Cuban Tody Fernandina’s Flicker Cuban Trogon Western Spindalis Cuban Pygmy Owl Bee Hummingbird Western Field Ornithologists Cuba Bird Survey March 18 - 30, 2013 13 Day Program

EXCLUSIVE ITINERARY, RICH IN NATURE AND CULTURE The Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) is promoting an exclusive, U.S. led and managed birding program to Cuba! The program is coordinated under U.S. government authorization by the Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT), based in Connecticut. CCT staff have a 17 year history of managing bird conservation programs in Cuba. Along with recent WFO board member Jon L. Dunn, our team will include a bilingual Cuban biologist, Dr. William Suarez (curator, National Museum of Natural History in Havana), bilingual Cuban tour leader and local naturalists. They will guide you through some of the best birding habitats in Cuba, the Caribbean’s largest and most ecologically diverse island nation.

Our program begins and ends in Havana, one of the most authentic colonial cities in the Americas. Our first full day in Cuba will include a meeting with Orlando Garrido, Cuba’s most prolific living naturalist and co-author of The Field Guide To the Birds of Cuba. The full day in Havana also includes a visit to Old Havana, the city’s historic colonial center, and a virtual living museum. The following morning we will immediately depart for the countryside to visit national parks and reserves, returning the following week to enjoy a final evening in Havana. CCT designed this itinerary to take you to Cuba’s most beautiful national parks, diverse biosphere reserves, and unique natural areas. We will interact with local scientists who work in research and conservation. In addition to birding, we will learn about the ecology and history of regions we visit. Finally, we can expect some degree of indulgence in the richness of Cuban music, dance, art, architecture, and history.

Cuba’s Birds According to BirdLife International, which has designated 28 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Cuba, “Over 370 bird species have been recorded in Cuba, including 28 which are endemic to the island and 29 considered globally threatened. Due to its large land area and geographical position within the Caribbean, Cuba represents one of the most important countries for Neotropical migratory birds – both birds passing through on their way south (75 species) and those spending the winter on the island (86 species). “

Our itinerary provides opportunities to see nearly all of Cuba’s endemic species. These are: Gundlach’s Hawk, Cuban Black-Hawk, Gray-fronted Quail-Dove, Blue-headed Quail-Dove, Cuban Parakeet, Bare-legged Owl, Cuban Pygmy- Owl, Cuban Nightjar, Bee Hummingbird, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Fernadina’s Flicker, Giant Kingbird, Cuban Vireo, Cuban Martin (endemic breeder), Zapata Wren, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Cuban Solitaire, Yellow-headed Warbler, Oriente Warbler, Cuban Grassquit, Zapata Sparrow, Red-shouldered Blackbird, Cuban Blackbird, and Cuban Oriole.

In addition to these endemic species, we have good chance of seeing a number of other species endemic, or nearly endemic, to the West Indian region, some of which are represented by endemic Cuban subspecies. These are: Spotted Rail, Scaly-naped Pigeon, Zenaida Dove, Key West Quail-Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Great Lizard-Cuckoo, Antillean Palm- Swift, Cuban Emerald, West Indian Woodpecker, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, Palm Crow, Red-legged Thrush, Olive-capped Warbler, Western Spindalis, Cuban Bullfinch, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Tawny-shouldered Blackbird, and Greater Antillean Grackle. Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] Other species of interest include Least Grebe, American Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbill, Snail Kite, Spotted Rail (endemic West Indian subspecies), Limpkin, Northern Jacana, Mangrove Cuckoo, Stygian Owl (endemic West Indian subspecies), Painted Bunting, and the very interesting looking and especially sounding endemic Cuban subspecies of the Eastern Meadowlark. Apart from these species we will be actively looking for and counting a wide variety of our Neotropical migrants, many of which winter in the Greater Antilles, including Cuba. These include many species of wood warblers. We might see a few passage migrants as well (e.g. Swallow-tailed Kite).

