Peter C.
...just zis guy, you know?
To sum up...
Thanks James, I appreciate it.
A few summary comments:
Thanks James, I appreciate it.
A few summary comments:
- Staying in Utuado (or nearby) is fine, but is not as convenient as I had hoped to Maricao or the Guánica dry forest. Before the trip, I had entertained the idea that the central location would allow day trips to coastal sites, like La Parguera and Cabo Rojo; but this was entirely unrealistic, the roads just aren't fast enough for that. If it's true the Hacienda Juanita is gone for good, I suggest looking for somewhere near Cabo Rojo (the town, not the actual Cape) as a base.
- It was a big mistake not to devote more time to the Guánica area - particularly, as we had no real lead on Yellow-shouldered Blackbird, and therefore severely underestimated the time needed to look for it. I have a feeling that this is a species you could see in five minutes - or spend a full day on, and still not "get".
- For birds, "El Yunque" (the C.N.F.) is good from the south end, as I mentioned above, and not so much from the north. But, unless you are staying in this vicinity (San Juan or Fajardo) only, and not going to Maricao at all, it is not really necessary to visit it.
- As we were really just there for the endemics, we didn't really pay a lot of attention to the migrants. If you are not native to eastern N.A., or a regular visitor to this part of the world, you would probably appreciate them a lot more - there were a few real gems among them! This is, of course, provided you go during the boreal winter. This is especially true of the wood-warblers - we saw just five species (aside from the endemics), but then, we weren't really trying.
