Cuba Caribbean Endemic Birding III 28Th January to 6Th February 2017 (10 Days) Trip Report
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Cuba Caribbean Endemic Birding III 28th January to 6th February 2017 (10 days) Trip Report Western Spindalis by Dušan Brinkhuizen Trip report compiled by Tour Leader, Dušan Brinkhuizen Trip Report – RBL Cuba - Caribbean Endemic Birding III 2017 2 Top ten birds as voted for by participants: 1. Bee Hummingbird 6. Cuban Nightjar 2. Cuban Tody 7. Blue-headed Quail-dove 3. Cuban Trogon 8. Bare-legged Owl 4. Zapata Wren 9. Stygian Owl 5. Bahama Mockingbird 10. Cuban Solitaire Tour Summary 29 Jan - Our Cuba III adventure started off with a lot of water! A cold front had just arrived at the island and it caused torrential rain as we drove to Las Terrazas in the west, our first destination of the trip. It was still raining as we arrived at the site, so we took shelter at the visitors centre. Cuban Oriole and a Yellow-throated Vireo were watched from under the roof while at the same time, we were enjoying a nice welcome cocktail. Fairly soon, the heavy rain calmed down and we immediately took the opportunity to look for the Cuban Grassquit, our principal target for the morning. At a small framer’s house, we successfully found a flock of Yellow-faced Grassquits and a few splendid Cuban Grassquits! Our next stop was a patch of pine forest to look for the localised Olive-capped Warbler. We found shelter at the ranger station and waited for the weather to improve. A Lousiana Waterthrush showed itself nicely while it was foraging in the rain. With the help of a little playback, we got to see the Olive- capped Warbler in the pine trees near to the station – target Cuban Grassquit by Dušan Brinkhuizen number two in the bag. After lunch, it suddenly got dry and bird activity picked up significantly. From the parking lot, we got prolonged views of multiple colourful Cuban Trogons feeding on palm fruits. What a fantastic Cuban endemic, the trogon, locally known as “tocororo”, Cuba’s national bird. A Scaly-naped Pigeon feeding on the same fruits was a welcome bonus. On our way out, we targeted another cracking island endemic: a Cuban Tody – with its electrifying plumage! As we drove to San Diego de los Baños further west, it suddenly became sunny. A stop at some fresh water fishponds en route produced Caspian Terns, Snail Kite and Eastern Meadowlarks, among others. During a late afternoon visit to La Güira National Park, we bagged our final target for western Cuba: a neat Cuban Solitaire singing its beautiful song. 30 Jan - The following morning, we started at Hacienda Cortina to look for the rare Fernandina’s Flicker. After some searching, there was no sign of the flicker but West-Indian Woodpeckers did respond to the tape. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Scaly-naped Pigeon by Henry Mauer Trip Report – RBL Cuba - Caribbean Endemic Birding III 2017 3 our only one for the trip, was a nice consolation. We continued to the famous cave system of Cueva de los Portales, where Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was hiding during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. The impressive habitat at the cave is characterised by steep-sided, vine-covered limestone monoliths called “mogotes” and the sought-after Cuban Solitaire is actually fairly common at this site. A singing solitaire was one of the first birds we scoped as we arrived as it was perched right in the open! Shortly after, we heard a Cuban Pygmy-owl calling and this neat little diurnal owl was soon located up in a tree. La Sagra’s Flycatcher and Cuban Vireo were other welcome additions to our growing list of endemics and near-endemics. At the cave itself, we checked some nests of Cave Swallows but the birds themselves were not around. Our guides, Caesar and Mario, told us some interesting Cuban history inside the cave while we also listened to the beautiful song of the Cuban Solitaire echoing from the limestone walls. On our way back, we did a short hawk watch at a private art gallery where we had some fresh local coffee. After lunch, we started our longish drive to the Zapata peninsula. A stop at Niña Bonita Lake along the way was very productive. Lesser Scaups, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers and Cuban Pygmy-owl by Henry Mauer Ruddy Ducks were present in good numbers, as were Pied- billed Grebes, herons, egrets, cormorants and some Brown Pelicans. A single Least Grebe was a nice find by Deborah. We also watched a few Scaly-breasted Munias (Nutmeg Mannikins - an “escapee” from Asia) foraging in the grass. Late afternoon, around dusk, we arrived at our hotel in Playa Larga. 