WHERE WE TRAVEL Cuba’s Western Mountains include two of the country’s most diverse and dramatic ranges: the Sierra de la Rosario, and the Sierra de los Organos. We will explore an area common to both ranges in search of western range endemic species such as the Cuban Solitaire. A highlight of the trip, we will visit the magical, unusually beautiful karstic landscape of mogotes-- the towering, lushly vegetated, flat-top limestone monoliths that dominate the Organos Mountains. This is the only region in which we will likely see the Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Grassquit, and Olive-capped Warbler. Other potential endemic species for western Cuba include Cuban Oriole, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Cuban Pewee, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Vireo, Gundlach’s Hawk, and Yellow–headed Warbler.

We will also explore the diverse wetland region of the Zapata Peninsula, Cuba’s richest and most important birding destination located in the historic Bay of Pigs. This peninsula is a Ramsar Convention (international conservation treaty) designated site, and is among the most important wetlands in the West Indies. Here, the best local guides will lead us through protected areas in Cienaga de Zapata National Park and other natural sites off the beaten track. The Zapata Peninsula covers more than 2800 square miles and features easily accessible, everglades-like ecology and habitat. Framed by the pristine Caribbean coastal environment of the Bay of Pigs, the peninsula features vast open swamp land, low coastal forests, sparkling white sand beaches, healthy and accessible coral reefs, and refreshing natural limestone pools called cenotes. Bee Hummingbird, Zapata Wren, Grey-fronted and Blue-headed Quail Dove, Zapata Sparrow, Fernandina’s Flicker, Bare-legged Owl, Yellow-headed Warbler, Tawny- shouldered and Red-shouldered Blackbird, Cuban Nightjar, Cuban Pygmy Owl, Stygian Owl, Western Spindalis, Great-Lizard Cuckoo, Ruddy and Key West Quail Dove, West Indian Woodpecker, are among the many birds we will hope to find.

Camaguey Province is our easternmost destination. The city of Camaguey provides the base for our efforts to track down Cuba’s eastern endemic species (Cuban Parakeet, Palm Crow, Giant Kingbird, Cuban Meadowlark, Cuban Crow, Cuban Parrot, among them). Colonial Camaguey’s prosperity nearly proved to be its undoing, as it was a favorite of pirate raiding parties in the late 18th century. Consequently, the city was moved inland from the coast, and its design was characterized by a maze of narrow, cobbled streets to confuse persistent raiders. In addition to its proximity to excellent birding destinations, Camaguey offers a unique and authentic Cuban experience often overlooked by the tourist crowd.

Cayo Coco and Cuba’s Northern Archipelago Cayo Coco and surrounding keys provides excellent birding opportunities on Cuba’s sunny Atlantic coast. These previously uninhabited and relatively unexplored offshore islands were connected to the mainland by a 18+ mile causeway completed in 1989. Cuba’s academy of sciences (CITMA) maintains a research facility here. Cayo Coco provides unique opportunities for: Cuban Gnatcatcher, Oriente Warbler, Thick-billed Vireo, Bahama Mockingbird, West Indian Whistling Duck, as well as numerous shorebirds and aquatic birds. This location also provides additional opportunities to see rare endemics such as Zapata Sparrow (local race), and Gundlach’s Hawk.

Cuban Parrot Red-legged Thrush Cuban Grassquit Cuban Parakeet Cuban Gnatcatcher

THE CONSERVATION PROJECT The U.S. Department of Treasury has provided a license for conducting bird conservation work in Cuba to the Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT), a U.S. based organization committed to the conservation of endemic and migratory birds and their habitats in the greater Caribbean region. The primary objective

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] of CCT is to enhance the ability of North American and Caribbean ornithologists, naturalists, resource managers, conservation organizations, institutions, and local citizens to conduct research and initiate programs to help conserve the birds of the Caribbean and their habitats. CCT is dedicated to bird and habitat conservation through education and relationship building and, as a result of our work and research findings, are in compliance with U.S. Treasury licensure for travel to Cuba. Our current license is valid through November 30, 2012. The status of our annual application for renewal will be updated in the fall of 2012. Deposits will be held pending renewal of our authorization for 2013. Balance payments will not be requested until authorization for 2013 is granted. Deposits are refunded in full for cancellations in writing received prior to 2013 authorization.

