Birding in Cuba - November, 2023 - Part 9

28 November, 2023

Cayo Coco and Surrounding Cays

     We set off early to hunt for Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachi) and Oriente Warbler (Teretistris fornsi) - Score, Bahama Mockingbird zero, Oriente Warbler, one!

     It was not through lack of effort.

     As the sun came up, dedicated birders were scouring the bushes, pleased to be out in the freshness of the morning, with many warblers and other species to make it all worthwhile.

     A Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) is easy to find at this time of the year in Cuba, but its ubiquity renders it not one scintilla less delightful.

     A Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) is equally appealing.

     On every stretch of sandy shore, Beach Moonflower (Ipomoea violacea) spread its tendrils along the ground.

      A La Sagra's Flycatcher (Myiarchus sagrae) faced us head on.

     One of the distinct highlights of this early morning foray was the presence of a small group of Cuban Gnatcatchers (Polioptila lembeyei), an energetic and thoroughly appealing little bird. Tania's picture below displays their charm to its fullest advantage.

     Lorraine didn't do too badly either.

     Windmill Grass (genus Chloris) danced gently on the light breeze.

     Karl is possessed with a keen eye and a rare ability to discover the small and the unusual. I was delighted when he pointed out a Peanut Snail to me (genus Cerion), a small air-breathing land snail.

     For an entertaining and erudite discussion of this organism see Stephen Jay Gould's essay Opus 100 in The Flamingo's Smile - Reflections in Natural History (1985).

     Calcareous Morning-Glory (Ipomoea microdactyla) is a spectacular flower.

     Smooth Passion Flower (Passiflora cupraea) is no less striking.

     On the way back to the resort, while travelling along the causeway, we espied huge flocks of flamingoes way out in the lagoons, but other mixed flocks were somewhat closer.

     This group of Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) decided to stay together.

     In the shot below you may see Great Egret (Ardea alba), American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tricoloured Heron (Egretta tricolor) and Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) - and that doesn't take into account the gulls, terns and frigatebirds wheeling overhead.

     Lorraine, with her superior equipment, was able to bring the spoonbills in a little closer than I was.

     After lunch, some decided to stay back and enjoy the beach, perhaps sipping on a pina colada or an ice cold beer under a ramada. There was lots of activity.

     Andrew looked happy getting his feet wet in the Caribbean.

     A little shopping was in the cards; the opportunity to make friends.

     Some of us (Brian, Tania, Ernesto, Odey, me and, of course, Jovany) were anxious to go back to The Cave to try our luck again for Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), an outstandingly beautiful species that is a passage migrant to Cuba, known to favour Coco Cayo. It has been seen at The Cave previously, but on this occasion it declined to show itself.

     There was much of additional interest, however.

     At least some of the people who declined to accompany us based their reasoning on the fierce swarms of mosquitoes encountered on our first visit. The second time around, inexplicably, there was hardly an insect in sight, and we birded in comfort without the constant hum and the noise of people slapping.

     The behavioural change we encountered with the warblers familiar from home verged on extreme. This female American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) showed no fear of humans and at one point actually perched on my boot.

     It fanned its tail in typical redstart display, to the delight of everyone.....

     ..... and joined a Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) at the bird bath.

     A male American Redstart joined in the fun,

     and bathed vigorously.

     An Ovenbird (Seiurus auricapilla) is a bird not easily seen at home, and rarely outside the migratory period, whereas in Cuba it is often seen in parks and gardens.

     A Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) in Cuba is very common.

     A female Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) joined the others at the feeder; snapping at flying insects and gleaning from the foliage.

     A Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) is an exceedingly handsome bird.

     So many species throughout the world are essentially black-and-white, but each has a distinctly different appearance from another. It is remarkable that two such basic colours can be arranged in such splendid diversity.

     Not to be outdone by the warblers, a Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) took its turn at the bath.

     A couple of Common Ground Doves (Columbina passerina) delicately picked their way along the ground.

     A Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) was not far behind.

     This little corner of Cayo Coco is called The Cave, because there is, in fact, a cave which was formerly an underground discotheque, now a home to a large colony of two species of bat. 

      The following picture is quite atrocious, but it shows a Waterhouse's Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus waterhousii) hanging from the roof of the cave.

     There were many hundreds of bats and it was a wonderful opportunity to experience my first bat cave from the inside.

     Across from the resort, a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) occupied a bench, reminding us that this species is an enchanting daily feature of a Cuban experience.

     The willingness of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) to enter into close association with humans never ceased to amaze me. This individual flew right over my head and landed in front of me.

     In Ontario, if I blink my eyes they are gone!

     At dinner we were serenaded by a couple of troubadours.

     Their talent was exceeded by their enthusiasm, but it was nevertheless very pleasant.

     It's part of the adventure after all.

Thanks to Andrew, Brian, Karl, Lorraine and Tania for permitting me to use their photographs.