Dominican Republic - Endemics Bonanza over Easter Week (1 Viewer)

[ovenbird43]

I've just returned from a solo independent trip to the Dominican Republic, my first trip to the Caribbean region. My reason for choosing the DR in particular is that I'm quite keen on seeing new families, and the island of Hispaniola is the only home to the single-species family Dulidae (Palmchat), as well as having representatives of the West Indian endemic family Todidae (Todies). In addition, there are other endemic taxonomic oddities present such as the genera Xenoligea (White-winged Warbler, called Hispaniolan Highland-Tanager in my field guide) and Microligea (Green-tailed Warbler or Green-tailed Ground-Tanager); these are placed by the IOC near Parulidae as Incertae Sedis and placed in Thraupidae in the field guide. I've also heard through the grapevine (though have not yet done a literature search) that endemic tanager genus Phaenicophilus may eventually be elevated to family status. All in all, some interesting birds to be found in the Dominican Republic.

Of 33 island endemics (or 32, if Golden Swallow has been recently rediscovered on Jamaica, as told to me by somebody on the trip), I managed to find 30 - the remaining three I simply did not search for (one is in Haiti, and I did not visit the areas for Ridgway's Hawk or Eastern Chat-Tanager). Also of interest were West Indian endemics or near-endemics; I found 17 of 22 possible. Hispaniola is not an easy place for cleaning up on island endemics; many are skulking, three are nocturnal, and while most can be found within the Sierra de Bahoruco (although some in difficult-to-reach places), those remaining three endemics are in far-flung locations throughout the island. On the other hand, identification is extremely straightforward; there is only on Myiarchus, three hummingbirds, no Empidonax... really no ID challenges to be had, other than separating in-flight views of Hispaniolan and Olive-throated Parakeets where they overlap.

My next post will outline all the logistics for anyone interested in planning a visit; that will be followed by my day-to-day logs of activities and sightings.

 

[ovenbird43]

Logistics

I traveled from March 22-28, which this year encompassed Easter Sunday - evidently a major travel holiday for the Dominican Republic. It was hard to find available hotels (given that I planned my trip only 3 or 4 weeks in advance) and so in some cases couldn't stay in the towns that I preferred. It also meant that at times I encountered unusually heavy traffic jams. If avoidable I don't recommend traveling during the week before Easter, or especially the weekend of.

Books/Information

I used the Princeton Field Guides "Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti" - a few of the illustrations are rough but it doesn't lead to any ID confusion, and the range maps and species information sections were great.

For trip planning, I largely relied on the book "Ruta Barrancoli: A Bird-finding Guide to he Dominican Republic", by Steven Latta and Kate Wallace (who runs todytours), published in 2012. Information and directions were accurate, although some of the lake sites have changed due to fluctuating water levels (more on that later).

For getting around, I used the Borch 1:600,000 map of the Dominican Republic. This was adequate for everything except Santo Domingo - the map has a good close up of the Colonial Zone, but doesn't include detail around the Botanical Garden or the area in which I stayed - for that, I just printed out some google maps.

Transport
Though I often opt for public transport when I travel internationally, this time I rented a car for the trip, since some places couldn't be reached easy/at all via public transport. There was a bit of confusion renting through Expedia - according to my booking I had rented from a company called Ace, but upon arrival no such rental company could be found, and after getting some help at the airport they directed me toward a rental company called Nelly in a building outside the terminal. Not sure how I was supposed to have figured that out!

The Dominican Republic is notorious for its crazy drivers; I had intended to use my credit card rental insurance coverage, but in the end was easily pursuaded to accept the full collision and liability coverage offered by the rental company. This of course was exceedingly expensive - raising the price from $150 for the 6-day rental by itself (economy compact) to $400! Who's to say though if would have been worth it had something happened.

Driving was indeed a bit crazy, people have little regard for the few traffic lights, road markings, etc, and in traffic jams cars will just start passing until an entire two-lane road is filled 5-abreast with traffic going one way. Motorbikes are very popular, and it town they weave in and out of traffic or drive on the wrong side. I found this all to be somewhat stressful but manageable. Road conditions, other than the rural dirt roads, were in excellent condition, I dare say better than many of the highways here in New York. Signage leaves a lot to be desired though, with signs either missing or very inconspicuous. I generally have a good sense of direction and was able to find my way around just by studying maps beforehand, so I rarely relied on looking for road signs; others who may find this discomforting may wish to opt for a GPS unit with the rental.

