PUERTO RICO & DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TOUR REPORT 2022

With everyone arriving a day early we had a really nice rest this morning, not leaving the hotel until after I had picked up the rental van and returning to the hotel at 10am. It wasn’t the best hotel in the world but it served a purpose, but what was good (and you have to be a birder to appreciate this) was we were only 1.9kms away from a Green-throated Carib stakeout that had been producing superlative looks at this tricky species for the past few weeks. It wouldn’t still be there, would it? Oh yes baby it was! No sooner had we exited the minibus we were watching a pair feeding amidst a large flowering tree right next to our parked vehicle. We enjoyed repeated views of this cracking hummer (and is there ever such a thing as a bad hummer?), which seemed to be doing a circuit of the surrounding area and returning to its favourite tree every ten minutes or so. We also saw our first Puerto Rican Spindalis, Red-legged Thrush and tried hard to ignore the ubiquitous Greater Antillean Grackles all around us.

 Leaving here we drove around 30 minutes to El Yunque, arriving at the worst time of day, and it showed as we struggled to get on anything for a while. Eventually, Puerto Rican Loggerhead Kingbirds were admitted to our fledgeling island list, along with Grey Kingbirds, a single Northern Parula and a Magnificent Frigatebird. Oh I forgot to mention the driveby flock of Caribbean Martins seen by a few of us as we drove along the motorway en-route. A very brief Puerto Rican Mango (split from Antillean Mango allegedly) didn’t make it onto our lists due to the ultra brief sighting, although I did note it had a black belly and the mantle seemed to be a light gold colour in the sun…. So giving this up as a bad lot we drove down and visited a nice little restaurant where we spent way too much time, no doubt due to the cold beer being consumed by my group! However, it was worthwhile for our first sighting of Puerto Rican Oriole and Puerto Rican Woodpecker, some showy Zenaida Doves, along with a group of Smooth-billed Anis. This little lot really gave us an adrenaline surge so we headed over to Las Croabas where our search for Antillean Crested Hummingbird drew a blank, but we did have Venezualian Troupial, another oriole and woodpecker, as well as Common Ground Dove. By now it was 4.30pm and we drove the two hours to Cambalache Forest, but our journey was prolonged by a long tailback just the other side of San Juan, but during the drive we did see an Osprey and a flock of Cave Swallows. Arriving at dusk, it was too late for any other birding apart from a stab at Puerto Rican Owl, which was our aim anyway. We heard two individuals but try as we might the forest was just too dense, despite getting rather close on one occasion. Oh well, we’d save that one for later!  Our digs for the night were a little quirky but the restaurant did us proud with a very nice meal and we were tucked up in bed by 10.00pm ready for a big day tomorrow.

So this was just one of those days that show the ups and downs we birders have to endure for our passion. We began up at Maricao, some 300m higher in elevation that our current hotel. That makes all the difference if you’re an Elfin Woods Warbler, as the habitat is subtly different and yes, there is smaller, dwarf-type vegetation here, but I’ve never seen the warbler in those smaller trees tbh! We arrived at 6.45am and it took a good 90 minutes before we layed eyes on the wee blighter but after what seemed an eternity we had excellent looks at this pretty endemic. Puerto Rican Tanagers are common up here as well and we saw plenty during our warbler vigil along the road, and we also picked up a Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Northern Parula, several Green Mango’s, as well as Puerto Rican Bullfinch, Puerto Rican Tody, Puerto Rican Spindalis, and the local race of Loggerhead Kingbird. We walked a little bit along a nearby trail and nailed our main target of Lesser Antillean/Puerto Rican Pewee. But alas….no euphonia.

