Cuba

Day 1: Our tour begins in the morning at the Miami airport, followed by an early afternoon flight to Havana.** After clearing immigration and customs, we’ll be met by our Cuban naturalist guide and ground staff, and then drive west to Soroa, just over an hour away.

Once in the Sorora area we might see a number of Cuban and West Indian endemics including Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Cuban Trogon (Cuba’s national bird), West Indian and Cuban Green Woodpeckers, Cuban Tody, Loggerhead Kingbird, Cuban Pewee, Cuban Bullfinch and Cuban and Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds, Western Spindalis (endemic green backed subspecies, pretrei) and wintering North American warblers possibly including Louisiana Waterthrush. We’ll scrutinize the White-crowned Pigeons with special care, looking for the beautiful Scaly-naped Pigeon, a West Indian endemic. Gray Kingbird and Black-whiskered Vireo, both summer breeders, will have arrived. After dinner we’ll offer evening birding, searching in particular for the endemic Bare-legged Owl as well as the Western Giant Toad, and who knows what else; in 2023 we found a roosting Wood Thrush, a rarity in Cuba. Night in Soroa.

Day 2: We’ll depart west to Pinar del Rio province and Cueva de las Portales in the Sierra de los Organos of La Guira National Park, Che Guevara’s hideout during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The birding and the scenery are both excellent here, and in the trees among the limestone karst formations we’ll look particularly for the endemic Cuban Solitaire, whose somber appearance is more than made up for by its remarkable jangling song. We should see both White-winged and Zenaida Doves and we’ll continue to be alert for Scaly-naped Pigeon. Amongst the Cave Swallows we’ll look for our first Cuban Martin, and we have a fair chance for the elusive Gundlach’s Hawk, another Cuban endemic. Tawny-shouldered and Cuban Blackbirds and Red-legged Honeycreeper should be numerous and we’ll search carefully for Olive-capped Warbler, a local species in Cuba and otherwise known only from Abaco and Grand Bahama in the northern Bahamas. The distinctive polymorphic “Cuban Kestrel” (currently treated as a subspecies of American Kestrel) is found in this area. It acts more like a Merlin and doesn’t bob its tail as mainland birds do. They come in two color morphs, the more numerous pale morph and a scarcer rufous morph. Cuba has more than twice the number of endemic Anolis lizards than it does endemic birds. Sixty three of the 64 species are endemic and some are large and colorful; we might see Western Giant, Stream, and Pinar del Rio Cliff. Night in Soroa.

Day 3: We’ll bird near Soroa looking for another distinctive Cuban endemic, Fernandina’s Flicker, and then continue to Las Terrezas, a community established by the French after fleeing Haiti in the late 18th century. We’ll be looking for anything we may have missed yesterday, notably Scaly-naped Pigeon. A nearby pig farm attracts many grassquits, mostly Yellow-faced but also a number of the attractive and endemic Cuban Grassquit. Recently, a pair of Stygian Owls (endemic siguapa subspecies) have been present in a pine plantation in town, although a fall 2024 storm resulted in their hopefully temporary departure. After lunch we’ll retrace our steps past Havana and then turn south to the Zapata Peninsula, home to the largest wetland in the Caribbean. We’ll make a few stops at two inland reservoirs where we should see lingering wintering ducks and perhaps a Snail Kite. Late in the afternoon we’ll arrive at Playa Larga (or Playa Girόn) near the Zapata Swamp and the site of the infamous April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. On our guesthouse grounds before sunset we might see Cuban Parrot or Cuban Crow, the latter possessed of a remarkable, almost comical vocabulary. Night at Playa Larga.

Days 4–5: We’ll bird the vast Zapata Swamp for two days. On one morning we’ll visit Bermejas, where with excellent luck we could see all four species of Cuban quail-doves, including two handsome endemics, Gray-fronted and the more numerous Blue-headed. Key West Quail-Dove is sometimes present, and there is at least a chance of seeing Ruddy Quail-Dove, although most encounters involve only brief flight views. Other endemic species include Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Vireo, Yellow-headed Warbler, and the Cuban Oriole. The diminutive Bee Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, frequents feeders in or near Playa Larga and we’ll visit a feeding station where they are present. While there we often also find Great Lizard Cuckoo and Shiny Cowbird along with a fine variety of North American wintering wood warblers, including Black-throated Blue, Cape May and Northern Parula. On some occasions a roosting Stygian Owl can be located, and elsewhere in the area we should find Limpkin and perhaps the endemic chrysocaulosus subspecies of Northern Flicker, which has a barred, not white, rump. The endemic Red-shouldered Blackbird is also possible.

