2009 Tour Narrative
In Brief: This year’s WINGS tour to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico was a great success. For the first time, we managed to encounter all 28 possible endemic species in the Dominican Republic, and on Puerto Rico we encountered all the endemics except the Puerto Rican Parrot, which is extremely difficult to see during the breeding season due to forest closures.
The Caribbean may not hold the same diversity of species as a trip to the mainland tropics, but what these islands lack in number of species they more than make up for in quality. And this year we managed fine views of some stunning and unique birds. Palmchats, the sole member of the family Dulidae, were common on Hispaniola, and we recorded three of the five species of todies, another family endemic to the Caribbean. From Hispaniolan Trogon to three species of quail-dove, Ridgway’s Hawk to Ashy-faced Owl, from two snazzy woodpeckers to the elegant La Selle Thrush, and from charismatic cuckoos like Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo and Bay-breasted Cuckoo to such real skulkers as Eastern and Western Chat-Tanagers, this tour offered us a truly wide range of bird species in an impressive diversity of habitats. I certainly look forward to my next visit to these two precious islands and their very special avifaunas.
In Detail
Dominican Republic
Our first day in the Dominican Republic started with a bang as we enjoyed lengthy views of the endemic Hispaniolan Parakeet outside our hotel before heading to the botanical gardens in northern Santo Domingo. The parakeets’ chatter had been audible the night before, and seeing them at such close range and in excellent light was a real treat.
The lush plantings and surprisingly wild streamsides of the botanical gardens allowed us to quickly become acquainted with some of the more common birds in the country. Palmchats, the only member of the family Dulidae, seemed to be everywhere. We were also treated to fine views of the incredible and remarkably abundant Hispaniolan Woodpecker, replete with gold, black, and red. Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoos lurked in mistletoe clumps but were also seen in the open, while Black-crowned Palm-Tanagers and Red-legged Thrushes stayed in the denser patches. The world’s second smallest hummingbird, Vervain Hummingbird, was quite common here, with many males singing from exposed perches. Colorful, and much larger, Antillean Mangos were also in evidence, foraging in some of the ornamental flowers and hawking insects over the trail.
Perhaps the most exciting find was a single West Indian Whistling-Duck along the streambed. But for many of us, the bird of the morning was the drop-dead gorgeous, impossibly cute Broad-billed Tody; when agitated by a bit of playback, the bird came right in to the group, with his pink flanks at full attention.
After heading back to the hotel and checking out, we had a quick lunch nearby before making the three-hour drive to Barahona, in the southwest corner of the country, where we would be based for the next four days. Just before dusk, we ventured up into the nearby hillsides, covered with scrub forest, for some brief nightbirding. A very cooperative Ashy-faced Owl put on a thrilling performance, sitting in the open for several minutes.
The next day we drove inland from Barahona along the Enriquillo Valley. This dry valley is home to the largest lake in the West Indies, Lago Enriquillo, almost 70 miles long and about 150 feet below sea level. In the morning we headed south to the foothill forests of the Sierra de Barahona, where we spent an enjoyable morning walking along a humid creek, surrounded by fruiting trees and dense scrub over a limestone karst understory. We enjoyed repeated views of our principal target, Bay-breasted Cuckoo, a very large and colorful species endemic to Hispaniola and apparently experiencing a steep population decline.
Other foothill species encountered included Narrow-billed Tody, Green-tailed Warbler (likely not a warbler at all), Antillean Euphonia, and Olive-throated Parakeet. Some rare wintering species also appeared, with a single Baltimore Oriole and two Worm-eating Warblers joining the more common Cape May and Black-throated Blue Warblers.
After a wonderful picnic lunch, we drove down to the lake, where we had views of Yellow-faced Grassquits and a flock of Antillean Siskins. Due to recent rains, the lake was larger than usual, with much evidence of flooding. Along the lakeshore we found a pair of Palm Crows (a possible split from the Cuban population), a singing Prairie Warbler, several species of herons, and a lone White-cheeked Pintail. Pulling ourselves away from the lake, we drove back to our hotel for an hour’s rest and a delicious dinner.
