Tawny frogmouths take patience to appreciate. They will reward you with insights into their remarkable lives | Stephanie Convery

Spotting tawnies is a bit like completing a crossword: it's easier once you are familiar with the patterns, but you can always get stumped

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The most popular family in my neighbourhood is also one of its shyest. The adults, bedecked in a mottled silvery-grey, tend to fade into their surroundings. Their children are strange goggly creatures with saucer-like eyes, and usually well-hidden from passersby. The whole family keeps nocturnal hours. For those who know them, however, visiting at any hour becomes a kind of compulsion.

So it was for my partner and I when we moved to a new house and found tawny frogmouths in a nearby park.