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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hamhed" data-source="post: 3582183" data-attributes="member: 70825">12-17   Much of this day’s birding was planned for the southwest corner of the island.  Our first stop was to be at Laguna Cartegena where the Christmas Bird Count was being held that day.  We hoped to find the Count team and tag along, helping in any way we could.  The drive there from San Herman was not terribly long and so we found ourselves on Rt. 306, the north entrance road, at 7:30 on a cloudy morning.  The road is flanked by open fields with good activity from small birds in the brush and small trees adjacent to the gravel road.  With difficulty, we did our best to focus on moving forward without delay and press on to reach the lake.  In just a few minutes, we came upon a crossroads, labeled Hacienda Desengaño on Google Maps, with men loading hay on a truck, several buildings and at least one barking pit bull coming to greet us.  We stopped and asked for directions to the lake just to be sure we were not about to trespass and were directed to continue on what looked like a continuous mudhole of a road.  We had not seen much in the way of rainfall but apparently, this road had, and recently.  Our rental sedan didn’t seem adequate for the situation and, with the defensive dog working his way through the tread on the front tire, we made the decision pretty quickly to turn around.  As we retraced our drive, one of the small birds, which I assumed would be Black-faced Grassquits, dashing back and forth from the shrub cover to the grass, landed briefly on the road.  We were surprised to see a Grasshopper Sparrow though they are said to be in the area.  At the end of the farm road, we stopped to study the map when in flew a stunningly patterned Venezuelan Troupial, landing on a nearby on a metal pipe.  On the wire above the road were several Doves, one of which had the markings of an African Collared-Dove, one of the very few exotic species we would see.  The undertail pattern and undertail coverts color are the key points according to Oberle’s app. Our next attempt at morning birding was to be Refugio de Aves de Boqueron, a short distance to the west.  We opted for the convenient northeast entry point on the south side of the town of Las Arenas.    Just a few hundred yards down the gravel road, sounds of guns halted us to consider any further forward motion.  That allowed us to spot several Blackbirds moving in some small trees and shrubs by the water’s edge.  The yellow shoulder patch was partially hidden in several of the individuals but it was clear to us that we were looking at a bird we weren’t expecting at any place but a certain hardware store in La Parguera.  As we took pictures and videos of the Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds, a man approached us and warned us of an ongoing waterfowl hunt in the “refuge”.  A group of Smooth-billed Ani’s, appearing fresh from the funeral parlor, landed in a short tree nearby.  One quick photo and it was time to try yet another birding location for the part of the morning that was still left.  There was a flight of some swallows that we did not take much time with though one appeared to be a Cave Swallow.  Not ready to leave Boqueron, we tried an access road at the southern border of the refuge.   As we parked, a bird immediately attacked the side mirror.  Liz had just closed the window or she might have been sharing her passenger seat with our first Adelaide’s Warbler.  A sizable group of Helmeted Guineafowl scurried along the shoulder of the road.  Later, in the scrubby habitat we birded in, we would see some of this species hiding in dense shrubs, making us wonder if they weren’t a feral group.  As a half dozen cattle wandered loose in front of us, no less than 50 Cattle Egrets flew on past us and the cows, likely searching for a bigger herd and greener pastures.  Once we began to walk, more Adelaide’s Warblers were seen, usually sticking to the shadowy interiors of the vegetation but, for brief looks, sometimes into the open where the bright yellow of the underparts and head really caught the sunlight.  White-winged Doves were common to the point of distraction. We struggled with separating the Kingbirds.  The black head cap never seem as distinct as the book or app indicated nor were the white undertail feathers easily visible.  To be honest, we sometimes had trouble distinguishing them from the Puerto Rican Flycatcher.  Down low, we found Palm Warblers, Grassquits, Common Ground-Doves and a Prairie Warbler.  Overhead were Cave Swallows and Turkey Vultures.  More Ani’s and several Bullfinches were at head level.  We felt that two hours was adequate coverage for this particular area and there was still a bit of morning left to go.  Just minutes south was the Visitor Center for the Cabo Rojo refuge.  This office was located on an inland portion of the protected land.  Here were miles of trails, an observation tower and wetlands - all closed that day due to trail maintenance.  Disappointed but seeing that this was becoming a general trend for the day, we didn’t waste much time moving on.   While at the VC, their maps showed an observation tower on the way to the salt ponds, found easily by the side of the road and across from an Interpretive Center and three very large piles of salt.  The attendants there seemed happy to see us and alerted us to the trails that were behind the center with a tip to take the middle trail for the best birding.  We went for a quick look from the top of the tower, where we took in a view of the Los Morrillos lighthouse and the salt flats, which very surprisingly, were completely devoid of any birdlife.  The morning was warming quickly but we got on the lightly shaded trail behind the center and were soon onto birds.  A Puerto Rican Flycatcher gave us good looks at close range followed by a Caribbean Elaenia, a species we had hoped to find in this extreme southwest corner of the island.  A pair of each along with Adelaide’s Warblers, Troupials and one Mangrove Cuckoo, a bird we had only seen once before at Cambalache.  The small gravel lot was filling with cars as we left but we took the time to show our new friends our pictures of the Flycatcher and Elaenia, Jui de Puerto Rico and Jui Blanco respectively.  Driving time to the next stop was again short.  Since it was nearly noon on a Sunday, we had some difficulty finding a place to park for the short, uphill hike to the lighthouse at Cabo Rojo.  Most of the parked cars were for beachgoers; we shared the lighthouse grounds with just a few others.  Scanning from near the edge of the cliffs joining El Faro de Los Morrillos, we enjoyed the spectacular view but saw just a few birds.  Certainly no Boobies, which we were somewhat expecting and hoping for.  A few Frigatebirds, Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns and one Osprey made up the entire bird list. With a full morning behind us, I followed a rough path into the scrub forest by the car and discovered a two person, private swimming beach.  An hour later, refreshed by the cool water of the Caribbean, and having much of the afternoon ahead of us, we decided to try another late visit to the Guanica Forest.  We took our time following a series of paved roads east through mostly agricultural lands and had no trouble finding our way back to the tsunami escape route path on Rt. 333.  The thought was that we might find the Nightjar in a location within the dry forest but where few birders had used recordings.Arriving well ahead of dusk, we found a side trail promising an elderly Guayacan tree, also known as Lignumvitae, and the hardest wood known to exist.   A good 15 minutes of walking on a rough trail brought us to the tree where we paid our respects.  It is going have to be a tough tree to hold out much longer as much of the root system was much exposed on an eroded slope.  The estimated age of the tree varies from 300 to 800 years.Not much birdlife was seen or heard during our walk.  We were on a warm, west facing hillside and the low tree cover did not offer enough shade to cool the air.  Calls from a Bullfinch or two and twitters from hidden Adelaide’s Warblers were heard.  At dusk, fairly high up on the road, we began to walk slowly down, listening intently.  Desperately, I played the Nightjar call a number of times.  By dark, we were near the car and had no responses for our efforts.</blockquote>

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