Australian Wildlife, Nature's Curmudgeon, Animal Invitation

Sitting like a bump on a log. Resting old man’s face. Silently grumbling to themselves. Yes, that nature’s curmudgeon aka the tawny frogmouth. I was first introduced to these lovable grumps through an animal rescue show. As I watched this little grumpy gus’s rehab, I was reminded of a character in one of my recent reads. Growing up in a small town, every neighborhood has a curmudgeon. The old man that sits and watches the Christmas lights going up too early or the grass not being cut in a perfect line. But, underneath all those layers of gripe is a heart of gold that would give you the shirt off their back. So giving air hugs to all those neighborhood curmudgeons because an actual hug would cause an avalanche of grumbling and being shooed away. Hand painted in 30 hours with a toothpick. ©2025 Kaytlin Ray All Rights Reserved. Matching products in my shop.