I wasn’t sure how today would pan out and in all truth it didn’t start too well as we searched for the endemic Yellow-shouldered Blackbird by walking along the mosquito-ridden Mangrove Trail in La Parguera. No blackbirds of course but Northern Waterthrush, Prairie Warbler and the endemic Adelaide’s Warbler showing well for everyone. About an hour later we eventually nailed the tricky blackbird when David C spotted 4 flying past us and perching a bit distantly in the treetops, but what a relief I can tell you!
So we hot-footed it back just in time to the hotel for breakfast before heading up into the dry forest of Guanica where I’d been doing some research and it seems the tricky Antillean (Puerto Rican) Euphonia has sometimes been seen… Not often but a few times over the past ten years. Long odds I know but I didn’t fancy driving back up the winding lanes to Maricao tomorrow. Anyway, a Pearly-eyed Thrasher showed well in the car park as we set off on the long, hot and uneven trail into the dry forest. Adelaide’s Warbler was numerous, as was Puerto Rican Tody, and we also saw a pair of Puerto Rican Bullfinches but I was on a mission.
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| Pearly-eyed Thrasher |
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| Puerto Rican Tody |
We had walked just about halfway along our chosen trail when I heard the unmistakeable call of an Antillean Euphoniaand we managed to track a group of at least 3 down, with one particular male stopping in a large tree next to the trail for a good few minutes. I just couldn’t believe it and what an adrenaline rush to finally see this last endemic/race. Oh yes life is good! Walking on and buoyed by our success we managed to get on a calling Caribbean Elaenia in the dense vegetation before returning to the minibus.
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| Depending on who you follow this is Antillean Euphonia or Puerto Rican Euphonia |
Leaving here it was about 40 minutes drive to Laguna Cartagena, seeing our first Yellow-faced Grassquits en-route – and what a time we had from the tower overlooking the main lagoon. Best of all were half a dozen West Indian Whistling Ducks, along with a few Least Grebes and 4 Ring-necked Ducks – something of a rarity here. Other goodies included Purple Gallinule, 8 American Wigeons, lots of Blue-winged Teal, many Ruddy Ducks, a Sora for David C, Black-crowned Night-heron, Glossy Ibis, Western Osprey, Glossy Ibis and other common species.
From here we headed over to Cabo Rojo but the gate was just being closed to the lighthouse as we arrived at 5pm so stopped to look at a flock of Stilt Sandpipers just to piss the guard off! As we were there a flock of Least Sandpipers flew in and landed right in front of us. Another access road into Cabo Rojo was good as we stopped on the approach road and birded the grass and acacia scrub where we had the bizarre combination of Indigo Bunting, Black-faced Grassquit, Orange-cheeked Waxbill and a few Red Bishops skulking in the scrub, with Venezuelan Troupials serenading us from the treetops, a White-crowned Pigeonperched up nearby (again found by David C who was on fire today), and a pesky couple of Grasshopper Sparrows calling away but failing to show. Out on the lagoons a flock of 100+ mixed ‘peeps’ held mainly Least Sandpipers, with several Westerns and one or two Semipalmated Sandpipers mixed in to round off quite a good day, despite missing lunch – sorry Gordon!
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