28 May 28 - 1 June 2004
by Jim
Hully
I know this is over a year old but hopefully someone will find
it
useful. Thanks to some cheap airfares between Boston & San Juan I
took an
extended weekend of birding, concentrating on the island’s 17 endemics.
I
planned on spending most of the time in the southwest with at least one
morning
on the northeast for the two hummingbirds and parrot. As it turned out
it was
very successful, getting all of the island endemics and most of the
endemic
races.
Thanks to all the folks on Birdchat
for their
advice, the various trip report repositories and a special thanks to
Mark Oberle for his help with some of the
lesser-known birding
sites. I used Herbert Raffaele et
al field guide to the Birds of the West Indies
(2003). The only map I found useful & accurate was the 1:190,000
scale from
International Travel Maps.
Friday 28th
May:
We arrived around midday
at San Juan international
airport, picked up a rental car and
headed south on route 52 (toll) towards Cidra/Cima
for Plain Pigeon. Not surprisingly, our first lifer was Greater
Antillean Grackles, they proved to be everywhere. Taking
route 156 (exit near Caguas)
to the pigeon site was quick except for Aguas
Buenas. The location is a school (I never
saw a name but
according to other reports it’s either Escuela
Superior Sabana or Escuela
Maria C. Santiago!) with
the birds
frequenting the edges of the adjoining playing fields. It is easy to
find on
the west side of route 172 almost a mile south of the junction with
156.
Basically, just pull into the small parking lot and scan the tall
trees that line the playing field. There were plenty of pigeons flying
overhead
and many roosting in the trees. After setting up the scope they all
turned out
to be Plain Pigeons. Nearby were Puerto
Rican Todies,
Puerto Rican Woodpeckers, Pearly-eyed
Thrashers, and Zenaida Doves. We retraced our route back to
route 52 and headed towards Ponce
on the south coast.
We were booked into the Holiday Inn on the west side of town.
After dropping
Gina off, I decided to check out the route to Maracao State
Park
(Bosque Estatal de Maricao)
in daylight as I was planning on driving to Maracao
before light the next morning. Except for a few wrong turns in Sabana Grande, I quickly found myself on route
120 and less
than 16 kilometers from Maracao so I
dashed up to the
park headquarters. The narrow & windy road has been recently
resurfaced so
30 minutes later I was birding along the entrance to the headquarters
at kilometer
post 16. The entrance and post marker (on your left coming from Sabana Grande are obvious. I found more Puerto
Rican Todies, Puerto Rican
Vireos, Puerto Rican Tanagers, Puerto Rican Spindalis
&
Scaly-naped Pigeon. Amazingly, an Elfin-wood Warbler hopped into view
(100 metres from the entrance) and a Puerto Rican Bullfinch rounded the day
off, or so I thought. I headed back towards Sabana
Grande with a quick stop at the lookout tower on route 120 for Red-legged Thrush & Green Mango,
both of which later proved
to be elusive.
Back on route 2 with over 20 minutes of daylight
remaining, I decided to
check out Guanica
State Park. Taking route 334
I
arrived at the park entrance (gated) as it started to get dark. Despite
the
cacophony of geese, ducks, pigs, dogs & humans from the house that
border
the park, I could hear Puerto Rican Nightjars calling in the distance.
Barely
five minutes into the park and a Puerto
Rican Nightjar flew along the road and perched in the open for me
to video.
Reluctantly, I retraced my steps back to the Ponce
after a pretty amazing afternoon of birding.
Saturday,
29th May
With yesterday’s successes I decided to go
back to the entrance for Guanica State Park with Gina and concentrate on finding the
Puerto Rican Owl. Again the
encroaching human settlements around the park entrance was generating
it’s own
dawn chorus and only after walking over the first rise could I
appreciate the
real dawn chorus in this unique habitat. Puerto Rican Nightjars again
greeted
me but as it slowly began to get light I heard a Puerto Rican
Owl started calling. After much
walking up & down
the road I eventually pinpointed the bird. In typical fashion, as soon
as I
grabbed the video it flew away. For the rest of the morning we strolled
along
the road seeing lots of Mangrove Cuckoos,
Puerto Rican Emerald,
Antillean
Mango, ubiquitous Gray Kingbirds, Adelaide’s
Warbler, Black-faced Grassquits, Caribbean
Elaenia (the
only
one of the trip) & a noisy, brash Troupial. Heard Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoos at
regular
intervals but none were close to the road.
After a pit stop for food at a Subway, we
drove back up to the headquarters of Maracao State Park. While Gina was painting, I birded the trails
that started just beyond the headquarters (there is a barrier on the
same side
as the buildings). I only explored the first kilometer (goes downhill
very
quickly) or so but still I found another Elfin-woods Warbler, lots of Bananaquits,
my first Puerto
Rican Lizard Cuckoo, a Loggerhead
Kingbird. A pair of Greater
Antillian Orioles appeared
to be nesting in one of the building of the park headquarters. We check
out
Hacienda Juanita but it was by now too hot and consequently there were
few
birds.
