PUERTO RICO DAY 3

So this was just one of those days that show the ups and downs we birders have to endure for our passion. We began up at Maricao, some 300m higher in elevation that our current hotel. That makes all the difference if you’re an Elfin Woods Warbler, as the habitat is subtly different and yes, there is smaller, dwarf-type vegetation here, but I’ve never seen the warbler in those smaller trees tbh! We arrived at 6.45am and it took a good 90 minutes before we layed eyes on the wee blighter but after what seemed an eternity we had excellent looks at this pretty endemic. 

Elfin Woods Warbler

Puerto Rican Tanager

Puerto Rican Tanagers are common up here as well and we saw plenty during our warbler vigil along the road, and we also picked up a Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Northern Parula, several Green Mango’s, as well as PR Bullfinch, PR Tody, PR Spindalis, and the local race of Loggerhead Kingbird. We walked a little bit along a nearby trail and nailed our main target of Lesser Antillean/Puerto Rican Pewee. But alas….no euphonia. 

   Breakfast back at the ranch was excellent and we hung around a while in the vain hope of seeing the euphonia before heading back up to Maricao, stopping to check another euphonia site and only finding a migrant Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The forest was deathly quiet up here as it was now nearly midday, so we drove down to the lowlands and over to the far side of Cabo Rojo. Here, some really fab lagoons held nearly 50 White-cheeked Pintails, along with Great Blue Heron,  100+ Stilt Sandpipers, several Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher and lots of Black-necked Stilts. Walking along the beach trail we scoped some Royal Terns, found an obliging Mangrove Cuckoo, as well as Prairie Warbler, many Grey Kingbirds and David C found a Lesser Antillean/ Puerto Rican Mango. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Mangrove Cuckoo

Stilt Sandpipers

   We left here just as the heavens opened for the second afternoon running and called in to La Parguera where we searched for Yellow-shouldered Blackbird despite the rain. A Yellow Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper and a Yellow-crowned Night-heron were scant compensation and with more heavy rain dogging us, drove just 15 minutes to our next hotel. 

Puerto Rican Nightjar

   After dinner we drove 7 minutes away and were treated to fantastic views of a Puerto Rican Nightjar hovering right overhead on two occasions before finding one perched in the bushes. What a great way to finish the day, more than making up for missing the blackbird…. At the moment!