BOCK, BOCK, WENT THE TAWNY

Recently landed: Bock, bock, went the Tawny

In the span of one week, over four separate wildlife care cases, we have crossed paths with four Tawny frogmouths, a native bird whose scientific name, Podargus strigoides, references, in the first part, a figure who suffers from gout (podagra in Latin means ‘gout’), and the second, owl-like in appearance (strix means ‘owl’, which with the tail, -oides means ‘in the shape of’). Because, of course, Tawny frogmouths, though nocturnal and wide-eyed, are not owls, and some say their walk recalls that of ‘a gouty old man’. Their open wide gape, like that of a frog. The whiskers about their beaks, movement detectors, sensing every insect.

Continuing reading on Marginalia.

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7th of October, 2026

pixel
ˈpɪks(ə)l

noun
a minute area of illumination on a display screen, one of many from which an image is composed.
a beguiling area of illumination in a fluffy nest, one of many from which a family is composed.

Pixel, a chatty Tawny frogmouth of exquisite wispiness has come into care. They have recently been joined Cobalt Swivels.