   Breakfast back at the ranch was excellent and we hung around a while in the vain hope of seeing the euphonia before heading back up to Maricao, stopping to check another euphonia site and only finding a migrant Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The forest was deathly quiet up here as it was now nearly midday, so we drove down to the lowlands and over to the far side of Cabo Rojo. Here, some really fab lagoons held nearly 50 White-cheeked Pintails, along with Great Blue Heron,  100+ Stilt Sandpipers, several Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher and lots of Black-necked Stilts. Walking along the beach trail we scoped some Royal Terns, found an obliging Mangrove Cuckoo, as well as Prairie Warbler, many Grey Kingbirds and David C found a Lesser Antillean/ Puerto Rican Mango. We left here just as the heavens opened for the second afternoon running and called in to La Parguera where we searched for Yellow-shouldered Blackbird despite the rain. A Yellow Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper and a Yellow-crowned Night-heron were scant compensation and with more heavy rain dogging us, drove just 15 minutes to our next hotel. After dinner we drove 7 minutes away and were treated to fantastic views of a Puerto Rican Nightjar hovering right overhead on two occasions before finding one perched in the bushes. What a great way to finish the day, more than making up for missing the blackbird…. At the moment!

    So with all major targets done and dusted here in Puerto Rico we had a ‘spare’ day to simply go birding and try and mop up some more of what’s on offer…. We began by checking out the Lajas Fields, with the first road impassable due to the recent heavy rain, but the second road was much better. A Grasshopper Sparrow was seen very well perched in some bare branches at the edge of a field beside the track and was certainly much appreciated by Lars. As we drove back to the main road we passed a pair of African Collared Doves and a flock of around 20 non-breeding Pin-tailed Whydahs….. Where are we again?

    Next up were the lagoons at Cabo Rojo again, but this time we were looking into the sun, so drove further along the track where a pair of ‘Caribbean’ Clapper Rails paraded around right beside our van and showed extraordinarily well. Wow! The track swung away to our left and eventually ended at the back of the lagoon, allowing us much better light to scope the large flock of shorebirds. Our only Hudsonian Whimbrel and a Grey Plover were passed as we drove in as well. Out on the lagoon we scoped mainly Least Sandpipers and could pick out a few Western Sandpipers, whilst a Wilson’s Plover and some Sanderling were scoped just before a Merlin dashed onto the scene and chased an unfortunate peep across the sky in front of us, forcing the flock to wheel and turn in the sky making for an amazing spectacle. A couple of Little Blue Herons were also scoped here and a pair of Caribbean Elaenia’s were far more obliging than yesterday’s birds. A bumpy, uncomfortable drive to the lighthouse at Cabo Rojo was rewarded with stunning views of several White-tailed Tropicbirds wheeling around the cliffs. And one pair landed briefly allowing us to scope them. Wow! After breakfast we drove an hour east and visited the Antillean Crested Hummingbird stake-out where within minutes of our arrival we were watching at least 3 of these stunners feeding right in front of us. After our poor result on the first day we were elated with our success! A sudden downpour prompted an early exit and we headed to Humacao on the east coast, where the reserve was shut of course (at 3.30pm can you believe it?) and all we got for our efforts was a Brown Booby out at sea after a search for White-winged Parakeet, which drew a blank.

   We toasted our success tonight with beer and mojitos and looked forward to the next leg of our journey….

Up and out for 7am in search of Ridgway’s Hawk. We headed over to the usual area where we heard the hawk in the distance behind a dense woodland which we couldn’t navigate around due to the stream becoming a torrential river due to recent heavy rains. As we scanned the surrounding area we picked up Hispaniolan Woodpecker, many Palmchats, Hispaniolan Mango, Black-crowned Palm Tanager, Vervain Hummingbird, and watched a White-necked Crow uttering its raucous and more than slightly comical call.

At breakfast the heavens opened and the first of many heavy showers put in an appearance. This was all well and good whilst we were at the lodge having breakfast but once out in the field we had to take shelter many times. On top of that, we had to wade up to our knees numerous times to reach the clearing where a Ridgway’s Hawk was hanging out, thanks to the knowledge of local guide Juan Cespedes. And what views we had of this super rarity – flying overhead and landing in a tree right next to us. In fact it was present the whole time we birded the large clearing where West Indian Whistling Duck, a cracking Antillean Piculet posed nicely for ages, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, American Redstart and a fine Cape May Warbler were all seen well. Not a bad haul and there was much relief all round at seeing the hawk, in fact we had a thoroughly enjoyable time despite getting soaked with numerous extremely heavy showers and wading through the river and across the flooded field. We returned to the quirky hotel to dry off and had an hour or so until lunch.