On our other morning, we’ll arise before dawn (and/or at dusk) to see if we can locate the Cuban Nightjar near Playa Larga at Sopillar. Once it gets light, we’ll try to find what will probably be one of our most difficult Cuban endemics, the distinctive (especially on vocalizations) Zapata Wren. We have a good chance of seeing the endemic Zapata Sparrow (inexpectata, the most colorful of three subspecies), and with great good fortune might see a Spotted Rail. The endemic Zapata Rail is or was found here too, but it has reached near mythical status with essentially no confirmed records for many decades (the last specimen taken was in May of 1934 and it has never been photographed in life). Later we’ll visit Salinas de Bides, noted for its many American Flamingoes along with numerous other waterbirds, sometimes including a few Wood Storks. North American wintering or migrant Ospreys will be present along with the stocker, much paler headed, and paler underwinged resident Caribbean ridgwayi subspecies. “Golden” Yellow Warblers (subspecies gundlachi) are resident, and we should also see Clapper Rail and the endemic and distinctive-sounding (“bau-tis-ta”) Cuban Black Hawk. Nights in Playa Larga.

Day 6: If we haven’t yet seen Zapata Wren, or any other key species, we’ll make another attempt for it/them in the morning. Our ultimate destination is the old colonial city of Trinidad in Sancti Spiritus province in central Cuba, about 200 kilometers from Playa Larga. Before reaching Trinidad we’ll stop and look for Cuban Gnatcatcher, a local Cuban endemic with a distinctive black auricular outline. Trinidad has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988 due to its historical importance as a center of the 18th and 19th century sugar trade. It is considered as well one of the most beautiful colonial cities in Cuba. In the afternoon we’ll take a short walk to Plaza Mayor, Trinidad’s main square, where we might see Cuban Martin and perhaps something unexpected; in 2023 two White-collared Swifts (West Indian subspecies palldifrons) flew over along with a Gundlach’s Hawk. Before dinner, we may visit El Cubano Parque National along the Guaurabo River, a short distance from Trinidad and perhaps our best chance for Cuban Nightjar. Night in Trinidad.

Day 7: We’ll drive to Cayo Coco, arriving at our hotel by lunch. We’ll cross the long bridge before reaching Cayo Coco, where we should see a variety of water birds, sometimes in considerable numbers. After lunch we’ll check a nearby beach for Piping Plover and other shorebirds. Later in the afternoon we’ll visit La Cueva del Jabalí, a night spot for tourists but the staff also sets up feeders and water traps which attract a variety of wintering wood warblers, sometimes including Worm-eating and Ovenbird. Oriente Warbler and a grayer (than inexpectata) subspecies of Zapata Sparrow, varoni, might also be present. We should be able to find Zenaida Dove and it’s a backup location for Key West Quail-Dove and, once in a while, Ruddy Quail-Dove. Night on Cayo Coco.

Day 8: We may return to La Cueva del Jabalí before breakfast. After breakfast our schedule is flexible. If Thick-billed Vireo (endemic subspecies cubensis) is being seen we may venture east to Cayo Paredόn Grande where a few are still found. At some point we’ll drive to Cayo Guillermo where we’ll search for the scarce and localized Bahama Mockingbird. Shorebirds are numerous and we might see “Great White Heron,” a white subspecies (or morph?) of Great Blue Heron. In some years a few wintering Bahama Swallows are present and White-cheeked (Bahama) Pintail has been seen here in the last several years. Here, or on Cayo Coco, we’ll look for the scarce West Indian Whistling-Duck, if any are present, and Mangrove Cuckoo is also possible. We’ll return for lunch at our hotel and then bird the eastern portions of Cayo Coco or somewhere else in the afternoon. After dinner we may look for the nominate subspecies (furcata) of the now split (from Old World taxa) American Barn Owl, with its distinctive whitish wings. It is found on Cuba, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Night on Cayo Coco.