Lodging

Hotel Turey - in Santo Domingo, my first night there. Not in the popular Colonial Zone, I chose it because it looked relatively straightforward to access from one of Santo Domingo's major arteries and was not terribly far from the Botanical Garden (a few miles). $50/night, adequate but nothing special, I don't think breakfast was included but I left early anyway, and the area was not too interesting, but seemed safe enough.

Villa Barroncoli - This is a rustic ecolodge located in the Sierra de Bahoruco (see www.todytours.com for more details). My stay here and the associated birding was by far the highlight of my trip. I used one of the screened cabins but there is also a platform for tents. Tasty dinners were provided by local Dominicans, and there was beer for purchase. I found it quite comfortable but it is not for anyone with demanding tastes - there is a separate building with the toilets and showers, and you may find yourself sharing the cabin with palm-sized spiders (I counted 5 my first night). It was wonderful to stay out in the forest, although the ambiance was somewhat ruined at night by the loud music from the nearby village - I don't know if this is typical, or if this was part of the Easter festivities. $30/night for a cabin and dinner.

Hotel Costa Larimar - this is a resort-type hotel in the coastal town of Barahona, which I chose just because it was available. $80/night, the facilities were excellent, with a bar and restaurant, but due to it being Easter weekend there was a lot of loud music. I didn't want to stay in Barahona at all (would have prefered Cabo Rojo or Pedernales, but nothing was available) and didn't enjoy it, although the hotel itself was fine. I'm not easily creeped out, but I felt unsafe away from the main road, and received the majority of hissing, whistling, and comments from men here.

Hotel Salinas - my one intentional splurge for the trip, this was a hotel set right on the bay near the town of Las Salinas, about an hour west of Santo Domingo ($150/night). The rooms were really nice, with a full kitchen, bay view, jacuzzi (which I didn't use), and comfy chairs on the balcony. I stayed there the night of Easter Sunday, when everybody else had gone home, and enjoyed a peaceful night.

Language

I speak a bit of Spanish but found it very hard to understand people here - it's quite a different accent and dialect than what I'm used to from Costa Rica and Ecuador. And unlike my experiences in many other countries, many people didn't seem to appreciate my efforts - perhaps it was because I didn't visit the typical international tourist destinations. One guy kept commenting on how little I understood. Thanks dude.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Really looking forward to this. Sounds like you did really well in such a short space of time, judging by the impression that the Greater Antilles Where to Watch guide by Kirwan et al gives, of it being hard work to get to the sites, and then many of the birds aren't common.

Was your car a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle?

 

[ovenbird43]

Hi Larry,

I opted for the smallest, cheapest car available - ended up with a Hyundai i10. A high clearance 4x4 is necessary for getting to the high elevation sites and is the only way to see some endemics like La Selle Thrush, but I used a guide and driver from Villa Barrancoli for a day trip to see those species - in the end it saved me money by allowing a much cheaper rental and better gas mileage. Plus when traffic got hairy (as it did in all towns big and small), I found it much easier to negotiate in a tiny car than I would have in an SUV.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Hi Larry,

I opted for the smallest, cheapest car available - ended up with a Hyundai i10. A high clearance 4x4 is necessary for getting to the high elevation sites and is the only way to see some endemics like La Selle Thrush, but I used a guide and driver from Villa Barrancoli for a day trip to see those species - in the end it saved me money by allowing a much cheaper rental and better gas mileage. Plus when traffic got hairy (as it did in all towns big and small), I found it much easier to negotiate in a tiny car than I would have in an SUV.

that sounds like a good tactic :t:

 

[ovenbird43]

Day 1: Arrival

I flew Delta from Syracuse to Santo Domingo with a short layover at JFK international in New York City. A bit of turbulence while landing in Santo Domingo, while passing through a cloud the plane dropped and banged around noisily and alarmingly, causing some passengers to scream and one kid to puke... but all was fine, and we landed safely and on-time at 12:30 in the afternoon. There was a long customs line, and of course a bit of confusion as to where to pick up my rental. My first birds where a heard Northern Mockingbird, some Antillean Palm-Swifts darting around the parking lot, and Village Weavers carrying nesting material in their back feathers toward an Australian pine by the rental building.