We continued on towards Mayaguez along an old and deteriorating road
(route 105?).
Although a slower route it offered plenty of prime forest and
absolutely no
traffic. Saw a good selection of birds essentially the same as Maracao including a very showy Puerto Rican
Lizard Cuckoo. Eventually
worked our way to the coast and headed north on route 2 for a pond near
Añasco which is the best site for West
Indian Whistling
Duck in Puerto Rico (recommended by Mark). I’m pretty sure I found the
right
pond but there were no Whistling Ducks, but I was compensated with
great views
of Caribbean Martins & a
female Red
Bishop.
Back on route 2 we drove down to Parguera for the Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds
and dinner
(in that order). Just as other birders have reported, we walked through
the Parador Villa Parguera
onto the
manicure gardens and watched the Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds & Greater Antillean Grackles in the
tops of the
palms. After a quick diner we drove west towards Boqueron,
passing the entrance to Boqueron Forest
Bird Refuge
which was closed, and towards the lighthouse at Cabo
Rojo. We never made it to the end as we
watch the sun set
from a obvious wooden lookout a few miles
from of the
lighthouse. This was the only place where we saw any shorebirds. As it
began to
get dark I saw more Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds (flying east to
roost?) along
with amazing eye-level views of vocal Antillean Nighthawks.
Sunday,
May 30th
As I still needed Puerto
Rican Pewee I drove back up to Maracao
before light.
A Puerto Rican Screech Owl was calling as I walked along the entrance
road down
to the headquarters. An hour later I had had much better views of
Puerto Rican
Vireo (now I see why it has it’s own
genus), Puerto
Rican Bullfinch & Puerto Rican Spindalis
but no
pewee. Just as I was thinking of driving to Hacienda Juanita I heard a
pewee-like call and there, on the wires right next to my car was a Puerto Rican Pewee. I decided to give
the grounds of the hacienda a quick check as well as along the road.
Saw the
same stuff except for a brief and unsatisfactory look at a probable
Antillean Euphonia. Stopped at Susua State Park
(well marked east of Sabana Grande on
route 368) but
bailed after learning that there was a mountain bike competition.
After breakfast,
we drove to the southern end Guanica State
Park and birded along route
333 which skirts the ocean. Despite the humidity & heat I quickly
found Puerto Rican Flycatchers, Puerto Rican
Woodpeckers and the ever-present Adelaide’s
Warbler. Finding a place to park here might be a hassle here as the
adjoining
beaches were very popular.
Despite having been up there three times including this morning,
we went
back to Maracao
State Park. I explored the
same
trails that start beyond the headquarters and loop around the back.
Birds were
still active and I had my best view of a Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo, a
female
Elfin-woods Warbler (seen three out of four visits!) and a Key
West Quail Dove. In contrast to my previous experiences with
quail doves, this individual hopped onto a low branch, did a few head
dips and
looked at me while I took some video. A Ruddy
Quail Dove rounded off a very successful day.
Monday,
May 31st
With the key endemics for southeast Puerto Rico
out of the way I decided to explore Laguna Cartena.
I
found the entrance off a poorly marked road on the west side of the
lake. The
road appears to be a continuation of route 306 south from Llanos. As
you cross
over route 101 you will drive down a narrow muddy lane which could
easily
become a quagmire with a little rain. If driving along route 101 just
look for
the junction with 306 and take the road south. This track takes you
close to
the west side of the lake (though not visible from the car). Just
before the
track veers east, look for a metal gate on the same side. There should
be a
sign set somewhat back indicating the laguna.
The
habitat around the lake reminds me of Africa -
tall
grasses, acacia-like trees and flocks of Red & Orange
Bishops! As I walked east the edge the lake gradually opened
up and I scanned hoping for my nemesis bird, Masked Duck. But all I
found were Ruddy Ducks, Black-winged
Stilts and Caribbean
Coots.
After breakfast,
we headed east to Humacao via Guayama.
After lunch birded the Humacao
Refuge (not shown on any of the maps). The refuge headquarters are 3.1
miles
east of the intersection between routes 3 and 53 on the right side.
Note that
the refuge headquarters are closed at 3.30pm
in winter (later in the summer), but there is access to the lagoons
just beyond
the headquarters. Look for a well-trodden path lined with litter that
parallels
the park headquarters fence. This provides public access to the
beaches. Only
the park headquarters are fenced off. Once you cross the sluices just
beyond
the headquarters there are a number of trails and ponds. The best
birding areas
are the ponds to the right. This is another good spot for West Indian
Whistling
Duck but not on this day, I did get a male Green-throated
Carib and a pair of Black-billed
Waxbills. I was surprised to hear Adelaide’s
Warbler but Mark Oberle confirmed that
they do occur
on the east coast. I was also surprised by the size of the iguanas that
basked
along the edges of the ponds.
