It was on the top of my list. I was very fortunate when growing up to be surrounded by the wild world of creatures being exposed to vastly more species than can be found in North America. I have no doubt that is why I have such a lust to travel and see firsthand our amazing wild heritage. I don’t remember when but the Tawny Frogmouth has been on my wish list to see and photograph from the very beginning of my career. On our last K&M Adventure to Australia, we were in the world of the Frogmouth but that’s not enough to see them. On our second to the last day, one of the guides said they knew where a pair had been hanging out. Being a nocturnal creature, we headed out just prior to sunset to find them. We all piled into the van and off to “The Bluff” we went.
Tawny Frogmouth
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918849-REG/nikon_2205_af_s_nikkor_800mm_f_5_6e.html/BI/8449/KBID/9350/kw/NI80056/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xNI80056
We’re in a rainforest at Lamington Nat’l Park and on this particular evening, the clouds had lowered to cover the top of our mountain. As we drove down slope to find the frogmouth, we got just under the cloud layer clinging to the mountain as we pulled into the grove of tress where we might find the frogmouth. The sun was low on the horizon setting the sky a glow, wrapping The bluffs and forest in a gorgeous, warm light. As we set up our tripods a Grey Butcherbird appeared and performed for our lenses. Then a Peregrine Falcon went screaming by and flew about in the warm light around the bluff. Noisy Miners where everywhere filling the forest with sound. It was magical with the amazing light and all the birds that just appeared from seemingly nowhere. It was an almost out of body type experience for all. It’s then we were summoned as the Tawny Frogmouth had been found. But it wasn’t a normal sighting. A largish bird species, they blend in perfectly with their world. The guide made us all find the birds once he had us in the general area. What was unique about this sighting was the male and female were perched together (male is next to the tree). Normally they are in separate trees. So in the slowly fading magical light with all the rest of the birds still all about us, we stood there and photographed this pair high up in the tree. You can see the photos here. But what you can’t take away from these photos are all the feelings all felt up to this moment and the feeling that remained long after the lenses were put away. It was one of those moments we talked about on the the drive back to the lodge, at dinner and continued on the next day. Of course these photos bring all those memories alive in me, but they don’t come close to speaking them to you. It’s one aspect of photography there is no cure for because when you get involved with your subject your passion takes over. There are times when even a photograph is not enough.