It took me probably 45 minutes to get to my hotel, I had studied my map well but there was thick traffic and I ended up stuck in a left-turn lane when I wanted to go straight... so an eventual U turn to get back on track, got to my hotel and checked in. I wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens but didn't particularly want to drive more, especially since traffic was sort of blocking me into my parking space. So through a combination of walking and using the Metro, I got to the gardens in about an hour, with a good hour or so left before the gardens were to close and still another hour of daylight after that for walking back to my hotel.

The first birds, before I even entered the gardens, were the iconic Palmchats - national bird of the DR and an endemic monotypic family. I had seen plenty on my walk to the gardens but here I finally saw them through my bins. Also nearby were the first of many Hispaniolan Woodpeckers, widespread and particularly common at the gardens but a stunner nonetheless. Just inside the gate I was greeted by a group of Greater Antillean Grackles, shape and voice vaguely reminiscent of the more familiar Great-tailed Grackles, though smaller and quieter. Antillean Palm-Swifts were common and swooping in and out of nesting spaces in the palms lining the entrance way.

Bananaquits were exceedingly common, and in their presence could often be found some migrant warblers - American Redstart and a breeding-plumaged male Cape May Warbler were among those this evening. Hummingbirds visited the abundant flowers, with the large Antillean Mango and the second smallest bird in the world, Vervain Hummingbird.

My favorite of the day was the Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo, a bird I would encounter frequently (often heard) throughout the trip but never such good views as today. It was actually running around on the ground like some short-legged Roadrunner, pausing to scan for prey and then darting forward again, until reaching the base of a tree and then scrambling vertically up the trunk into the foliage. Such an incredible-looking bird, very long tail and long bill, red around the eye.

Another good find was a pair of West Indian Whistling-Ducks in a small pond; this was to be the only place I would see this species during the trip.

At 6 pm the I tore myself away to make the long walk back to my hotel. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, I stopped at the closest restaurant to my hotel - don't even remember the name (maybe it didn't have one) but apparently it was an Italian joint with only spaghetti and penne on the menu. Welcome to the DR, here's some spaghetti! But the fresh limeade was delicious.

 

[ovenbird43]

March 23

I got up at daybreak, packed up my stuff and made some instant mocha in my room, then checked out of my hotel and drove to the Botanical Gardens for some more birding before the trek to the southwest. I arrived at the gardens around 7:20 - technically they don't open until 9, but the gates were wide open and plenty of other people were inside walking or jogging.

I spent a full 3 hours wandering the gardens, seeing many of the same species as the evening before but with some additions, including the stunning Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, first spotted in some bamboo by the Japanese gardens. I had nice looks at a Mangrove Cuckoo (not a lifer but one I have yet to get for the ABA area...) and Stolid Flycatcher. In the more thickly wooded areas I spotted a few Red-legged Thrushes, very handsome but somewhat shy birds.

It was a good morning with 30 species, but with the long drive ahead I tore myself away at 10:30. Getting out of Santo Domingo was a pain - first, with construction blocking traffic right outside the gardens, I couldn't manage a left turn so instead turned right and wound a circuitous route back toward the main roads. That went fine, but in trying to follow the signs for the route 6 highway I somehow found myself going south toward the coast on the wrong road. With no easy way to turn around, I decided to go with it and replanned my route, aiming for route 2 which eventually meets up with 6 well to the west of Santo Domingo. This turned out to be a poor idea, not being a highway so much and forcing me right through the congested center of San Cristobal, all in all adding an hour or more to my drive. What a headache! But the farther I got from Santo Domingo the more pleasant and scenic the drive became, with the mountains rising up in the distance.

Bani was somewhat congested too, but finally getting through it I stopped at the large grocery store called La Sirena on the west side of town for a quick break, lunch at the food court, and to stock up on groceries to serve as snacks and field lunches for the next few days.

The remainder of the drive was uneventful, although it felt like it would never end- but at long last I wound through ever-narrowing dirt roads through the village of Puerto Escondido and pulled up to the chain link gate at Villa Barranoli at about 5 pm. The owner Kate was there to greet me and show me to my cabin, so I was soon situated and eager to explore the Rabo do Gato Trail, which begins just outside the gate. With two hours available before dark and dinner, I walked slowly along the trail, which first winds up through some dry scrub forest and then descends toward a stream with taller, moist forest. Broad-billed Todies were common all along the trail and a real delight to watch. Hispaniolan Parrots flew overhead regularly, although often difficult to spot through the trees. The wild calls of White-necked Crow were a delight to hear, although spotting the birds proved difficult, and I never got any better view than a quick flyover. A small group of smart Antillean Euphonias were another nice lifer for the day. In the heat of the afternoon, birding was a bit slow, but included some of the more common endemics (Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo) as well as some migrants (Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler).