In the late afternoon after a siesta we walked down the lane into the open area and beside the fields where we found a pair of Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoos posing beside the road. Another cracking Cape May Warbler was at eye-level feeding in a tree, with a Broad-billed Tody close by. We also found a flock of Village Weavers mixing with a colony of Palmchats. Next to us was a tall ‘stump’ of a palm tree with numerous holes in it being inhabited by 7 male and a female Hispaniolan Woodpeckers. We walked up behind the lodge but couldn’t find anything else new, but did enjoy some very close perched Turkey Vultures (so ugly!) and another tody. So we decided to have an early dinner – must admit fitting in 3 sit-down hotel meals into my stomach in a day is not easy!

After dinner we drove back along the entrance road and enjoyed crippling views of Ashy-faced Owl to make it a 10 endemic day!

Well I can honestly say that the day up in the Sierra de Bahorucco at Zapoten lived up to all expectations. From the hell-ride up the most uncomfortable trail most of us had ever experienced to the plethora of amazing specialities we laid eyes on. What a day! It began in darkness at 4am when we were picked up in a couple of 4-wheel drive vehicles and headed up the horrible road that was more like a dry riverbed littered with boulders and jagged rocks. Not nice! After a couple of hours we stopped when Raphael, our local guide, heard an Ashy-faced Owl calling and we jumped out of the cars and found our second owl devouring a large furry creature in a tree below the track. It didn’t take long from here to get to La Selle Corner and we parked just uphill from that spot. The day had just turned and the horizon was getting slowly lighter but looking down the track in the gloom we waited for any sign of movement. After what seemed like an eternity a bird hopped out into the middle of the track….. “La Selle Thrush” Raphael said but we couldn’t see any details, even through the scope. A few minutes passed and the light got better and we could see an orange-rufous colour on the underparts, and so La Selle Thrush was added to our life lists. But then a second bird appeared on the track – Bicknell’s Thrush. Brilliant!

We started walking down the track but didn’t get far before a burst of activity in the trees next to us revealed itself as Hispaniolan Trogon. Not one. Not two but at least 3 individuals. As we watched these, a Rufous-throated Solitaire was found and the scope views were superb. At one point a La Selle Thrush appeared right next to the solitaire, and then a Hispaniolan/Antillean Euphonia was found, followed by a Greater Antillean Pewee that literally seemed to follow us up and down the track. Returning to the cars we had our picnic breakfast and were entertained with our first Green-tailed Warbler, along with Hispaniolan Emerald, several Hispaniolan Woodpeckers, and a few previously seen American wood warblers.

So continuing our walk uphill we quickly nailed one of our most wanted species, Western Chat-Tanager with a pair moving across the hillside above us. They never came out into the open but we were able to watch them for a couple of minutes. We’d already had brief views before breakfast but they weren’t really tickable so these views were superb. Then the first of a few White-winged Warblers decided to cross the track and skulk close by, allowing everyone to enjoy perfect views eventually. More Green-tailed Warblers showed before we had our first decent looks at a superb Narrow-billed Tody. In fact we saw the tody several times along this section of the track and as we tracked one of them down a Hispaniolan Spindalis was spotted above us – this was one of only two sightings of this species during the whole trip here in Dominican Republic. We also saw Antillean Piculet, Black-crowned Palm Tanager, Hispaniolan Pewee, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue Warbler and several Cape May Warblers.

