with a fractured wing after being struck by a car. In the wild Bubbles would have still heavily relied on being fed by his parents so he required hand feeding and also time and patience to show him how to catch his own food. After strict cage rest and time in the flight enclosure it wasn’t long before he was using his amazing eye sight to catch moths, mealworms, and other delicious treats! 

Unfortunately one of his favourite treats is moths which may have been the reason he got himself into trouble. Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal and often chase flying insects in the dark which can be attracted to light from oncoming vehicles. This can often lead to Tawny frogmouths being hit and injured. The best thing you can do to prevent injuring wildlife like bubbles is to drive with caution especially dusk to dawn when wildlife are more active. 

 Bubbles was with me for 8 to 12 weeks before being successfully released into the wild. I have such wonderful memories of Bubbles which I’ll treasure forever like being woken up in the very early mornings by his strange but beautiful calls. Tawny frogmouths have a special sound they make which is like a continuous “oom-oom-oom” noise. It kind of sounds like some sort of alarm but less intrusive. Although I miss him, I’m so pleased he was able to go back to his home where he belongs. 

Photograph and back story by Jarrah King