australian owlet-nightjar

Winner of the Cutest Bird Award!

owlet-nightjar.jpg

We'd been hearing this gorgeous Owlet-nightjar calling during the day (January 2020), and being a nocturnal bird, this caught our attention. Despite looking around the most likely tree hollows behind our shed where we thought it was calling from, we couldn't find it. Turns out it was roosting IN the shed, in a pipe, high up in the rafters, maybe taking advantage of the shade and respite from the heat.

They are quite small, this pipe is around the size of a tennis ball. It seems to be used to us coming in and out of the shed now, sometimes disappearing back into the pipe if it wants some privacy. Our guests have absolutely loved seeing it and every single photo is nearly identical to this one, but that in no way diminishes the joy that everyone feels when seeing the winner of the Cutest Bird Award!