Mark had very
kindly given me a location for Yellow-breasted Crake at a remote part
of
refuge. From the refuge entrance return towards Humacao
on route 3 for 0.6 miles and turn right (north) on route 925. Drive 1.2
miles
to a locked gate on the right (DRNA sign labeled Unidad
Mandri). Walk the dirt road about half a
mile through
sugar canes to more open marshes & ponds. Unfortunately, I did not
see or
hear any rails but it was not a best time of the day.
Drove to Ceiba and stayed at the Ceiba Country Inn. This is set in the foothills
of El Yunque (Caribbean
National Forest) but there
are no
roads to the top of the park from this side. As it got dark, Puerto
Rican
Screech Owls started calling close to the Inn.
Tuesday,
June 1st
According to my research, the best location for the Puerto Rican
Parrot
was the higher elevations of the Tradewinds
or El
Toro trail that overlook the headwaters of the Rio Espiritu
Santo and ideally to be there at first light. I did not think I would
be able
to find the trailheads in the dark so I elected to drive along route
186 on the
northwest side of El Yunque and explore
these trails
from lower down. As it turned out there are a number of trails off this
road
and I took one which eventually led to a small waterfall but was not
the start
of the Tradewinds trail. I saw the usual
set of
higher elevation birds including great views of Scaly-naped
Pigeons and Puerto Rican Vireos. On the way back I decided to stop at
the Rio Espiritu overlook which in earlier
times had been the classic
site for the rare & threatened parrot. It may be overgrown but as I
sat on
the wall a single Puerto Rican Parrot
emerged from the trees. I think I had disturbed it as it gave me the
once-over
before heading up the mountain.
I shot back to the hotel, grabbed breakfast, packed and drove
down to Huamcao Refuge. At the
headquarters I found Antillean Crested Hummingbird but
West
Indian Whistling Duck again eluded me. We started worked our way back
to the San Juan airport
stopping for lunch at the impressive
headquarters of the Caribbean
National Forest.
Notes
Driving in Puerto Rico is no worse than Boston,
USA. In fact I
would say
the roads are in better condition and most have signposts. Strangely,
distances
are given in kilometers but speed limits are in MPH. The most annoying
habit is
the local drivers cruising in the “fast” lane. There are plenty of road
cops
but you usually get fair warning from other drivers. Despite the latest
maps
and advice from locals, the extension of route 53 from Guayama
to Humacao and beyond was not finished as
of June
2004. Route 3 is your only option and be prepared for a slow but scenic
drive.
As with most big cities, getting out of them and onto the right road
rarely
coincide. I never did find the turn off route 17 to get onto route
18/52.
Lastly, just a heads-up, I could not find a gas station anywhere close
to San Juan airport when
coming from El Yunque.
Mapquest is a great
resource for Puerto Rico, showing the same kind
of details
as it does for the USA.
However, it is not good at putting a name or number to the smaller
roads.
I tried to stay at the better know sites (e.g. Hacienda Juanita,
etc)
but they only offered package deals requiring a prolonged stay making
them
impractical & expensive. Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Ponce
sits atop of a hill overlooking the highway (route 2). It is easy to
see from
the road. Inexpensive but ideally located from a birding perspective.
If you
have non-birding spouses/children it offers plenty of the amenities
including a
casino, huge pool and a shuttle service to the town & beach.
Interestingly,
I heard Puerto Rican Nightjars calling from behind the parking lot
which also
happened to be the worse spot on the whole island for mosquitos!
Ceiba Country Inn is reasonably priced
B&B. Some
may find the rooms rather small but it is a very quite and surrounded
by decent
habitat.
We never had any trouble and found the people to be kind and
helpful. Except
in the mountains, I felt I was back in the USA.
<>
List
of Birds seen
E = Endemic
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps antillarum)
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis occidentalis)
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta)
Tricolored
Heron (Egretta
tricolor ruficollis)
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula brewsteri)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis)
Green Heron (Butorides virescens maculatus)
Black-crowned
Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactii)
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis exilis)
White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis bahamensis)
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis jamaicensis)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura aura)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) One at Mandri
unit of Humacao Refuge. Looked like the
migratory
race rather than the pale-headed Caribbean
subspecies ridgwayi.
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis jamaicensis) A Greater
Antillean subspecies.
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius caribaearum) A Lesser Antillean
subspecies.
