Common Potoo

jscolesjscoles Registered Users Posts: 17 Big grins
edited January 27, 2007 in Wildlife
I took these shots of a Common Potoo this past summer, while on a small guided tour near Iquitos, Peru, on the Amazon river. When our awesome guide Luis spotted this guy from our small boat, it took almost full two minutes of him pointing and us searching before I could pick the bird out. We were perhaps 30-40 feet away.

Taken handheld from a rocking boat with my D70 and 70-300G cheapo lens - I know the quality and sharpness aren't the best. This post is more about the fact that we *saw* the bird. :)

According to Luis, seeing one of these clever nocturnal birds is a *very* rare event, so we felt pretty lucky.

124981774-L-1.jpg

Closer, but blurrier:
125009485-L-1.jpg
http://jscoles.smugmug.com

Comments

  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,013 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2007
    you may want to be clear that the bird is a [common potoo] and is a really rare sight --very good capturethumb.gif this bird must be somewhat like the bird Gus has shot in austraila I can not think of the name headscratch.gif but they look and act a lot like frogs with feathers --really a very nice post clap.gif
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2007
    jwear wrote:
    this bird must be somewhat like the bird Gus has shot in austraila I can not think of the name headscratch.gif but they look and act a lot like frogs with feathers --really a very nice post clap.gif
    Yeah almost the same. Remarkable ! They are as hard to spot by the looks blending in so well.

    They are called (here anyway) Frog Mouthed Owl or Tawney Frog Mouth Owl. It is not actually an owl.

    Most people call them 'Mopokes' (which is actually incorrect as the Mopoke is a Boobook owl). They have a very distictive & lonely call at night.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2007
    Amazing shot, I'm surprised that you were able to spot it. thumb.gif
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • dbaker1221dbaker1221 Registered Users Posts: 4,482 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2007
    wow,,, cool shot
    **If I keep shooting, I'm bound to hit something**
    Dave
  • MaestroMaestro Registered Users Posts: 5,395 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2007
    Great find. I don't know how you found it.
    Stephen
    www.capture-the-pixel.com

  • JohnDCJohnDC Registered Users Posts: 379 Major grins
    edited January 27, 2007
    Thanks for bringing back fond memories. I lived in Panama for nearly 16 years and saw these birds mainly at night, picking them up by their eyeshine. Their call is a loud, plaintive series of about 4 notes descending in pitch and volume, sort of OOOOOHHHH, OOooohh, oooohh, ooo -- very similar to a big puppy crying when it is left alone at night.

    The potoos are in their own family, but are otherwise related to the frogmouths, nightjars, poorwills, and other similar birds. Thanks again.
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