Day 9: Our morning schedule is flexible depending on which species we may not have seen. After lunch we’ll drive to Camagüey, possibly stopping along the way to search again for Mangrove Cuckoo if they are known to be present, or perhaps we’ll check for water birds just north of the causeway. We’ll arrive late in the day in the lovely old colonial city with beautiful architecture. Night in Camagüey.

Day 10: After breakfast we’ll venture east to La Belén, stopping in agricultural country to listen to the endemic hippocrepis Eastern Meadowlark. Their song and even their appearance are more suggestive of Western Meadowlark, and they should probably be considered their own species. In the open country we might also see Crested Caracara and Cuban Palm-Crow, now an endemic species after their split from Hispaniolan Palm-Crow. Often together with many Cuban Crows, we’ll pay careful attention to their distinctly different calls and differences in the facial feathering around the bill. Around the ponds we might find Northern Jacana and Purple Gallinule. We also have a good chance here or nearby of seeing Plain Pigeon, a scarce West Indian endemic. At La Belén we’ll walk the trails in the preserve. The threatened Giant Kingbird is found regularly here, and we should get good comparisons with the more numerous Loggerhead Kingbird. Both crow species are numerous and Plain Pigeons are found here too. We’ll return in the late afternoon with time to take a bicycle taxi trip along the streets of the old colonial city, concluding at our favorite restaurant for a final group dinner. Night in Camagüey.

Day 11: After a leisurely breakfast and some further studies of Cuban Martin and Cave Swallow, we’ll head to the Camagüey airport for an early afternoon flight back to Miami, where the tour concludes.

2025 Narrative

IN BRIEF: Our list of 166 species was well above average. It included all of the “getable” endemics including Grey-fronted and Key West quail-doves, Gundlach’s Hawk, Fernandina’s Flicker, Giant Kingbird, and Cuban Solitaire. Also notable were excellent views of Scaly-naped Pigeon and a Bahama Mockingbird, plus a Bahama Mockingbird (rare resident on the northern cays of Cuba) and a rare visitor, a Bahama Swallow. A Black Vulture was also a rarity. We also encountered a fine variety of anoles. 

IN DETAIL: Our tour began with a meeting at the check-in booth in Miami. After check-in and clearing security and getting lunch to go, we waited at our gate for a close to on-time departure for Havana. Our arrival and getting through immigration, security and customs went smoothly enough and soon our team (with driver Carlos, our “fixer” Elio and our co-leader Luis were off in our bus and headed west to Soroa, our home for the next two nights.

We had a chance to do a bit of birding that afternoon in the Sierra del Rosario and got to see a variety of species, including Cuban endemics, highlighted by two distinctive Fernadina’s Flickers, an uncommon and local species in Cuba. Other endemics seen were Cuban Pygmy-Owl (four), Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon (Cuba’s National bird with the colors of the national flag’s colors), Cuban Green Woodpecker (in its own distinctive genus, Xiphidioicus), Cuban Oriole, Cuban Blackbird and Cuban Grassquit (a member of the Tanager family). Other species of interest included La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Loggerhead (nominate subspecies) and Gray kingbirds, Red-legged Thrush (main Cuban subspecies rubripes with a cinnamon belly and numerous Greater Antillean Grackles. A single Yellow-throated Vireo was our only one of the tour. We also saw an American Kestrel of one of the West Indian subspecies (sparverioides) which I believe on the basis of morphological and behavioral differences likely represent a distinct species from mainland birds. They come in two color morphs. Most, as with the one today, are pale morphs with largely unmarked white (rather than cinnamon) underparts. That evening we saw and heard and American Barn Owl, now split from Old World birds. The endemic Cuban subspecies, furcata, is the nominate (first named of the species) having priority over the mainland North American subspecies (pratincola). The bird was in a circular display flight giving its klee calls in a series, something Old World birds do not do. The Cuban subspecies (the subspecies also on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica) has extensive white in the wings. 

