Tawny Frogmouth

• To close my #AusReadingMonth25…
• ….would not be complete without the bird of the year:
• Tawny Frogmouth!
• Isn’t he adorable?

1. While often confused for an owl… the tawny frogmouth is actually part of the nightjar family.
2. The tawny frogmouth is active at night… 
3. …by day it perches in trees perfectly camouflaged.
4. They are native to Australia and also found on Tasmania.
5. The beak is abnormally wide like the mouth of a frog.
6. They are short and stout birds measuring 8.5 to 21 inches tall and can  weigh up to 15  pounds! 
7. Tawny frogmouths are not the most “talkative” of birds.
8. They will hiss if they feel threatened.
9. At night, they hunt for food using the sit-and-wait technique.
10. What do they eat?
11. Tawny frogmouth’s diet consists of mice, pinkies, crickets,
12. …giant mealworms, and wax worms.
13. They mate for life! 

Conclusion:

1. I’ve read 6 books on the Walkley Award long list.
2. I read 4 books on the Australian Political Book of the Year long list.
3. The winner?
4. I hope Mean Streak by Rick Morton wins  BOTH prizes!
5. Why?
6. Excellent writing by an investigative journalist who is able
7. to combine non-fiction facts with a deep sense of empathy for the victims involved.

My  October Reading list: 

1. The Chairman’s Lounge –  Joe Aston – REVIEW
2. Mean Streak  – Rick Morton – REVIEW
3. Nuked –  Andrew Fowler – REVIEW
4. Slick: Australia’s Toxic Relationship with Big Oil – Royce Kurmelovs REVIEW
5. The Holy and the Broken – I. Fletcher – REVIEW
6. The Winter Road – K. Holden – REVIEW
7. Bunker in Kiev – John Lyons – REVIEW
8. Meadow’s Law – Quentin McDermott – REVIEW
9. Great Game On: Contest for Central Asia – Geoff Raby –  REVIEW