I returned around dusk and just before dinner. Dinner was a delicious chicken dish with rice and beans, plantains, and vegetables, and was shared with Kate and two other guests, providing engaging conversation about past travels and Dominican politics. We discussed the plan for tomorrow, which was for one of the local guides to drive me up in a 4x4 to Zapoten, the high-elevation cloud and pine forest to target many of the difficult endemics. Between the anticipation and the music from the nearby town I hardly slept at all, though the bed was comfortable enough. In the breaks between songs I could occasionally heard the frog-like calls of distant Hispaniolan Nightjars, and once a single call of Least Poorwill. I gave up on sleeping at about 2:30 and sat up to read, finally getting sleepy again just at 3:30 when my alarm went off.

Next up, the best birding of the whole trip...

 

[ovenbird43]

March 24 - highlands

After a hasty cup of fresh-brewed coffee, I joined the guide Rafael and his driver and we set off at 4 am for the slow, 2-hour drive up to Zapoten. The road is smooth at first, but after passing through the gate at La Placa, it soon becomes steeper and rockier, in places filled with loose gravel. Later Kate would ask, as she does of all guests, whether or not this was the worst road I've ever encountered. For me it most certainly was not (as there was nothing scary about it), although it would probably make the top 10. Evidently, once upon a time the road was passable in a regular sedan, but the park is evidently neglected by the government, with few underpaid staff present and infrastructure in disrepair, with pockets of illegal logging and charcoal export into Haiti.

We arrived at "La Selle corner" just before 6 a.m., in the twilight before dawn. It was chilly when we exited the car, and to my surprise we were greeting by the call of an Ashy-faced Owl. Evidently not commonly encountered up here, Rafael played a tape and the bird flew by high above our heads, reentering the forest and calling again. Of all the target endemics, this had been the one I assumed most likely to be missed - so a great start to the day!

Not long after, while still rather dark, the dawn chorus began to emerge - Red-legged Thrushes with their halting song, and the hauntingly beautiful whistles of Rufous-throated Solitaire. More species joined as the morning slowly brightened, but we stood by the car waiting, until Rafael pointed out a different thrushy sound - "La Selle!" We crept around the corner to watch the road behind us, where we had heard it. There were 2 Red-legged Thrushes foraging on the dark road, and then a larger, darker bird stepped out no more than 10 meters from where we stood - La Selle Thrush! A handsome bird with deep rufous chest and white belly, yellow bill and eye ring, La Selle Thrush is a critically endangered endemic found only in the remaining slivers of cloud forest of Hispaniola. We watched it for a while as it darted in and of the road, and finally moved on as it got bright enough to see well.

Rafael and I began to slowly walk up the road away from the truck, and new birds came thick and fast - Hispaniolan Spindalis chattering up in the trees, first views of Rufous-throated Solitaire, Scaled Pigeons flew by, Narrow-billed Todies everywhere. Another skulking endemic, Western Chat-Tanager, sang nearby but proved difficult to spot at first - but as we continued up the road at a glacial pace, we were rewarded with very close views of at least 6 of these birds throughout the morning. Inauspicious with a brownish back and light undersides, long bill and tail, I found that their white throat appeared to glow in the dark understory when they puffed it out during song or interaction. Behaviorally and ecologically they seemed reminiscent of the brush-finches found elsewhere in the Neotropics.

Hispaniolan Emeralds were common and the only hummingbird present. A Hispaniolan Pewee gave close views, with soft calls very unlike other Contopus species I've encountered. We saw a few of the enigmatic White-tailed Warblers (aka Hispaniolan Highland-Tanager) foraging in the midstory, and great views of the skulking Green-tailed Warbler (aka Green-tailed Ground-Tanager) as they probed around in the leaf litter by the road. A Greater Antillean Bullfinch was feeding on some sort of fruit. A few mixed-species flocks contained various combinations of Bananaquit, Hispaniolan Spindalis, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and in one the adorable Antillean Piculet. Hispaniolan Trogons were fairly common and conspicuous. During the walk, we also encountered 3 more La Selle Thrushes, heard-only or briefly glimpsed in the dense understory.

