Have you seen this bird hidden among the trees?
You may be familiar with a little someone known as Sir David Attenborough. You know, the legendary presenter behind several iconic wildlife docos from the 50s until now? Well, his newest project, Planet Earth 3 is in the works, and he needs your help. If you have a tawny frogmouth in your backyard, do reach out and let him know. Who knows? You might just get a BBC film crew on your doorstep.
Tawny frogmouths in Melbourne
Last week, the ABC spoke to Fredi Devas, a producer for the BBC, about this project. The team at Planet Earth 3 are keen to find local environments of tawny frogmouths in Melbourne, and they’ll be here in November to do some filming.
“They’re just such extraordinary birds,” said Devas, “and so little globally has been seen about them. So, we want to film the adults because their camouflage in the day is extraordinary, and it’s part of the reason why they’re so successful in the cities.”
Tawny frogmouths are found all over Australia. However, the film crew are particularly interested in what’s going on with the birds in Melbourne. These birds are typically thought to be shy, but in Melbourne, there have been sightings of tawny frogmouths close to the city, in places like Parkville, Flemington and Prahran.
“You’ve got a fantastic tawny frogmouth population in Melbourne and it’s an incredible story,” said Devas. “And you’ve also got some fantastic scientists who have looked at these birds for many years that we’re collaborating with.”
The grey plumage of the birds allows them to camouflage easily against the trees, and the BBC team will need help finding them.
If you have a tawny frogmouth in your backyard, and you’re ok with a film crew dropping by, do reach out to the BBC and let them know. Of course, be respectful of the birds and try not to disturb them.
Simply send an email to frogmouthPE3@bbc.co.uk and share what you know.
“It’d be really lovely to hear all your stories,” said Devas.
To listen to the full interview, click here.