A MOTHER’S LOVE!

You may look at this photo and wonder about it. What is it? What is the subject?

Actually what looks like three feather dusters in a tree are three sleepy Australian Tawny Frogmouths. Some people call them owls, but they do not belong to the owl family.

Here we see two juveniles and the mother together. Mum is the one closest to the tree trunk. This photo was taken at dusk on a rainy night, where the whole family are cuddled up together for warmth and protection. Like humans their youngsters obviously feel secure with their mother. There is nothing like a mother’s love. It’s never-ending.

I like this quote: “A Mother thinks about her children, day and night, even if they are not with her and will love them in a way they will never understand.”

1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible says this about love:

“Love is large and incredibly patient.

Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. V4

Love is not easily irritated…V5

Love is a safe place of shelter. V7

Love never stops loving…V8″ (The Passion Translation)

These Tawny Frogmouths are a timely reminder of a mother’s love and patience.

Mum is on the right. The other juvenile appears to have already left the family unit.

Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal animals and feed on nocturnal insects, worms, slugs and snails. Also small mammals, reptiles, frogs and birds. I had wondered what had happened to our noisy frogs!

The male and female participate in the incubation of the eggs. The male sits during the day, but both sexes share sitting at night. We can learn from the birds. It’s good to see the dad’s pulling their weight!

Watching the mother birds feed and raise their little ones is intriguing. They are great parents. I came across a quote which says: “A mother’s job is to teach her children not to need her anymore. The hardest part of that job is accepting success.”

I wondered how mother birds go from cuddling up to their babies to see them moving away. They are certainly not helicopter parents! Within weeks the babies will all be gone and the cycle will start all over again.

However this says it all: “A Mother holds her child’s hand for a while, their heart forever.” I wonder if their offspring visit periodically and if the mothers hold fond memories of their young. As a Mum you can’t help but wonder.

Blessings to all Mum’s today!

Marilyn

Photos are all the work of the author.