The next morning we got up very early and headed west on the auto pista for my favorite place in Cuba, Cueva de los Portales in La Gŭira National Park in the Sierra de Oreganos. The limestone karst formations with a river that goes under the formation is quite beautiful, as is the preserved forest. It was here that Ché Guvevara was stationed during the Cuban Misssile Crisis during the latter half of October 1962. It is here that we listened to the songs of Cuban Solitaire serenade us from the well-preserved forest above us. Somber in appearance it has a beautiful, almost surreal song, and we eventually got good scope studies where we were able to study its most distinctive feature, its eye ring and the dark moustachial stripe. This Cuban endemic is uncommon and local and the Sierra Oreganos here is our only real chance of encountering it. Other new endemic species to Cuba included Yellow-headed Warbler (in its own family Teretistridae along with Oriente Warbler from eastern Cuba), the declining Cuban Bullfinch (another tanager) now split from the slightly larger, bigger billed and grayer Grand Cayman Bullfinch (M. taylori), the endemic breeding Cuban Martin and perhaps best of all a pair of striking Giant Kingbirds, now a rather rare endemic species.

Other species of note included Broad-winged Hawk (endemic resident subspecies cubanensis) good views of Scaly-naped Pigeon, Zenaida Dove, Great Lizard-Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Antillean Palm-Swift, Cuban Emerald, Cuban Trogon (numerous), Cuban Pewee, Cave Swallow, Yellow-faced Grassquit (West Indian subspecies olivacea), Tawny-shouldered Blackbird (also found in Haiti), and Western Spindalis (endemic subspecies preteri). We saw and heard many Black-whiskered Vireos, the most constant species during the tour. These birds had arrived recently from their winter grounds which is in South America. They are the same subspecies (barbatalus), which breeds in south Florida. Red-legged Honeycreepers, the males in full alternate plumage, were also present. Although thought to have been introduced to Cuba, there is no evidence that this was the case and they appear to have reached Cuba naturally. North American Wood Warblers included scarcer species (for Cuba) such as Magnolia and Black-throated Green. A few of us were fortunate to see a male Ruddy Quail-Dove in flight flying down the road. Notable amphibians and anoles seen during the day included Cuban White-fanned, Pinar del Rio Cliff and Bearded anoles. Cuban Fruit Bats were seen at the cave. In the fish ponds and along the Autopista Nacional and nearby we noted a Northern Jacana, Anhinga (some 11), American White Pelican, and a single distant Snail Kite. 

The next morning we went to Las Terrezas stopping first along the entry road where we had an Eastern Meadowlark, the endemic Cuban subspecies (hippocrepsis). We listened to it sing, a completely different song from mainland subspecies and I might add, the now split Chihuahuan Meadowlark is far less distinctive overall than these Cuban birds. In my opinion it is an obvious split, the logical new English name being Cuban Meadowlark. We then continued on to the Moka resort where we saw our only Summer Tanagers and a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A Scaly-naped Pigeon was seen along with numerous White-crowned Pigeons. Red-legged Honeycreepers were numerous and a male Cape May Warbler was seen along with several Shiny Cowbirds. A female Northern Flicker was of the endemic chrysocaulosus subspecies with a barred, not white, rump, a character also shared with the subspecies (gundlachi) from Grand Cayman. A pair of resident Olive-capped Warblers were also seen. This species is found only locally in Cuba in addition to the northern Bahama Islands (Grand Bahama and Little and Great Abaco). At a nearby small freshwater lake we noted a Limpkin, a juvenile Purple Gallinule and Common Gallinules and Antillean Palm-Swifts were nesting in the thatched roofs above the picnic tables. A Merlin was also seen.

Over a leisurely and enjoyable lunch we noted Cuban Grassquits in the garden. Afterwards we headed east towards Havana where we stopped at a few lakes and noted Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Ducks and our only American Coots of the tour. We were delayed a few hours in Havana as Carlos needed to get fuel for our bus, and there were long lines. We cooled our heels at an old golf course where the group found an escaped Cockatiel, an overall light greenish morph. We arrived late at Playa Girόn, our home for the next three days. The change from Playa Larga resulted from recent power outages and we needed a place to stay that had its own generator. It was here that that the main landing took place during the Bay of Pigs fiasco back in April 1961. 