The Cuba Bird Survey Program Your participation in this program will involve a simple bird and habitat survey. Each evening, the group will review and record a checklist of birds seen on that particular birding day. Data is compiled by the group, and submitted by the trip leader to CCT staff. Recorded trip totals are part of CCT’s ongoing data bank of information on both migratory and resident species recorded in Cuba over several years. Significant findings are noted and submitted to the journal North American Birds. Our Cuban colleagues keep trip totals and notable information to support their ongoing research as well.

Program Leadership Our program is designed and managed in the United States and is professionally staffed and field tested over 16 years in Cuba. We are dedicated to providing participants with informative nature oriented opportunities, good, wholesome food and comfortable accommodations, and highly skilled local leaders.

Jon L. Dunn has lived much of his life in California where he became a birder at age eight, a life-altering event triggered, he says, by the appearance of a bright male Hooded Oriole in his garden. Jon has extensive knowledge of the identification and distribution of North American Birds and has written or co-written numerous papers on these subjects that have appeared in a wide variety of journals. He has also long been interested in Asian avifaunas, as well as those of the West Indies, especially the Bahamas, and now Cuba too. Jon co-authored Birds of Southern California, Status and Distribution (with Kimball L. Garrett) in 1981, Warblers (with Kimball L. Garrett) in 1997, Gulls (2nd author with Steve N. G. Howell) in 2007, and the 6th edition (2011) National Geographic’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America (with Jonathan Alderfer) having been chief consultant for the previous five editions dating back to 1983. He was co-writer and host of the two-video set Large and Small Gulls of North America in the Advanced Birding Video Series as well as co- author with Kimball Garrett of Birds of Southern California, Status and Distribution and Warblers. Jon is a member of the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist Committee, the ABA Checklist Committee and has served over 20 years on the California Bird Records Committee. Beyond birds, Jon has a keen interest in politics and history (his “hobbies”), and the cinema. This will be Jon’s 3rd birding program in Cuba. His most recent visit was as WFO leader in November, 2010.

Cuban co-leader For the duration of the birding portion of the program we will employ a highly skilled and experienced full – time bilingual Cuban naturalist. In addition, we will work with a local birding guide in each of the 3 distinct regions of the country we visit.

A Bilingual Cuban Guide will be at our service throughout the program. Along with a professional driver, he or she will be with the group each day to tell us about Cuban history, culture, arts and lifestyle. He/she will also deal with logistics, meals, translation, and other nuts-and-bolts aspects of the travel experience. In addition, we will rendezvous with local naturalists at various designated sites along the way.

Accommodations Accommodations feature some of Cuba's most comfortable and enchanting properties. Hotels are staffed by friendly, helpful hosts and represent the best Cuba has to offer in the regions we visit. Our accommodations include modern European hotels, former colonial estates, refurbished vintage hotels, and simple beach-front bungalows. Further descriptive information will follow upon receipt of your reservation and initial payment.

Additional Details Following program registration, we will provide all participants with a bird list as well as details with regard to travel to Cuba, including all of the basics you need to know about travel documents, customs, facts about Cuba, currency, health and safety, food, flights, and what to bring.

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] Physical Demands and Expectations This program offers opportunities for ambitious birding, with early departure times on birding days, and occasional evening sessions. Most birding days provide for leisure time after lunch and before our afternoon birding sessions, and all accommodations have either a pool or beachfront access. Physical exertion will be light to moderate on most days, with the longest walks approximately 3 miles. Terrain is mostly flat and dry, with some hills present in western Cuba. All participants should be in reasonably good physical condition.