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus cerceris)
Caribbean Coot (Fulica caribaea)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)
Wilson's
Plover (Charadrius wilsonia)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
Semipalmated
Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)
Royal Tern (Sterna
maxima)
Least Tern (Sterna
antillarum)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Scaly-naped
Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa) Common at the
higher elevations.
Plain Pigeon (Patagioenas inornata wetmorei) An endemic
subspecies. Seen well at the escuela
near Cidra/Comerio.
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura macroura) A Caribbean
subspecies. One near Laguna Cartegena.
Zenaida
Dove (Zenaida aurita zenaida)
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica asiatica)
Ringed Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia risoria)
Introduced. A pair in La Parguera.
Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina portoricensis) A Lesser Antillean
subspecies.
Key West Quail-Dove (Geotrygon chrysia)
Prolonged views of
one on trail that goes behind the Maracao State
Park headquarters.
Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana montana) Brief view on the
same trail as for Key West Quail-Dove.
E Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata vittata) One individual at
the Rio Espiritu Santo overlook. I got the
impression that the bird
had been perched (roosting) in a nearby tree as it appeared to fly out
of one
of the trees that overshadow the road. How lucky can you get!
Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor) Remarkably common
in non-mangrove
habitats.
E Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo (Saurothera vieilloti) Heard at Guanica SP and seen along trail that goes behind
the
headquarters at Maracao
State Park. Also
along the old road between Maricao & Mayaquez.
Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)
E Puerto Rican Screech-Owl (Megascops nudipes nudipes) Heard most
mornings at Guanica
State Park,
Maracao
State Park, & Comeria.
Antillean Nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii)
Common along the
south coast.
E Puerto Rican Nightjar (Caprimulgus noctitherus) Seen at Guanica State
Park
and heard behind the Holiday Inn at Ponce.
Black Swift (Cypseloides niger niger) Flyover on route
52
as it transects Corillera Central.
Antillean Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus)
An endemic
subspecies. Seen around Maracao State Park.
E Green Mango (Anthracothorax viridis)
Green-throated
Carib (Eulampis holosericeus) Found at the
eastern side of the
island. Seen at Humacao
& El Yunque.
Antillean Crested
Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) Again, more common
on the eastern side of the island. One at Humacao
Refuge headquarters.
E Puerto
Rican Emerald (Chlorostilbon maugaeus)
E Puerto Rican Tody
(Todus mexicanus)
Common and undoubtedly the bird of the
trip.
E Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Melanerpes portoricensis) Common.
Caribbean Elaenia (Elaenia martinica martinica) At Guanica SP.
E Puerto Rican Pewee (Contopus portoricensis) Just one at the entrance
to Maracao SP.
E Puerto Rican Flycatcher (Myiarchus antillarum)
At Guanica SP.
Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis dominicensis) Common.
Loggerhead Kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus taylori) One near the Maracao
SP headquarters.
Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis dominicensis)
Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva puertoricensis)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos orpheus)
Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus fuscatus) Common, noisy and
showy. Nothing like its North American relatives.
Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus ardosiaceus) Only seem well on
the road up to Maracao SP.
E Puerto Rican Vireo (Vireo
latimeri) Seen best at Maracao
SP.
Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus altiloquus)
Common and calling all day
E Adelaide
Warbler (Dendroica adelaidae) Common in the drier
habitats of Guanica, Huamaco
across to the foothills of the Caribbean NF.
E Elfin-woods Warbler (Dendroica angelae)
Probably the number
one endemic for many people. Took me all of 20
minutes to see
my first.
Bananaquit
(Coereba flaveola portoricensis) An endemic
subspecies. Common.
E Puerto
Rican Tanager (Nesospingus speculiferus)
E Puerto
Rican Spindalis (Spindalis portoricensis)
Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivacea bryanti)
Black-faced Grassquit (Tiaris bicolor omissus)
E Puerto Rican Bullfinch (Loxigilla portoricensis portoricensis) Seen best at
higher altitudes.
E Yellow-shouldered Blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus xanthomus) Highly localized
and threatened by
cowbirds. Strange to see such a rare bird in the
artificially-maintained habitat of a hotel. I did see more from
the
lookout near Cabo Rojo.
Greater Antillean
Grackle (Quiscalus niger
brachypterus) Everywhere.
Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis minimus)
Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus) One at the gates to Guanica SP.
Greater Antillean
Oriole (Icterus
dominicensis portoricensis) Pair prospecting
around the Maracao SP headquarters.
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
This and the birds below are all
introduced.
Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer)
Red/Orange Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)
Orange-cheeked Waxbill
(Estrilda melpoda)
Black-rumped
Waxbill (Estrilda
troglodytes) A
pair near Huamacao
Refuge headquarters.
White-throated Munia (Lonchura malabarica)
Bronze Mannikin
(Lonchura cucullata)
Jim
Hully
Salisbury,
MA
hullyjr@adelphia.net
July 2005