We arose early the next morning to head back north to Playa Larga and beyond to Santo Tomás where we took three small wooden boats a short distance to a platform. Here we eventually obtained good views of a Zapata Wren, a very localized and scarce Cuban endemic that was not discovered and described to science until the 1920’s. Other species noted included our first Cuban Vireos, an endemic, Yellow-headed Warbler, and several Zapata Sparrows, a Cuban endemic with three subspecies, this being the nominate inexpectata subspecies which is found on the Zapata Peninsula. Two Cuban Bullfinches were also seen and a Gray-fronted Quail-Dove was heard. On the way back to the bus we had good views of Cuban Parakeets, an endemic, and also saw a Black Vulture circling overhead. This species is very rare in Cuba and it is the first one I’ve seen in Cuba (photographed).

After lunch at Tiki House in Playa Larga we visited Casa Ana where there were Bee Hummingbirds. We studied those carefully, the world’s smallest species and also looked at a variety of Wood Warblers, notably Black-throated Blues including cairnsi which breeds in the southern Appalachians , the males have black stippling on the back, and Cape May Warblers and Northern Parulas. We also had a Cuban Crow. Some of us chose to remain at Casa Ana while the rest of headed out to Las Salinás where we had many water birds. These included our first Magnificent Frigatebirds, our only Wood Stork of the tour, over a hundred Neotropic Cormorants, some 125 American Flamingoes, a Clapper Rail, several American White Pelicans, Gull-billed Terns and shorebirds including a male Wilson’s Plover, two Dunlins and a five “Western” Willets. A “Great White Heron”, White Ibis and a Roseate Spoonbill were also seen along with four Cuban Black Hawks and two Belted Kingfishers. We also saw two “Golden” Yellow Warbler (subspecies gundlachi).

We returned to Playa Larga to meet the group and search for Cuban Parrots which appeared in a good sized flock late in the day. We then headed back towards Playa Girόn, about a 35-minute drive, BUT, earlier rains had brought out the Cuban Black Land Crabs (Gecarcinus ruricola) for their migration to the sea. There were tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands on the road and traveling this stretch of road would have led to the slaughter of thousands of crabs. So, we took a several hour detour to the north, then east, then south and west again arriving at Playa Girόn for a very late dinner. This land crab is also commonly known as the Purple Land Crab, Red Land Crab, or Zombie Crab. It was indeed the night of the living (mostly) crabs. 

The next morning we were off to Bermejas and the quail-dove blind which our local guide, Orlando, manages. We were rewarded with superb views of the endemic and stunning Blue-headed Quail-Dove, a species in its own genus, Starnoenas, along with Zenaida Doves, a fairly close relative of the Mourning Dove. No other quail-dove species appeared.Cuban Parakeets were heard. From here we headed to La Cuchilla where at one tiny wet pool in the woods we had excellent comparisons of a Northern and a Louisiana Waterthrush. The former winters here, the latter at this location, was a spring migrant. It was not there the next morning. To the east in the flooded rice fields near Babiney there were some 125 Glossy Ibis and we heard and saw a Limpkin and a King Rail (the endemic Cuban subspecies, ramsdeni. And a variety of shorebirds. 

The next day was partly a travel day, but we started at dawn again at the blind at Bermejas where the Blue-headed Quail-Doves and Zenaida Doves appeared, but we had no luck with the Gray-fronted Quail-Dove, or at least for a time. And then, as we were about to depart, it appeared and cooperated magnificently. They say its appearance is not dependable at any particular time. With its purple overall color and white forehead with a grayer crown, it was quite beautiful. It was split not long ago from the Gray-headed Quail-Dove, an endemic to Hispaniola. From here we returned to La Cuchilla where we located a large group of blackbirds. They were noisy, but largely not visible. They did indeed sound like Red-winged Blackbirds (not on Cuba) and eventually when they flew, they were indeed Red-shouldered Blackbirds as photos in flight proved. A rufous morph “Cuban” American Kestrel was also seen and a male Northern Flicker (endemic Cuban subspecies). As we neared Trinidad we stopped to look for Cuban Gnatcatcher, eventually locating two, but views were less than ideal.