But we still had a few birds to find so drove lower to an area of pines where Hispaniolan Crossbill usually resides. We didn’t get any response to the call here so began walking lower, finding our only Antillean Siskin of the trip right beside the road, a brief Hispaniolan Emerald, and eventually we found 3 Hispaniolan Crossbills. Phew! Several Pine Warblers were feeding very close to the ground and yet more American wood warblers were seen, with a Loggerhead Kingbird calling in the distance. So we drove lower, targeting Bay-breasted Cuckoo. We stopped numerous times, played the call but failed to get a response. A pair of Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoos came in one time I was playing the other cuckoo’s call, and we did get mind-blowing views of a male Hispaniolan Euphonia and a Loggerhead Kingbird as well, but not a lot else. So we decided to return to Villa Barrancoli and walk along the Rabo de Gato Trail once again.

This was a good move as it turned out as we found a few Hispaniolan Orioles feeding in a large flowering tree. Further on a few Hispaniolan Parakeets were spotted feeding nearby, and there was also Stolid Flycatcher, Flat-billed Vireo, Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Broad-billed Tody, Mangrove Cuckoo, Palm Warbler (and several other American wood warblers we’d seen numerous times), and a White-necked Crow. David T also saw a Key West Quail Dove too.

In the evening we headed out to look for Least Poorwill and Hispaniolan Nightjar. In windy conditions we heard both species, and saw a Northern Potoo and a Burrowing Owl. At the end of the day we’d seen 22 Hispaniolan endemics. Wow!

Set out early on the long drive to Pedernales, down in the south-west corner of Dominican Republic and very close to the border with Haiti. Our first stop was a bit of a mess as we ended up falling foul of the local park ranger at Laguna Rincon for not purchasing entry tickets. Who knew? Shame as it looked a decent area and we heard Spotted Rail, saw flocks of Village Weavers, Belted Kingfisher, a Green Heron and a bunch of other previously seen species. So we got out of there and visited Laguna Oviedo, deciding to take a boat trip out onto the lake despite the windy conditions. I’m honestly not sure if it’s worth doing this boat ride again as it takes a good hour’s journey across the lake to get to the best birding area. Still, it’s a good place for American Flamingo, with over 75 seen, along with Reddish Egret, Little Blue Heron, Common, Caspian and Royal Terns, and a few Laughing Gulls. Flocks of shorebirds were present and it was a little tricky manoeuvring the boat to get a decent view of them but eventually and with some persistence we were able to see Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, Stilt Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Least and Western Sandpipers, and a Red Knot. I must admit I was grateful when we returned to the small quay and continue driving…!

We then headed to Cabo Rojo and we wanted to be in position for a seawatch in the evening as this is where Black-capped Petrels sometimes congregate before flying inland to their nesting burrows – some of them breed up at Zapoten, high up in the Sierra de Bahorucco. Well, we eventually worked out how to get up to the headland as you can’t drive up there due to a barrier across the road. Once at the right spot we set up scopes and…….well there were distant pteradroma-types constantly breaking the horizon but you couldn’t really say they were Black-capped Petrels so we’ll have to save that one for another trip! There were Brown Pelicans, White-tailed Tropicbirds, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Boobies, and cliff nesting Cave Swallows and Antillean Palm Swifts to keep us entertained, with a very confiding Hispaniolan Mango feeding on the cactus flowers right next to us.

All that was left was to drive 25 minutes into Pedernales to a nice little hotel and it was in walking distance of a great restaurant where we enjoyed some nice cold cervezas and a delicious meal.

It was absolutely bucketing down, raining cats and dogs, torrential downpour – however you want to describe this morning. In a couple of 4-wheel drive vehicles we ascended the Cachote Road for our last gettable endemic – Eastern Chat-Tanager. The rain never stopped as we drove up and on arriving at the appropriate spot it continued. With umbrella in hand and despite the foul weather, we very quickly nailed this endemic. The bird showed incredibly well in the driving rain and mist and I think we were very lucky to have had such views. What followed was what I can only describe as a farce really, but that’s another story and after the required amount of phaffing and miscommunication with our local drivers we drove back to the hotel, seeing not a lot apart from one particularly bright male Cape May Warbler. And that was our birding done. I just had to drive 4 hours back to Santo Domingo and our airport hotel, calling into the airport to get the required Covid test for our flights back to Europe via the states tomorrow. And the tour concluded over a few cervezas this evening. Well done chaps!