After about a kilometer we reached a patch of pine forest. By now the wind had picked up and it gusted through the trees, bringing patches of dense fog, but we still managed to do well here: the endemic subspecies of Pine Warbler was present and singing, we picked up the only Greater Antillean Elaenia, Loggerhead Kingbird, and Antillean Siskin of the trip, and spotted two female Hispaniolan Crossbills quietly feeding on cones. Two Golden Swallows flew high overhead - another great bird but a bit disappointing not to see their greenish-golden backs, given the angle and the poor light of the morning.

It began to rain as we returned to the car, and having mopped up all the targets we began the drive back. On the way back, we stopped in the mixed dry/broadleaf forest at La Placa to pick up Flat-billed Vireo - a strange endemic vireo with a rather flycatcher-like bill.

Too busy enjoying the birding, I had left my camera in the truck and so this is the only photo I took the whole morning:

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Wow, what a start to the trip, and great report. Can I ask how much the day out with Rafael cost?

 

[ovenbird43]

Wow, what a start to the trip, and great report. Can I ask how much the day out with Rafael cost?

The guiding fee for Rafael is $100, and the driver was $125 - evidently a separate driver is not always needed, perhaps Rafael's truck was out of commission at the moment, that wasn't clear to me. Still a better deal than renting and gassing an SUV for 6 days, and I was happy to provide monetary support directly to the community for ecotourism. I should also note that Rafael does not speak English and knows the bird names only in Spanish - this wasn't a problem for me, it might be difficult but not insurmountable for a client with no Spanish - he had a quick-ID bird card, so when I didn't know what bird he was talking about or wanted to ask about a certain species, we would just point to the bird on the card.

 

[ovenbird43]

March 24 continued - afternoon at Rabo de Gato

We arrived back at Villa Barrancoli at about 1 pm, it was hot and windy so I spent the early afternoon in my cabin, updating my notebook and dozing off to the sounds of the persistent Black-whiskered Vireo singing outside. At 4:30, I set out on the Rabo de Gato trail again, hoping this time for a few remaining targets, especially the quail-doves.

The early stretches of the trail held many of the common species: good views of Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo (never grew tired of them!), Stolid Flycatcher, Palmchat, plus the abundant and familiar Mourning Dove. A stunning male Hooded Warbler was a nice find, an uncommon migrant and winter visitor here. As the trail descended down toward the stream and taller forest, I slowed down, scanning the trail and stream far ahead of me, hoping to glimpse one of the quail-dove species before flushing it. A Belted Kingfisher, a wintering species, flew by. And then there, well down the stream next to a tangle of fallen branches in a muddy patch by the water, was a purplish dove with white on the head: the endemic White-fronted Quail-Dove! I watched it picking in the leaf litter for a moment, until it was flushed by a flyby Green Heron, and it flew far into the forest on the opposite bank.

Pleased with my sighting despite the distance, I continued my slow walk by the stream, and as the trail entered a patch of cecropia trees I noticed a lump sitting on the ground not too far off the trail: a Key West Quail-Dove, a regional endemic; the males of this species are stunningly beautiful, although this one was quite a bit drabber with faint buffy tips on the wings: perhaps a juvenile, maybe a female. The song of an oriole soon distracted me and drew me down the trail; there is only one oriole expected here, and I spotted it high in the canopy feeding among some red flowers: the endemic Hispaniolan Oriole.

Here I ran into a visiting couple and their guide, and as we started walking back together we heard a distinctive sound emanating from the hillside above us: Bay-breasted Cuckoo! An endangered endemic not commonly found on the Rabo de Gato trail, we watched for a while but did not see anything. The couple and their guide moved on in search of White-fronted Quail-Dove, while I scrambled up the slope, hoping to see the cuckoo. I caught an unsatisfying glimpse of it high in a vine tangle before it disappeared, but no matter- I had plans to visit a better spot for it the next morning.

I returned to the trail, and not far along I bumped back into the couple and their guide, who had spotted a White-fronted Quail-Dove roosting and cooing just above eye level not far off the trail. The evening light was dimming, but here was much closer and better look at this bird- quite a stunner with its iridescent purple! I took some lousy photos and then enjoyed watching the bird until it flew farther into the forest.

