hindleygreener
Well-known member
Going to Cuba in 3 weeks (hopefully) staying at Jibacoa. Does anyone have any details of guides or places to go would be using Taxi
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Cuba Jibacoa visit in late December (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter hindleygreener
- Start date
lgonz1008
Well-known member
The area you are visiting in Cuba is not well known in the birding radar for the island, however you have a high chance of finding in the wooded areas any of the common islands and Caribbean endemics like Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Yellow-headed Warbler, greater Lizard Cuckoo and a few others along with the wintering warblers and migrants from North America. If you want to see more of the specialties, I would highly recommend to find a guide who would be willing to give a day trip or two to the Zapata Peninsula, this will not get you all of the endemics but it will greatly increase your chance of seeing more of the threatened species. Something to note, a guide is almost mandatory for the Zapata area due to government regulations, birding within the national park without a country approved guide could lead to problems with the law.
If you choose to bird around Zapata, I would recommend to reach out to Oreste Martinez (El Chino), he is a local biologist and has been involved in bird conservation in Cuba well before the island was considered an important place to visit in the birder radar. Link to his website: https://cubabirdguide.com.
For field guides, I would recommend Birds of the West Indies 2nd Edition by Raffaele, it covers all of the Caribbean but the species are properly split by the most recent taxonomic and geographical changes and the illustrations and book size is great for the field. For an accompaniment I would also suggest getting the Cornell Merlin App and download the Caribbean pack it has almost all of the species seen in the region and songs for most if not all of the birds.
If you choose to bird around Zapata, I would recommend to reach out to Oreste Martinez (El Chino), he is a local biologist and has been involved in bird conservation in Cuba well before the island was considered an important place to visit in the birder radar. Link to his website: https://cubabirdguide.com.
For field guides, I would recommend Birds of the West Indies 2nd Edition by Raffaele, it covers all of the Caribbean but the species are properly split by the most recent taxonomic and geographical changes and the illustrations and book size is great for the field. For an accompaniment I would also suggest getting the Cornell Merlin App and download the Caribbean pack it has almost all of the species seen in the region and songs for most if not all of the birds.
hindleygreener
Well-known member
Thank you very much for your reply very helpful. I have tried for guides including El Chino but with little luck did get a response from one but then went quiet looks like i am on my own.
I don't think Covid has helped with any one wanting to guide but will keep trying when i get there may get lucky.
I don't think Covid has helped with any one wanting to guide but will keep trying when i get there may get lucky.
lgonz1008
Well-known member
I think it depends on the region, something to note is that Cuba is currently going through extra hard times with power outages happening for weeks at a time along with Covid. So while tourism is not dead, as it is the main industry for the island, ecotourism like many other countries outside of the mega popular ones like Ecuador or Peru, are just trying to get by locally since they know that the stable tour groups will be gone for at least one more year.
