The Mother of the Moon

 Look carefully at the first photo - is it just a tree? But a closer look will reveal a very strange bird - the Great Potoo. It's related to the Nightjar family and during the day time sits upright on a branch- and I wonder how many people pass by without knowing its there. we were lucky to have a very keen eyed guide who was looking out for this bird and finally found it to show us- assuring us it is the great rather than common form. These birds are native to central and some parts of the Amazon. It would have been fantastic to hear it- apparently at night they make the most amazing throaty sound as they hunt for insects and bats. 

Its such a strange bird that in  the Amazon region its sometimes called the Phantom Bird or Mother of the Moon as it is ost often seen flying on moonlit nights. An early French writer said of this mystical bird:

 “Of all the birds of the earth, there is one that the savages would not kill or even injure for nothing in the world. They say […] that song of the bird reminds loved ones who are gone. This bird was a messenger from the dead, bringing good luck to the friends who were still living and gambling to their enemies “. (Andrew Thevet 16th Century)


It's described as uncommon in the bird books so I guess we were lucky to see it - it was a good day as on the same stretch of the Rio Negro we saw the sun grebe and the gray necked rail.  And yesterday closer to home at Cardington Lock I saw my first azure damselflies and a lone banded demoiselle, plus some pretty moths in the trap last evening. Wildlife at home and over there - fab.