That night I set off on the trail hoping to see either of the nightjar species - but one direction led me closer to meringue being played in the town, and the other toward a loud generator, so being unable to hear much I soon gave up on the whole thing and decided to leave it for early the next morning.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Jealous of the quail dove! I missed that on my trip.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Great stuff. Can you expand any on your tantalising comment about Jamaican Golden Swallow rediscovery rumours?

 

[ovenbird43]

Great stuff. Can you expand any on your tantalising comment about Jamaican Golden Swallow rediscovery rumours?

Alas, I don't have any more information (and being secondhand it may be incorrect) - the guide (whose name escapes me) who was leading the couple, whom I bumped into on the trail, mentioned it in response to a question, and I didn't get any details - nor have I been able to dredge anything up on the internet. But I hope it's true and we eventually hear more about it!

 

[ovenbird43]

March 25 - La Placa

I left the cabins around 5 am in the darkness and drove out toward La Placa, hoping to get a good view of the two endemic nightjar species. I pulled off by a trail just past a clearing full of trash a few kilometers beyond Puerto Escondido, which Rafael had told me was good for Least Poorwill. I got out and tentatively crept down the trail, a bit disconcerted by the presence of thick smoke (I would later discover that this was from a burning trash pile) and returned to the car without going very far - I did hear a Least Poorwill, but quite distant so I decided to move on.

I heard Hispaniolan Nightjar nearly everywhere I stopped and at one place it was quite close to the road - I tried playback, it flew to the other side of the road without my seeing it, and when I crept into the edge of the forest a dog started barking at me and the nightjar went silent. Eventually I resigned myself to being satisfied with two heard-only lifers. A Burrowing Owl that flew across the road and perched on a fence post was nice though, and I could hear the eerie wailing of a distant Limpkin.

Daybreak found me parked just down the road at the gate to La Placa, I sat for a time to eat my breakfast (yet another ham and cheese sandwich) and enjoyed the dawn chorus. Like most other tyrannids, the Stolid Flycatcher has a more complex song uttered only at daybreak, and several Red-legged Thrushes, scarcely heard by daylight, joined in. There were Black-whiskered Vireos of course, and a pair of Mangrove Cuckoos called back and forth a couple times. I could hear what was likely a Key West Quail-Dove (though Ruddy Dove is similar) cooing, but I couldn't spot it in the dense forest. Once I had finished my sandwich and it was light enough to see, I moved on to the gate.

The guards let me in, I parked just off the road and they showed me to the trailhead located just behind their housing. Here my main target was Bay-breasted Cuckoo, although I was also hoping for wintering Bicknell's Thrush, proclaimed by interpretive signs to be present along the trail. I never saw the latter, but it wasn't long before I heard the first of several Bay-breasted Cuckoos. Seeing one proved to be another matter; a followed the voice of several well off trail without catching a glimpse, when on the third try I got a nice view. Cuckoos are such fun birds, and large, boldly-patterned, endemic and endangered cuckoos with a rather hilarious voice are especially great to come across! I spent the whole morning on the trail, coming across many migrants (Ovenbirds especially, but also Black-throated Blue Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and American Redstart), good looks at a pair of Flat-billed Vireo, and best of all, stumbling upon a silent pair of Bay-breasted Cuckoos right above the trail, offering smashing views. Here I also had by best looks at Zenaida Dove.

So at this point, I had cleaned up on all the target endemics except one (still missing Hispaniolan Palm Crow). I returned to my cabin, not really wanting to leave yet for Barahona. I had originally planned on visiting Lago Enriquillo this afternoon after leaving, but Kate had told me it was no longer worthwhile, because water levels had risen and there were no shorebirds, waders, or flamingoes. In retrospect I wish I had tried anyway, but oh well. I left around 1 pm and went straight to Barahona - about two hours, which left me with all afternoon and evening with nothing particular to do.

I checked into the resort-like hotel Costa Larimar, looked longingly at the swimming pool from my room and pondered the fact that nobody else in their right mind would travel to the Caribbean without a bathing suit. I decided to walk around town in search of a pharmacy and an ATM: but absolutely EVERYTHING was closed, the streets off the main drag mostly empty, with the occasional man sitting on the curb or in a dark corner only too happy to hiss or comment at me. I'm usually pretty bold when it comes to walking about alone, but this place gave me the creeps, so I walked as quickly as I could back to my room and whiled away the evening studying my bird books and maps to prepare for tomorrow's visit to Aceitillar.