31 Jan - We had an early start to Santo Tomás, a small remote village in the heart of the Zapata swamp. We arrived a little too late for the nightjar en route, so we continued straight to the canal where two boatmen were waiting for us. During a pleasant and relaxing boat ride into the swamp, we saw several migrant warblers and also our first Zapata Sparrow! The sparrow hopped on the side of the bank and showed itself very well. When we arrived at the viewing platform, we heard a Zapata Wren singing in the distance. A promising start! This Endangered endemic was our principal target for the day and it is often very hard to get. Our local guide, “Super Mario” played his tapes on and off but for about half an hour, not a sniff of the wren. Just before we wanted to move to a different site, the brown, chunky wren popped up in a nearby bush and started singing elaborately – the extensive scope views we got of it were just magnificent! Very pleased with this rare endemic in the pocket, we birded our way back along the canal. In the forest at Santo Tomás, we followed Super Bare-legged Owl by Henry Mauer Mario and some serious bushwhacking produced Trip Report – RBL Cuba - Caribbean Endemic Birding III 2017 4 a Worm-eating Warbler, two Swainson’s Warblers and a glimpse of a Grey-fronted Quail-dove! On our way to lunch, we stopped at Cueva de los Peces, where we waited at the restaurant for a very special treat. In recent years, the restaurant staff had been putting out rice for the rare and Endangered Blue-headed Quail-dove in turn for a tip. Just as we arrived, a small party of these superb grouse-like endemics showed up – perfect timing! As we watched these stunning quail- doves at very close range, a neat Ovenbird walked by as well. In the afternoon, we started at the open plains of Soplillar. Close-up views of cracking Cuban Amazons were a nice start. A juvenile Roseate Spoonbill at a small pond was nice, too. After some back-and- forth trawling, we finally located a pair of the endemic Fernandina’s Flicker. The birds were somewhat backlit but the scope views were still fine. In the forest, we ran into a beautiful adult Grey-fronted Quail- dove that was faking being injured (we actually found the nest of this bird on a following tour). Two Bare-legged Owls Cuban Nightjar by Henry Mauer seen at their day-roost was just an excellent sighting. Cuban Crows were a welcome addition, too. At dusk, we tried for the Cuban Nightjar. It wasn’t really dark yet but the bird had already flown in and perched at close range on a branch. Scope views were just fantastic. Shortly after, the nightjar started foraging on the forest trail in front of us – what a treat, watching this difficult endemic out in the open! After dinner, we went to look for Stygian Owl. After about half an hour, a superb adult was located atop a tree. Henry rushed back to his cabin to get his camera and was back in time for some great spotlight photography. A great day, packed with Cuban endemics and specialities! 1 Feb - The next morning, we started off with no less than four species of quail-dove! From behind a blind at Bermejas, we watched a forest trail packed with doves. Zenaida Doves were abundant here and a couple of Grey-fronted Quail-doves showed themselves well. A presumed juvenile Ruddy Quail-dove was foraging at close range, too. A splendid adult Key-west Quail- dove was foraging further back, but scope views were good. In the end, two more Blue-headed Quail-doves showed up as well – what a feast! At the bus, we heard a Bee Hummingbird singing. We got brief views of a female Bee Hummer but decided to continue to La Cuchilla first for the endemic Red-shouldered Blackbird! When we arrived at La Cuchilla, it took a while before we got the sought-after blackbird. A male suddenly flew in and sang, but the red in the wing was difficult to detect. Here we also got good scope views of Cuban Parakeet, another scarce endemic. The elusive Spotted Rail remained heard-only. At an open field on our way back, we enjoyed several Fernandina’s Flickers at their nesting site. Our second Bare-legged Owl for the Blue-headed Quail-dove by trip was discovered in a hollow palm tree. Henry Mauer Back at the Bee Hummingbird spot, we watched a smart adult male feeding on flowers. The Trip Report – RBL Cuba - Caribbean Endemic Birding III 2017 5 smallest bird in the world – what a treat! The male even perched shortly on an electric wire just as we had wished for - its ruby gorget was simply stunning in that light! After a successful morning, we went to Caleta Buena for lunch.