Be prepared for strong sun, with temperatures in the 80s. Mosquitoes can be bothersome in the Zapata Region. Rain in the dry season (late October to early May) is fairly unusual. Those with medical concerns should check with their physician before taking part in the program. Your health and well-being are very important to us!

Trip Costs, Terms, and Conditions Land costs for the 13 day itinerary are $4,700.00 per person all inclusive, for shared accommodations. Single supplements are $400.00 per person. This trip is limited to 12 participants plus the WFO leader and Cuban leader. All deposits must be received within 7 days of registration, which is completed online.

CCT Cuba Bird Survey Programs include the following: All accommodations, meals, guide services, as described in the itinerary; most tips (guides, drivers, naturalists, restaurant and bell staff ), airport/hotel transfers, ground transportation, bottled water, some drinks, admission fees (itinerary only), licensing fees, and program management services, which include the provision of all pre- and post-program materials, an on-site U.S. leader, full-time Cuban bilingual guide, bilingual Cuban naturalists, and a full-time driver. Program fees help support our conservation efforts in Cuba.

Not Included: Travel to and from Havana, Cuba; items of a personal nature such as laundry, phone calls, beverages, bar and housekeeping tips, etc., and airport departure taxes, passport fees, or other fees not listed in the program.

DIRECT FLIGHTS TO HAVANA FROM MIAMI Flights can only be arranged by officially authorized Travel Service Providers (known as TSPs), travel agencies in the United States that are screened and licensed by the same government agency that issues CCT’s license. CCT has partnered with Marazul Charters, a TSP with offices in New Jersey and Miami. Marazul Charters is the largest and most experienced TSP in the country, with more than 30 years experience providing licensed U.S. citizens and organizations with travel services to Cuba. Marazul provides these direct flights to thousands of passengers each month, most of them Cuban Americans visiting family in Cuba. Marazul Charters can assist with your flights to/from Miami, or you may make these arrangements on your own. On Day 1 of the program, we will request a departure from Miami that gets us to Havana by mid -afternoon. On the return from Havana to Miami, we request departures that get you to Miami by late morning, presumably in time to make a same day flight to your final destination in the U.S. where that is convenient. Due to the high probability that we will have a morning departure from Miami on Day 1 of the program, we highly recommend making hotel reservations in Miami for the night prior to departure to Havana. We can assist with hotel recommendations near the airport.

Health Insurance in Cuba Traveler’s health insurance coverage is actually a mandatory requirement for all U.S. visitors to Cuba. Your U.S.-based health plan is prohibited by the U.S. Treasury Department embargo from directly doing business with any Cuban health facilities (e.g. hospitals and clinics). While traveling in Cuba, you are not directly covered by your U.S. health plan. The Cuba government issues basic health insurance coverage at a per diem rate of $ 3 CUC per day (for each day you are in Cuba). The policy is included in the cost of your flight between Miami and Havana, and no special effort on the part of the traveler to arrange this coverage is required.

Travel Insurance Protection Any U.S. citizen traveling internationally these days should consider insurance protection. Reasonably priced coverage is available to provide protection against financial loss due to trip cancellation or delay, as well as lost baggage. Although uncommon, cancellations due to illness, accidents, work related schedule changes, and other un-planned or un-welcome events have happened. Other considerations include recent contractions in the airline industry, which have lead to a reduction in the number of available flights domestically and internationally. Sometimes these reductions come on very short notice, which can result in missed connections or significant delay. Unforeseen events which you have little or no control over can also effect travel plans. All of these factors make trip cancellation insurance a very important

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] consideration. We are working with Travel Insured International, also based in Connecticut. TII is a provider of comprehensive insurance products we have had a relationship with for the last few years. They will not require you to produce a copy of the authorization. Be sure to use the CCT agency code when booking a policy with TII .