After touring the old city we headed to Parque el Cubana just five miles north of Trinidad along the Rio Guaurabo. Here just after dusk, we saw and heard Cuban Nightjar as well as Bare-legged Owl, both Cuban endemics, the former a fairly recent split from the Hispaniola Nightjar (Antrostomus ekmani) which as you might guess is restricted to Hispaniola. Their calls differ, as do their appearance (slightly). Luis spotted a Giant Knight Anole and caught a spectacular Short-bearded Anole which is also known as the Cuban False Chameleon. 

The next day was our longest travel day. We birded a bit to the south of Trinidad seeing a variety of land birds which eventually included Cuban Gnatcatcher, a variety of Wood Warblers, including Prairie Warbler and two Indigo Buntings, our only ones of the tour. A Cuban Pygmy-Owl was seen superbly and multiple Cuban Vireos were seen and Cuban Todies too. As we headed north of Trinidad, the only crows we encountered were Cuban Crows. But, as often has it, or not, we did see a circling adult Gundlach’s Hawk some 10-15 km north of Trinidad. It circled for several minutes. This Cuban endemic is simply rare and unless a nest is known the expression “everywhere but nowhere” fits this species to a tee. The species is very closely related to Cooper’s Hawk and might be just a subspecies (calls are very similar), but unlike Cooper’s it has not adopted to nesting in cities which has greatly led to an increase in Cooper’s Hawk numbers.

Much later in the day as we crossed the causeway we noted Red-breasted Merganser, Flamingoes, and a “Wurdemann’s Heron,” an intergrade between a Great Blue and a “Great White Heron,” the first such bird I’ve seen in Cuba. Whether “Great White Heron” is a color morph, a subspecies, or even its own species is a matter that is periodically debated. We did see two Oriente Warblers late in the day and at our resort noted some six West Indian Whistling-Ducks. Also that evening we heard and glimpsed a Cuban Nightjar on Cayo Coco. 

At dawn the next morning we went to La Cueva del Jabalí on Cayo Coco. A variety of birds were coming into the water features. These were mainly wintering North America Wood Warblers, including Ovenbirds, but also included a juvenile Key West Quail-Dove. Nearby we had a pair of Mangrove Cuckoos, Oriente Warbler, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Cuban Bullfinch, and two Zapata Sparrows of the varoni  subspecies which is slightly less yellow than the nominate inexpectata subspecies we had seen near Santo Tomás. A White-tailed Deer that ran across the road (endemic Cuban subspecies, cubensis) was a real surprise. After some discussion we chose to head east to Cayo Ramono and then north to Cayo Paredόn Grande. It was here that a new subspecies of Thick-billed Vireo (cubensis) was described several decades ago, it being a bit yellower than the nominate Bahamas subspecies. While its range was always small on these cays, a devastating hurricane followed by the clearing of all vegetation to make new high-rise hotels, have reduced numbers to the point of near extinction. When we arrived, the habitat devastation was depressingly evident and there were few birds of any kind, one of them being our first Yellow-rumped (“Myrtle Warbler”). But then we heard the Thick-billed Vireo singing and after much time managed to get decent views of a single bird. Two Soras were heard and few Short-billed Dowitchers were present along with a cooperative Cuban Black Hawk.

We returned to our resort for lunch and then afterwards checked a nearby beach where we had a single Piping Plover and a scarce (for Cuba) American Oystercatcher. Most of us then headed west to Cayo Guillermo. Here around the lagoons were many water birds. Herons included Yellow-crowned Night and “Great White” along with some 100 American Flamingoes, most of them close and in excellent light. Waterfowl included Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, West Indian Whistling-Duck and our first White-cheeked Pintail (five counted). Shorebirds included some 130 Stilt Sandpipers ad two Red Knots along with Black-necked Stilts and five American Avocets. It was breezy which led to swallows feeding and swooping over the lagoons. These were mostly Cave Swallows but also included a single Tree Swallow, and a single immature Bahama Swallow. We have only once had this species on Cuba and at the very same location. It is found in the Bahamas where it is threatened and only rarely occurs in Cuba, the records being during the winter season. We were able to get documenting photos. 

