Cuba - August 2013

Our first stop at the Copacabana Hotel, Havana enabled us to pick up some of the regulars:

- Antilliean Palm Swift*

- Purple Martin*

- House Sparrow

- Cuban Blackbird*

- squadron of White Ibis flew over at dusk

- Collared Dove

- Barn Swallow.

On the tour of Havana

- Killdeer, Cuban Grackle* at the fort

- Turkey Vultures (which are very numerous here and pretty much the only bird of prey one is likely to see) circling the big modern monument on Revolution square

- Common Ground Dove and Red-legged Thrush* at the Hotel Nacional and a Brown Pelican patrolling the sea

- Cuban Emerald* is the only Hummingbird likely to be seen

- Gray Kingbird* and Loggerhead Kingbird* are everywhere. Former has paler head with distinct eyestripe, whereas latter has a darker head overall.

- Feral Pigeon, natch.

The Forest Park in Las Terrazas turned out to be a great spot

- Cuban Trogon* glimpsed on a Telegraph wire...fortunately better views to come (photo)

Yellow-Faced Grassquit

Red-Legged Honeycreeper

West Indian Woodpecker

Loggerhead Kingbird

Cuban Green Woodpecker

Green Heron

Gray Kingbird

Common Ground Dove

Crescent Eyed Pewee

Northern Mockingbird

Cuban Emerald

Royal Tern

Yellow-Capped Night Heron

Yellow Warbler

Magnificent Tropicbird

Little Blue Heron

Cuban Tody

Cuban Trogon

- Great Lizard-Cuckoo* - distinctive silhouette rising from the canopy

- Cuban Tody* (photo)

- Red-legged Honeycreeper* - in green phase (photo)

- Yellow-faced Grassquit

Yellow-Faced Grassquit

Banos de San Juan

- Little Egret

Smooth Billed Ani

From the bus

- Smooth-Billed Ani*

- Green Heron

- American Kestrel 

- Mourning Dove

- White-Winged Dove

Vinales

- Tawny Winged Blackbird*

- West Indian Woodpecker*

- Northern Mockingbird

- Bird Walk, Cuban Green Woodpecker*

- Rural Walk, Cattle Egret

Then a long drive to Australia and a Crocodile Breeding Centre where we saw a Grey Heron (!)

Then to Playa Larga where Lydia brilliantly spotted a Yellow-throated Warbler* in a palm tree.

At Caleta Buena, Crescent-eyed Pewee* 

Our hotel at Cienfuegos had great sea views and from the front we saw

- Laughing Gull

- Royal Tern* 

- Magnificent Frigatebird.

At Trinidad 'Ma Dolores'

- Cuban Crow* in the Royal Palms

- Yellow-crowned Night* and Little Blue Herons on the river.

Passing thru mangrove swamps we saw Black-necked Stilt on our way to boat trip to Cayo Blanco, where a very friendly group of Yellow Warblers* were present.    

At Santa Clara, Lydia spotted Ferdinanda Flicker, but I missed it!