For information about Travel Insured International insurance, go to: www.travelinsured.com or call 800 243-3174. Be sure to use the agent account number for CCT when seeking a policy it is 48774.

Reservations and Payment To reserve your spot, you will need to go to the WFO web site Tours page (http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/tours.php) where you can register. A $1,000.00 deposit (by check) is required to confirm your spot. The deposit check must be made payable to Caribbean Conservation Trust (the Cuba license holder) and is due within 7 days following your online registration to confirm your space on these programs. Please do not write the word Cuba on the deposit check. Please also return a signed copy of the 1 page Terms and Conditions document with your deposit check. The full balance payment is due 75 days prior to the departure date. Details of individual invoices will be provided. We will provide balance payment information following receipt of your deposit and registration fees.

Cancellation and refund policy * : Should it become necessary for you to cancel, all payments will be refunded after a deduction of our cancellation fee outlined as follows: More than 90 days prior to the tour...... $300.00 per person (land only) 89 - 60 days prior to the tour ...... $1,000.00 per person (FULL DEPOSIT) 59 - 30 days prior to the tour...... …… 60% of the tour cost 29 - 21 days prior to the tour...... 75% of the tour cost less than 21 days prior to the tour...... NO REFUND

In the unlikely event that we must cancel the tour, a full refund less a $100.00 processing fee for your license application will be forwarded to you, should cancellation occur after your license has been processed. *Please be aware that the stated refund policies apply only to the land portion of the trip, and that airlines may have different policies that exist beyond our ability to control. As with all international travel programs, we highly encourage trip cancellation and travel insurance policies. Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. , CCT Travel, Marazul Travel, WFO, and its agents and constituents reserve the right to make changes to the itineraries. Land/Air arrangements may be subject to price increases beyond our control.

© Copyright Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. 2012

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] Blue-headed Quail Dove Cuban Black Hawk Cuban Green Woodpecker Zapata Wren Giant Kingbird Yellow-headed Warbler

WFO CUBA BIRD SURVEY ITINERARY MARCH 18 - 30, 2013

Day 1 ~ Monday, March 18, 2013 Arrive Havana, by late afternoon. Brief introduction with accommodations and dinner at the famous Hotel Nacional, overlooking the Florida Straits in Havana.

Day 2 ~ Tuesday, March 19 Breakfast followed by a visit to the National Botanical Gardens outside Havana for birding in the endemic forest. Later we will visit the home and private ornithological collection of Orlando Garrido, Cuba’s greatest living naturalist. Sr. Garrido is a retired and venerable former curator of birds at the National Museum of Natural History in Havana, and senior author of the Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba as well as hundreds of scientific publications. This visit is always mentioned as a trip highlight. Day 2 also includes guided orientation to Havana, with lunch in Old Havana, one of the jewels of colonial America. Dinner, accommodation at Hotel Nacional.

Day 3 ~ Wednesday, March 20 Breakfast, check out, and drive (2 hours) west to the Sierra del la Rosario Mountains and La Guira National Park. Birding stop at Cueva de Portales, a cave carved by the San Diego River, which currently meanders through. The forest around the cave is habitat to the enchanting Cuban Solitaire, and the Giant Kingbird. Within the cave, Che Guevara established a headquarters during the missile crisis of October 1962. Olive-capped Warbler and Cuban Grassquit can be found nearby. Accommodation and dinner at Hotel Mirador in the small town of San Diego de los Banos.

Day 4 ~ Thursday, March 21 Morning birding options nearby in pursuit of endemic Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Green Woodpecker and Yellow-headed Warbler. Lunch followed by departure east to the Zapata Peninsula (4+ hours). Accommodation and dinner at Hotel Playa Larga on the picturesque Bay of Pigs. Birding stops along the way as opportunity permits.