The following morning we birded a bit to the east of our resort on Cayo Coco and eventually located the singing Bahama Mockingbird, I believe the same one we had last year but it had moved a bit to the south. A Great Lizard Cuckoo of the smaller and duller subspecies, santamariae was heard and seen well along with two Oriente Warblers. A visit at a nearby water treatment plant produced 20 Least Grebes along with eight Ruddy Ducks and a female Lesser Scaup. Just before the causeway we stopped and checked some concentrations of waterbirds, counting some 100 Neotropic Cormorants, six American White Pelicans, eight Roseate Spoonbills and a densely massed group of 150 Tricolored Herons. Shorebirds included a very large count of American Avocets (110) and 125 Black-necked Stilts. From here we angled southeast on the new road across Cayo Romano. We saw few birds but noted a perched Merlin. Eventually we reached Camagŭey. 

On our last full day we drove southeast of Camagűey through agricultural country with patches of taller forest. We noted Crested Caracara and “Cuban” Kestrels, including a rufous morph. Two Northern Jacanas were noted around a small pond and Cuban Tody was seen. We stopped to study and listen to “Cuban” Meadowlarks and later heard a Northern Bobwhite singing for a prolonged period of time. We did not see it. The Cuban birds are recognized as their own subspecies, cubanensis, but they are very close to other subspecies and are thought to have perhaps originated from indigenous introductions. Our main purpose was to study crows and we saw many Cuban Crows and Cuban Palm-Crows noting differences in their bill feathering and particularly their calls. Until recently Palm Crow was a polytypic species with different subspecies on Cuba (minutus) and Hispaniola (palmarum). They are easily separated by location, of course, but also by call. They are now both recognized as separate species. Our other main target species was Plain Pigeon and this area is one of the best places to find it in Cuba. We kept getting flight views and brief views of them perched in the tall trees. Eventually one cooperated for good scope views. This species is found throughout the Greater Antilles, but is uncommon.

Our goal was La Belén in the Sierra de Najasa, but our time trying to get good views of Plain Pigeons led to us running out of time. La Belén is a very good place to find Giant Kingbird, a species we had good views of on our 2nd day near Cueva de los Portales. We had a delicious lunch at El Paso, a place where we used to have our final dinners in the past. Later we had a city tour on rider-driven bicycles and we saw the various squares of this very old colonial city which was founded on 2 February 1514, only a little over 21 years after Columbus first landed in the New World in the Bahamas. 

On our last morning we walked to a nearby square where we studied Cuban Martins at and above a cathedral. Cave Swallows were present too and a female Cape May Warbler was seen. A Belted Kingfisher was seen flying over the city, headed to goodness knows where? Our flight back to Miami departed nearly on time and after arrival, we went our separate ways. 

 Our list of 166 species for the trip was, I believe, the highest number I have ever had of some dozen trips to Cuba. We found all of the “getable” endemics, the ones “not getable”, I consider very likely extinct (Zapata Rail and Cuban Kite) and have likely been extinct for nearly a century. The last Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpeckers , proven by verifiable evidence, were nearly 80 years ago. Keep in mind that the number of endemics have grown over the last two decades, or so, largely as a result of “splits.” The splits are Gray-fronted Quail-Dove, Cuban Nightjar, Cuban Black Hawk, Cuban Palm-Crow, Cuban Oriole, and Cuban Bullfinch. Giant Kingbird is now widely considered an endemic species, the records away from Cuba were specimens taken on Great Inagua and the Caicos Islands some 160 to 135 years ago in the winter (thus non breeders) at a time when the species was much more common in Cuba when large trees dominated the lowlands and Giant Kingbirds were much more widespread. There is a record from winter in the Florida Keys early in the 1970’s of a wintering kingbird which was either this species or a Thick-billed Kingbird.

In addition to the endemics we saw some 23 species that are West Indian specialties. This includes White-crowned Pigeon and Black-whiskered Vireo which are also found in adjacent Florida. In addition, the endemic subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark, hippocrepsis, should be split as a separate species. Their song is almost unrecognizable from other Eastern Meadowlarks and this includes the now split Chihuahuan Meadowlark which has a song and gives call notes very much like other Eastern Meadowlarks. We didn’t see any real rarities for Cuba other than the Black Vulture at Santo Tomás and the single Bahama Swallow at Cayo Guillermo. 

                                                                                                                                                                                         -          Jon Dunn

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