Tobago 5 - Common Potoo

 

At the start of our tour Newton asked if I had any particular targets. I didn't, I wasn't chasing a list, I just wanted to see some new birds and have the chance to get some good pictures. When pushed I said that seeing a Potoo would be good as it looked particularly challenging to find and it would be an unexpected first for me. One Common Potoo I hoped for but I didn't expect him to find three of them for me.

I suppose this really shows why it's worth hiring a local guide I would never have found these birds even if I had been given their locations. They have a cryptic camouflage of black, brown and grey plumage that blends in with the trees in which they roost, and when stationary, as they are during the day, they just look like an extension of a branch.


The first of the three was from the boardwalk at the Planation. Difficult to see and even harder to photograph as it was in shade with bright lights behind it. They don't move and they are a lot harder to pick out than these pictures show.

The second was by the road through the rainforest at the north of the island but you would have to know where to stop and then where to look. It was sitting on a stump of bamboo amongst a bunch of similar looking stumps.

The third was just outside Roxborough with houses and people around and children playing close by.

Having seen these I now want a picture of one with its eyes open. It has large yellow eyes a bit like a Stone Curlew. I am also intrigued by the cryptic camouflage. It is almost as if they can change the colour of their feathers to match the tree they are roosting on.

There were lots of places we didn't get to see during our week on Tobago and many I would like to go back to. These bargain holidays are clearly worth keeping an eye on.