On Day Three we drove down the coast, marveling at the many small bays, coconut-palm-covered coralline beaches, limestone cliffs, brilliant blue and azure waters, and small towns as we made our way around the Sierra de Barahona to the southern access road. Near the town of Pedernales, a well-built road leads up into the high sierra, giving us access to an extensive upland pine forest. On the way up we had fantastic views of the endemic Hispaniolan Parrot, and several flocks of impressive White-collared Swifts. The smell of the pines was wonderful, and the scenery was reminiscent of the southeastern US pine forests—only here, instead of Brown-headed Nuthatch, we found such endemics as the beautiful Hispaniolan Emerald, the dapper Hispaniolan Pewee, and the charismatic Greater Antillean Elaenia. Antillean Piculets sounded off in the distance but managed to elude us; in compensation, we were treated to wonderfully close views of both Caribbean Martin and the endemic Golden Swallow as they came in to drink from a small pond along the road. The resident Pine Warblers were in fine song, and at the eleventh hour a pair of Hispaniolan Crossbills appeared overhead. On the drive back to the hotel in the afternoon, we stopped at a brackish lagoon, where a nice assortment of wading birds plied the shores and a distant Peregrine harassed flocks of shorebirds amongst the mangroves. A nice early dinner then prepared us for the morning ahead as we prepared to navigate the Haitian border road.
A very early start to the day enabled us to reach the highlands of the Sierra de Barahuco before dawn. Along the slow and rough ride up, we were treated to Burrowing Owl and Greater Antillean (Hispaniolan) Nightjar on the road and a couple of the endemic Least Pauraques in some roadside scrub. After a pre-dawn picnic breakfast near the remnant cloudforest patches along the Haitian border, we were in place to greet the first singing Western Chat-Tanagers and Rufous-throated Solitaires. The walk along the forested ridgeline, with views of denuded Haitian slopes, was sobering, yet filled with interesting birds. Fine views of Hispaniolan Trogon, Scaly-naped and Plain Pigeons, a surprising and close flyby of a White-fronted Quail-Dove, and many Hispaniolan Spindalis and White-winged Warblers kept us amply entertained until lunchtime. On the way down, we briefly walked across the border into Haiti and picked up a nice tally of 10 species in as many minutes. Farther downslope, some trolling with the tapes finally produced good views of Antillean Piculet and Flat-billed Vireo, and our chance encounter with a small flock of Antillean Siskins (including several stunning males) capped a great day in the mountains.
Later in the afternoon, a few of us opted to try again for the Palm Crows near Lago Enriquillo. On this return visit we found five quite cooperative crows, as well as several Caribbean Coots and some other waterfowl new to our trip list. The contrast between the cloud forest’s lush epiphytic growth, ferns, cycads, and native fuchsias and begoniason the one hand and the xeric scrub around the lake on the other was startling, and really helped drive home the diversity of habitats that the island of Hispaniola has to offer.
An optional morning outing to another highland road near the hotel turned out to be a rousing success. At dawn we found ourselves in nice second-growth forest near the end of the road, surrounded by a chorus of Rufous-throated Solitaires. Their eerie call somewhat resembles rubbing a finger on a wet crystal glass, and to hear a choir of them in the pre-dawn light was a magical experience. The real treat, though, was a great and prolonged audio response from an Eastern Chat-Tanager, an endemic never before recorded on a WINGS tour. A surprise visit from three responsive La Selle Thrushes, not previously documented at this location, was another wonderful treat.
After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we drove back to Santo Domingo in time for lunch at a seaside café, where the passionfruit-orange-lime juice was deemed sinfully good by all, and then on to our hotel near Parque Nacional de Los Haitises. The drive to the hotel traversed a dramatically different and more tropical countryside, with sugar cane fields, meandering streams, riparian hardwood forests, and lush roadside vegetation. Our hotel itself resembled a ten-year-old’s fantasy treehouse, complete with lots of rockwork, leaves cemented into the plaster, tall ceilings with wooden beams, indoor balconies, and winding stairs, all with a stream running through the bottom floor!