Day 5 ~ Friday, March 22 Early breakfast and drive to Bermejas (45 minutes) for mixed forest birding (flat, easy walking trail system 2+ miles). Excellent chance for Bee Hummingbird, Fernandina’s Flicker, Blue- Headed Quail-Dove, Grey-fronted Quail Dove. We also have a chance for Key West and Ruddy Quail Dove, Cuban Parrot and the threatened Cuban Parakeet. Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Bullfinch, Loggerhead Kingbird, Bare-legged Owl and Cuban Pygmy Owl are also likely. Lunch at Caleta Buena, a tranquil natural limestone pool (cenote) on the pristine coast (excellent snorkeling opportunity). Afternoon birding in Sopillar, or in Bermejas. Dinner, accommodation at Hotel Playa Larga.

Day 6 ~ Saturday, March 23 Early visit to La Turba (30 minutes) in search Red-shouldered Blackbird, Zapata Wren and Zapata Sparrow, among Cuba’s most limited range endemic birds. There is no need for muck boots thanks to dry canal roads and easy paths, offering wide open views of the swamp. Lunch followed by late afternoon birding option nearby Las

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected] Salinas Refuge (nearby flat, dry dirt roadway 1+ miles). Habitat is varied among low, dense forest, mangrove, marsh, and open wetlands. Here we are likely to encounter the endemic Cuban Black Hawk as well as numerous shorebirds, including Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Reddish Egret, as well as various ducks and shorebirds. Accommodations and dinner at Playa Larga.

Day 7 ~ Sunday, March 24 Breakfast, check out, and morning birding options on the peninsula (leader discretion). Lunch followed by departure for Camaguey (6+ hours). Dinner and accommodations at the vintage Gran Hotel in town.

Day 8 ~ Monday, March 25 Drive to Najasa (45 minutes), our easternmost destination, and best opportunity for endemics such as the Cuban Parakeet, Giant Kingbird, Palm Crow (endemic sub-species), and resident Cuban Parrot, and Plain Pigeon. Trails are mostly flat with some minor hills, 2+ miles. Return to Camaguey for lunch and free afternoon to explore this interesting city, where time seems to have stood still over the last half century. Dinner/accommodations at Gran Hotel.

Day 9 ~ Tuesday, March 26 Breakfast followed by check out and drive northwest to Cayo Coco (4 + hours) in Cuba’s northern archipelago, the setting for Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream. The ‘keys’ offer excellent birding, scenery, and comfortable, all-inclusive beachfront accommodation. Accommodation and meals at Sol Cayo Coco hotel. West Indian Whistling Duck may be early evening target.

Day 10 ~ Wednesday, March 27 Morning birding on Cayo Paredon Grande, the northeastern-most key in the Cayo Coco archipelago, which is one of Cuba’s most important migratory landfalls in migration season. Gundlach’s Hawk, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Oriente Warbler, Scaly–naped Pigeon,Thick-billed Vireo and possibly a subspecies of Zapata Sparrow are target birds for the archipelago. Lunch at the hotel followed by afternoon birding on Cayo Guillermo amidst mangrove flats, low coastal scrub, and pristine white sand shoreline (roadside, flat walking). Dinner, accommodation in Cayo Coco.

Day 11 ~ Thursday, March 28 AM birding west of the hotel for Bahama Mockingbird, along with any second chances for missed target birds. Late check out followed by lunch and drive to Santa Clara (5+ hours) for dinner and accommodation at La Granjita. . Day 12 ~ Friday, March 29 Breakfast, birding options on hotel grounds, check out, and drive to Havana (3+ hours) for lunch in the old city. Accommodation in Havana. Farewell dinner overlooking the city and sea.

Day 13 ~ Saturday, March 30 Breakfast followed by departure to Jose Marti Airport for flights home.

Deposits and reservations must be received by DECEMBER 2, 2012.

© Copyright Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. 2012

Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. ▪ 192 Willard Street ▪ New Haven, CT 06515 USA ▪ [email protected]