 

[Bokmakierie99]

sounds like an amazing trip!
Very jealous of the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, I missed that one on my trip to Bahoruco.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

...what happened next Ovenbird?

 

[ovenbird43]

...what happened next Ovenbird?

Sorry for the holdup! Been rather busy the last few weekends/lazy when I'm not otherwise busy on week nights. I'll try to finish this thread soon before I forget everything!

 

[ovenbird43]

March 26 - Aceitillar

I left Barahona about 4 or 4:30 a.m., for a long but rather enjoyable drive to the start of the Aceitillar road. Daylight broke about halfway between Oveido Lagoon and the turnoff, revealing the dry scrub and tall columnar cacti that dominate the lowlands of Jaragua National Park. You know, I didn't take a single photo of any of the spectacular scenery from my trip; always had my 300 mm lens on my camera, I need to start carrying around a small pocket camera or even get a smartphone for such shots.

I missed the turnoff (though I really shouldn't have, I can't remember what threw me off), so when I found myself in Pedernales I cursed and made a U-turn, having added an extra 20 minutes total to my drive. I turned off at the right spot this time and began the slow climb along the paved road up into the mountains. My first stop along the road was La Characa, which is a small retention pond off the road not long after reaching the pine zone. Not much water in it and not a ton of birds around; I heard a distant Hispaniolan Trogon, a surprise Northern Bobwhite (wasn't on my radar!), and a few Golden Swallows flew high overhead. Pine Warblers were common and I saw my first Palm Warbler of the trip. I walked up the road a bit, encountering several Hispaniolan Spindalis and Hispaniolan Emeralds. La Characa was listed in my bird-finding guide as a good spot for the palm crows, but with no sign of them I returned to my car and drove on up the road.

As the road leveled out the wind really picked up, pine trees swaying heavily, making it hard to hear anything as I drove slowly and frequently paused to listen for anything. However, just inside the entrance gate for the park I heard them - Hispaniolan Palm Crows cawing, unmistakable! I parked and lept out of the car, scanning the pine trees across the road - I could hear them but still not see them. I walked toward the sound, into a small clearing by the road, staring into the pine trees ahead; then one of the crows flew out and right toward me, landing on a small tree right overhead to give me a right scolding! It was followed by another, although it did not approach so closely. So there is was: Hispaniolan Palm-Crow, the last of the island endemics that were possible given my itinerary!

I snapped a few photos and, satisfied with the encounter and having achieved my biggest target for the day, drove on down the road toward the visitor's center. The road had turned to dirt and after a few kilometers, became rather narrow and washed out as it began to descend. It got rougher and rougher until I decided I'd better turn around; not knowing how much worse the road would get and not having any particular reason to go on, I thought it better not to risk it.

I returned to La Charca because it was a bit more sheltered from the wind, and this time walked downhill. Here I found a few Black-throated Blue Warblers (probably my favorite warbler) and good looks at a pair of Hispaniolan Pewees. Traffic was increasing on the road though, so I soon descended to hike into the canyon located around km 26. This was a beautiful area, the trail descended steeply into a narrow limestone crevice, with dense, moist broadleaf forest. By now it was getting to be late in the morning so birding was kind of slow, chief sightings being Ovenbird and Red-legged Thrush, with the abundant and vocal Black-whiskered Vireo.

The rest of the day was a bit of a wash; I made a brief stop at the Cabo Roja lagoon and spotted the expected waders plus Blue-winged Teal, but the wind made it difficult to spot the endemic Yellow Warbler subspecies (heard singing). On the way back I stopped at Oviedo Lagoon, hoping for American Flamingo and other waders, but nothing could be seen from the tower, a boat trip cost more than I had in cash at the moment (roughly $70 usd), and even a walk around the shore could only be done for similar price and with a guide. I had hoped I could go for a hike alone; I might have shelled out the money anyways but didn't have the cash. Somewhat disgruntled I resigned myself for an early return to Barahona; however, this being Easter Sunday I ended up stuck in traffic around Paraiso for an unthinkably long time (hour and half? I don't even know) as beachgoers parked on the side of the highway and jammed things up. The view of the Caribbean as I sat in traffic was spectacular but devoid of birds.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Great report, most inspiring, thanks :t:

...and (just to show I was paying attention ) fair play for scoring such a sought after African endemic while you were there too!:

(wasn't on my radar!), and a few Blue Swallows flew high overhead.