On our final morning in the Dominican Republic, we walked from the hotel into Haitises National Park in search of the endangered and endemic Ridgway’s Hawk. Haitises is the last remaining stronghold for the species on the island, and it is estimated that in the park’s almost 400 square miles, about 140 pairs remain. Normally one has to hike in about a mile to a forested valley with a resident pair, but we lucked out with a new nesting site less than half a mile down the trail on the edge of the forest. There has been large-scale agricultural clearing in this area for a decade, and the park guards are vigorously trying to educate the farmers and protect the nest trees that remain. After an elated celebration, we continued a few more minutes along the trail and were rewarded with a flyby Ruddy Quail-Dove and views of many of the island endemics. On our return to the hotel, we prepared for our mid-afternoon flight to Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico Extension
Our first day in Puerto Rico started out in the moist northeastern corner of the island, where we quickly located the large and very colorful Green-throated Carib and the smaller and unique-looking Antillean Crested Hummingbird. A little to the south, near Humacao, we visited a nice wetland adjacent to a beautiful white sand beach where we saw our first Puerto Rican endemics, the Puerto Rico Flycatcher and the colorful Puerto Rican Woodpecker. Also present were some Caribbean Coots and a few other waterfowl.
After lunch we drove to the northwest side of the island, where we visited the Cambalache State Forest. This nice patch of mature forest harbors many bromeliads, thick vine tangles, and a wealth of tree diversity. In a very enjoyable hour of birding we turned up Puerto Rican Tody, Puerto Rican Vireo, Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, and Adelaide’s Warbler! Before heading to our hotel and dinner in Hatillo, we stomped around in a newly restored marsh looking in vain for the local Yellow-breasted Crake.
The next day we headed back to the Cambalache Forest area, where in a nearby marsh we enjoyed an array of wading birds, singing Greater Yellowlegs, and a few Least Sandpipers. Along the forest trails there was much birdsong, with Adelaide’s Warblers and Puerto Rican Vireos providing the almost constant backdrop. We felt especially lucky to observe a close roosting pair of the very attractive Puerto Rican Screech-Owl; the birds sat quite quietly for the duration of our visit with them, briefly opening their eyes to make sure that our intentions were honest.
Another great sighting was of a quarreling pair of Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoos that chased each other around the forest floor, wings spread and back feathers raised. It was quite a kick to listen to their gurgles, chucks, and whistles as they debated some obviously important question. A Key West Quail-Dove gave us a concert from the mid-story, then flew by us on the trail. A gorgeous male Puerto Rican Bullfinch put in an appearance in a flowering shrub just as we were about to leave.
We then drove up into the mountains, with a lunch stop along the way at a scenic cliff-side overlook where White-tailed Tropicbirds plied the skies. In the late afternoon we made a short excursion to the Maricao Forest, a protected area that harbors a unique elfin forest along the montane ridges, with short, small-leafed trees and numerous flowers. Here we managed to locate the most recently discovered West Indian bird species, the enigmatic Elfin Woods Warbler. First described in 1971, this active species is still poorly known, and with a recent estimate of about 600 individuals, it is also quite rare. In just a short time we also located Puerto Rican Emerald, Green Mango, Puerto Rican Tanager, and Puerto Rican Spindalis, and enjoyed a fine vista of the southwest corner of the island from along the ridge before heading back to the hotel for dinner.
Our last full day on Puerto Rico tallied an impressive 75 species, all in the dry southwestern corner of the island. Much like the southwestern Dominican Republic, this segment of the island is dry because of the rain shadow cast by the central mountains. The scrubby, cactus-filled forests here stand in sharp contrast to the area’s many freshwater wetlands, mangrove forests, and saltpans.
The highlight of birding any island is undoubtedly the endemics, and we enjoyed close views of a large flock of endangered Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds feeding in a small yard. The Puerto Rican Pewee (currently considered a part of Lesser Antillean Pewee, but surely a full species) was finally cooperative in a lush mangrove forest along the coast, and about nine Puerto Rican Nightjars were vocal late in the day. Among the non-endemics we had fine views of marsh birds such as Masked Duck, West Indian Whistling-Duck, Purple Gallinule, and Glossy Ibis, a wonderful study of ten species of foraging sandpipers, a pair of Caribbean Elaenias in dry scrub forest, and a stunning pair of the introduced Troupials along a roadside. It was a fine way to cap an excellent trip to two of the most exciting Caribbean Islands.
- Gavin Bieber
Updated: April 2009