Birding in Cuba - February, 2023 - Part 4

13 February, 2023

Las Salinas - Casa Ana Birding - Carretera la Boca - Canal de los Patos

".....paying attention to birds, being mindful of them, is being mindful of Life itself"

Graeme Gibson

     We had a good night's sleep and went down to a fine breakfast in the convivial company of Jose and Damita, joined by Tania and Jiovani, and Jim and Barb - and all was well with the world.

     After picking up our other amigos we left for the lagoons of the Zapata Swamp, anxious for a good start to our day's birding. We were not disappointed!

     It seemed especially appropriate that a Cuban Blackhawk (Buteogallus gundlachii) was one of the first birds to greet us. It has a regal appearance, is endemic to Cuba, and is not always so cooperative.

     Familiar shorebirds were going about the business of finding food. There were Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) probing in the mud for tiny invertebrates.....

     ..... and Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) in competition for the same food.

     We do not frequently see Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) at home, so it was a particular delight to see them here.

Photo: Jim Bowman

 

     Our group was always ready for the task at hand!

     The ever fluctating tides of taxonomy have at various times accorded full species status to the white morph of Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis) but the prevailing opinion, based on morphology other than colour, and molecular fingerprinting, is that it is a subspecies of Great Blue Heron.

    Full species, or subspecies, it is an impressive bird!

    In the following picture there is an immature Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), a Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) and American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus).

     Their different feeding practices enable them to exploit the same resource without entering into direct competition with each other.

     Reddish Egret surely holds the prize for the most madcap feeding style. It dances, leaps, opens its wings, stabs, runs, in a frenzied, intense ballet, incomprehensible to the casual and uninformed human eye.

     It obviously works, however, and if it should incidentally provide entertainment and amusement to human gawkers, there is no harm in that.

     Another Cuban Black Hawk was maintaining a vigil over the marsh, and I was left to wondering whether the hawk waits to see whether the antics of the Reddish Egret drives crabs into shallow water where they become easy pickings.

     A group of colourful American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) attracts the attention of everyone, impassioned birder or casual observer.

     The intense colour is derived from carotenoid in the diet - the more carotenoid the deeper the hue, so it is evident that these birds are getting lots of shrimp and other suitable items from these saline lagoons.

     A Tricoloured Heron (Egretta tricolor) has a sort of stately, dignified look to it.

     There were Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger), Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and Royal Terns (Thalesseus maximus) far out on the other side of the water, but Tania managed a picture showing a part of the group.

     Here is an American Flamingo alongside a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis).

     As always, virtuous Canadians that we are, we  travelled the straight and narrow road!

     Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), those pirates of the air and supreme masters of flight, cruised overhead from time to time.

     Neotropic Cormorants (Nanopterum brasilianum) were not infrequently seen, although mostly in flight, or far out.

     Generally, we observed Tri-coloured Herons aloof from the other birds, feeding deliberately - and successfully.

     Saltwort (Batis maritima) was both common and interesting.

     We went to the same enticing little restaurant as the previous day for lunch, and the meal was equally delicious.

     When we returned "home" for siesta, Miriam proved that she knows how to relax in style.

     At one point Lisa and Victoria, having been down to the beach, strolled over from their casa, with umbrellas shading them from the hot Cuban sun (I can't imagine what it must be like in July and August!).

     We gazed down upon them from our balcony and waved in regal acknowledgement of their presence!

     Damita came on a short walk with us down to a lake not far away - and it was quite lovely.

     On the way down we saw several Northern Curly-tailed Lizards (Leiocephalus carinatus), always a pleasure.

     I remember being captivated by them the first time I ever visited Cuba and that sentiment has not diminished.

     On the way back a Cuban Crow (Corvus nasicus) kept company with us for part of the way.

     We all regrouped at 15h:00 to pay a visit to Casa Ana, the home of Tania's friend, and a magnet for a multitude of exciting birds, most significantly the endemic Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), the smallest bird in the world.

     A riot of Bougainvillea was doubtless as much of an attraction for humans as it was for birds.

     A Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) found Ana's garden very much to its liking.

     Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) was delightfully common.

     A male Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) is both handsome and familiar.

     I don't think we ever ceased to be surprised at the number of Cape May Warblers (Setophaga tigrina) we saw. One or two in a whole year at home is remarkable, yet in Cuba it was not unusual to witness a dozen in an hour.

     This butterfly gave me a little trouble identifying it, and I still have it only down to genus. I am fairly confident that it is a member of Memphis.

     I suspect it was attracted to sugar that dripped down the side of a hummingbird feeder. 

     Cuban Emerald (Riccordia ricordii), the "other" Cuban endemic hummingbird was commonly seen in parks and gardens - always a pleasure, however.

       West Indian Woodpecker (Melanerpes supercilliaris) is bold in both colour and demeanour and seems very fond of hummingbird syrup or other sources of sweet liquid.

     The Bee Hummingbird is incredibly tiny, easy to miss when quietly perched, but it was a common visitor to Ana's garden.

Bee Hummingbird ♂

Bee Hummingbird ♀

     And warblers still entertained us.

     I don't think we could ever become satiated with Bee Hummingbird, and as you might imagine we took scores of pictures.

     Cuban Emerald was not neglected either.

     Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds (Agelaius humeralis) were not shy.

     We always found Yellow-faced Grassquits (Tiaris olivaceus) very appealing.

     It is difficult to capture the crimson gorget of a male Bee Hummingbird. You have to be in exactly the right position and generally the bird reveals its colour for the briefest of moments before turning its head and everything changes to black.

     Here are Miriam's best attempts.

      American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) was very common, perhaps the most viewed warbler.

     Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) was also seen frequently.

     Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor is a "whoop and holler, call your friends and let them know" kind of warbler in southern Ontario. In Cuba we saw it daily.

     There was a lovely inlet at the bottom of Ana's backyard and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) was perched in the open, affording everyone a great look.

     A Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) was also present.

     A striking Cuban Oriole (Icterus melanopsis) was the last bird we saw on our way to field and pastures to search for different species.

     The rufous form of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is unsually vibrant and quite enigmatic.

     We were very pleased to see our first Limpkin (Aramus guarauna).

     Years ago I visited the Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Texas, USA, and I am fairly sure that these palms are a type of Sabal (Arecaceae).

     The stately palm below eludes identification, however.

     Dinner was taken at the other casa where Selwyn, Victoria, Lisa and Tina were staying. The meal was great but there was not the conviviality we experienced every night with Damita and the two Joses.

     Tania, Jim and I stayed up to try to see a pair of American Barn Owls (Tyto furcata) we knew had been sighted close to our casa, and our patience was rewarded when they showed up around 21h:15. One perched in a tree quite far off, but clearly visible, the other circled around in flight and disappeared.

     Miriam had turned in early but she got up and was able to see the perched owl.

     A superb end to a fabulous day.