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.

Costa Rica - the whole palette of colours

 How to describe Costa Rica? Well nothing better than the colours of this Scarlet Macaw- a riot of colour and the most wonderful cacophony of sounds. They are the things I will never forget. Its a place that is so different to home and everywhere there was something new to wonder at. Our drive stopped the minibus for us to stare at a tree full of these macaws, just a riot of colour and the raark-raark calls. Only found in some areas of the country now we saw many of these living paint palets in the Tarcoles region.

 And dragonflies were not to be forgotten. Have not found a book on them yet- but have a collection of photos including this beautiful golden dragon seen in a garden area of a small cafe not far from the border with Nicaragua.

 At the Hotel Tilajari near Muelle every meal was a treat and a time to have the camera with you - in particular breakfast with so many birds enjoying the fruit put out for them. One of my favourites was this red legged honeycreeper - such bold blues and with its long beak for feeding. Its part of a large family - one that I saw many of- the Tanagers.

 And it was not only the birds that were so vibrant but the plants and flowers. So many different forms and the crimson red of this passionflower was just so vivid. There were ferns, mangroves, fruits, crops, trees so tall they towered over the rainforest, plants with strnage leaves and fruits and so many different shades of bright reds, oranges, yellows and pinks.

 Some of the animals just made me fall in love with them, such as this baby two toed sloth with its mother resting high in the canopy above the jungle floor. We were lucky enough to see three kinds of monkeys and two kinds of sloth, including a female that wlaked by as we had dinner one night- quite a rare treat as they are often sloth by character as well as by name, but are very good mums to their young.

But it was birds we saw so many of - birds from so many different familes from the unusual Great Potoo, ducks, herons, kingfishers, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, tanagers, fly catchers, hawks, vultures and this fairly unusual sun grebe on an early morning sail along the Rio Negro. 

So a fabulous holiday, lots of photos to sort out and I am sure more to appear in this blog. But heres hoping to wildlife close to home too- especially dragons.............

D Day at least

What a wonderful but busy weekend- celebrating 25 years of marriage- and its still wonderful and I look forward to continuing my life journey by David's side. So what with the celebrations and the rain there has been little time for getting out but Monday was a nice sunny day and I grabbed an hour to be outside. Went to Duck End and saw my first dragonflies of the year- the large red damselfly- saw 6 by the Marsh Pond, 3 of them very newly emerged and lacking colour but three already showing the wonderful markings of this earliest species. And then I foudn another perching on an apple tree- and a very pretty picture it made. The reserve was really showing signs of life and there were a good number of native bluebells. Butterflies too were on the wing- speckled wood, organge tip and small whites all enjoying the sunny spell. Off them to Flitton Moor- the pond was much enlarged and the cuckoo flowers and marsh marigolds had sunk beneath the rising water, but on the hedge I found one solitary large red damselfly- good to see, and the meadow behind the pond was very marshy but still full of a show of golden cowslips. A lovely interlude between rainy days.

Summer is a coming in........

O BLITHE New-comer! I have heard,
I hear thee and rejoice.
O Cuckoo! Shall I call thee Bird,
Or but a wandering Voice?

It has been a very wet week- ironic that we are in drought- and that plus a nasty flu virus has largely kept me indoors. But Monday morning I did go to Paxton Pits in the hope of hearing the nightingale- and was not disappointed, but was actually delighted to hear my first cuckoo of the year. They call just speaks of summer coming and whilst its not nice to think of this bird cuckooing some poor  

warbler and throwing out its young- its just what a cuckoo does, and to think they have just flown so far and are so solitary. And the call echoed round the pit and filled me with joy.

It was good to see the cormornat community of nests and also a heron on the nest. Lots of warblers, wrens, robins and blackbirds and one greenwoodpecker flew across with its slightly ziz zag flight pattern. On the journey it was good too to see a sparrowhawk, buzzard and kestrel.

On Flitton Moor, gold marsh marigolds were luminous, nicely contrasted by the cuckoo flowers.

And damsels- none to be seen- I know they have been seen at a garden pond in Biggleswade but no more than that. But the weather looks better for monday so time permitting who knows? And this weekend we look forward to our silver wedding anniversary open house and our home is full of the gold of daffodils and tulips and the wonderful fragrance of cakes............

Pegsden and Knocking Hoe

 What a great way to spend a birthday- walking with DC on Pegsden Hills and Knocking Hoe NNR. Made us puff at times but the views were stunning and the air clear, and we loved the things we saw along the way. Above us the buzzards sawed - must have seen 4, the kestrel hovered and then dived down for its prey, the skylarks sand and just soared and the songbirds made sweet sounds. A red kite flew over us and at one point chased off a buzzard - helped us see the sizes of both of these fantastic birds

 Wild flowers are coming through - the cow slips were coming into bloom, and we also saw lovely clumps of sweet white violets and the lovely blue violets. The pasque flower evaded us but hey- anothe trip is required. And we saw lots of buzzy bees and so many 7 spot ladybirds. Only two butterflies - a peacock and then on the wooded hillside my first speckled wood of the year. All this followed by a nice tea and a trip on the way home to Duck End- still no damselflies but one day nearer...and tomorrow is another day.

A wildlife safari at Wobrun

 Nice long walk around Woburn Park today- dodged most of the showers but it was amazing to see the hale stones lay so long on the ground which must still be quite cold. But it was a good day for wildlife - the highlight my first two swallows for the year- it knocks me out every time I think that these small guys have just flwon 12000 miles from South Africa and yet were so full of energy and zazz.

Some other nice sightings- two buzzardsm 4 shelducks including the pair in the photo, mandarin ducks, tufted ducks and so much bird song.

This time of year so many birds are in their finest plummage not least these four handsome drakes- all dozing in the spring sunshine. This mute swan was in a fowl (sorry!) mood- chasing geese off the water and away from her and her mate. She was one angry bird today.

There were so many deer in the park including the lovely Pere Davids, but also many of the others, including the little muntjac. Good to see so many close up and to thrill as they bound away. Not quite springboks but not bad! And spring is really here with the primroses, bluebells and so many plants in

evidence. Nice way to spend the day.

Chiff Chaff at last

Struggling to keep my head above the blackness today, so took myself for a walk across Flitwick and Flitton Moors. Could say there was nothing to report except- four new wildflowers for my list this year including this shy speedwell - would have been so easy to have missed this little beauty. A hoverfly- dont ask me which. And lots of song birds. And best of all standing still for a while paid off and I finally saw the chiff chaff as well as hear it. And the robins, wrens, blackbirds, chaffinchs, carrion crows, jackdaws, rook, starlings, sparrows and wrens were in abundance. Just need to get rid of this headache but the walk was good and just looked at the cuckoo web site and Martin the cuckoo has made it to North Africa- hurry up back Martin!