November 4th, 2025Hepburn Wildlife Shelter
In the present day, it may be hard to imagine what our landscape was like before white people came to Australia.
But one thing is for sure, there would have been many more trees, particularly huge old ones, the likes of which most people have never seen. These trees would have been home to innumerable species of animals from insects to bats, gliders, possums, birds and even koalas.
The removal of vast numbers of trees from the landscape has had many effects on the wildlife that would use them for their homes. One effect that impacts nesting birds is the influence of the wind.
When trees were sheltered by other trees the impact of the wind was reduced. But these days when we have strong winds like the ones we have experienced recently, nests can be dislodged and blown to the ground. This may be how a baby tawny frogmouth ended up on the ground, where it was discovered by a local.
Jon Rowdon from the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter says the tawny frogmouth builds nests in the forks of trees. Unlike the well-constructed nests of other birds, which can be connected to tree branches with mud or moss or even cobwebs, the tawnies’ nests appear to be just bunches of twigs, with leaves in the middle. These twigs are held in place by the tree forks. So it is not such a surprise that a nest in an unsheltered tree could be blown to the ground in strong winds.
Since the baby bird has been at the shelter it has been fed every three hours, even throughout the night. The diet consists of moths, cockroaches, crickets and other invertebrates. As the bird gets older it will be taught to hunt.
Jon says that they do this by using long tweezers to drag dead insects along a branch to mimic something living. This will teach the bird to link movement to food. Jon stresses how important it is that people do not try and raise baby birds themselves as they will not learn the hunting skills that they need for survival.
The baby tawny frogmouth has been at the shelter for a few weeks now and it will soon be a fledgling. At this stage it will be moved to an aviary where it can practise learning to fly in a safe environment.
It will be a resident at the shelter for quite some time until it has fully grown and is able to look after itself in the wild.
If you find wildlife that needs help please contact the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter on 0409 380 327 and the Wildlife Emergency Helpline: is 8400 7300. Pop them in your phone.
Dr Marita McGuirk is a field ecologist and environmental scientist, and a volunteer at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. Marita writes monthly columns about the shelter and the animals it cares for. If you would like to donate or volunteer, or just to find out more information, head to www.hepburnwildlifeshelter.org
