Cuba, February (1 Viewer)

[Warixenjalka]

I booked just Late Deals to Cuba. So every knowledge from there accepted by joy and gratefullynes.
Especially if you know good hotspots for endemics. Also I want to know good car rental companys and casa particular near Varadero aeroport.

I allready read Cuba-section (Your local Patch) and next I read trough Vacational trip reports.

And if you gonna be in Cuba at February and want to use some morning (etc) birdwatching with me, send a PM.

- Joni -

Edit: What is the best Birdguide (book) for Cuba? is this any good: https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Indies-Princeton-Field-Guides/dp/069111319X

Or this: https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-...rd_wg=t4Cro&psc=1&refRID=FSY0R1SXNFFE0DAGJT41

or this:https://www.amazon.com/Indies-Guide...sr=1-1&keywords=Birds+of+the+West+Indies+helm ?

 

[Dave B Smith]

I've been using a hardback version of the book on your first link (Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele) for all the West Indies and find it pretty good. Hope you have a great trip.
Dave

 

[FOOON]

Field guide "Birds of Cuba" http://www.nhbs.com/title/100272/bi...3&ca_id=1495&gclid=CIXGjJX339ECFQ4R0wod1eUEew

This is IMO the best guide.

 

[stuartelsom]

This very recent publication by Nils Navarro is also a useful one to use in combination with Raffaele, and I recommend it to participants joining my tours to the island.

https://www.amazon.com/Endemic-Bird...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BJVWW2TGJC67XC2EVV9C

The Field Guide to the Bird of Cuba by Garrido et al although still relevant, is definitely in need of a thorough revision IMO.

Hope your trip goes well!

 

[njlarsen]

this book might also be worth your money: https://www.amazon.com/Birdwatchers...r=1-8&keywords=kirwan Guy&tag=viglink27521-20

Niels

 

[Dave Williams]

I was in Cuba this time last year. I would highly recommend heading down to Playa Larga for some excellent birding .
Be careful who you book your car with, I booked with a company called Travelucion who delivered in the end but they have a bad reputation . You do need to try and book a car though as it's not likely you'll get one when you get there, on the other hand if I go again I will probably just use taxis as they are cheap, hire cars are not!
Have a look at my blog for some background. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Thank you folks. I ordered Helms guide Birds of the West Indies (Raffaele). It was just 12 £ in NHBS. Now I just hope I get it before flight.:smoke:

Dave, I print your trip report. It looks very interesting.

I just booked car for ten days from Havanautos. It wasn't cheap - I can tell that. I sure hope to get it when I´m there...

Hmm... I should work now, but I'm quite exited* :-O and there is still a lot of things to be clarified before departure and from Cloudbirdes, I found lot of trip reports from Cuba. :eek!:

*Never been outside Europe before.

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Dont pressure yourself too much. Without experience in American birds, even the Hotelground will have so much to see and so much to ID. My first trip outside of Europe was interstingly Cuba as well. We stayed at Guardalavaca in the East and we got a good bunch of endemics just on the hotel grounds ( well it had magrove swamp on it) and in the adjactent rural areas with some patches of dry coastal scrub remaining. In addition lots of wintering New World Warblers.

We hired a car+driver for one day (around 40€ at this point) who took us to a trip to Santiago de Cuba (was not a birding holiday) and made some stops on the way back to bird a little.
Of course we didnt get the harder endemics but e.g. Lizard Cuckoo, Tody, and Pygmy Owl were doable without much effort and we had a great time.

 

[Dave Williams]

You can download this free map which will be a great help if you are driving around.
http://www.cubamappa.com/en/mappa_guia.html
If you go to Playa larga you will find some endemics like Bee Hummingbird ( a bit of a must!). Very easy as it visits someones back yard and you just give them a few CUC's. They are lovely people too!
You can arrange a local guide if you wish, will certainly help with species like Pygmy Owl others like Blue-headed quail Dove are much easier. The Casa Particular that we stayed in is brilliant but very popular and you need to book in advance (I presume you are not staying in a hotel?) Casa's are the way to go. All the ones we went to were excellent. Let me know if you want details.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Thanks again.
I have allready downloaded (Nokia) Here map from Cuba. Has anyone use that in Cuba?
In addition to the birds, also mammals and reptiles - in fact, all natural creatures interests me. So what mammals I can found from Cuba - Cuban Solenodon is only mammal that I can remember to live in island, but that I'm not really expect... |>| Also I don't know what snakes and lizards there live. Some lizard photos I have seen in a trip reports. What about butterflies? I think they fly all year around of those parallel of latitudes.

More question will come - no doubt.

 

[Dave Williams]

I used the map, more than sufficient for our tour of nearly the whole island. Didn't see any wild mammals or snakes, some interesting lizards and lots of butterflies.
The rum is quite interesting too, particularly the amounts the locals can consume with apparent ease.
My two best tips are 1) avoid driving in the dark as many motor vehicles as well as horse drawn carts don't have any lights 2) Watch out for railway crossings as they are often poorly signed on approach, There should be a big white X but sometimes they are badly rusted and blend in with the background. Trains are usually slow moving but one almost got me!