Birding in Cuba - February, 2024 - Part 9

 26 February, 2024

Playa Paredon Grande - Playa Las Coloradas

     Most of us set off for an early morning start, before breakfast in fact, fuelled by coffee, to hunt for two principal targets, Cuban Gnatcatcher (Polioptila lembeyei) and Thick-billed Vireo (Vireo crassirostris).

     We were successful on both counts, even securing photographic evidence of the gnatcatcher.

     This was the result of a diligent search, of course, with no effort spared.

     It was pleasant to tarry along the shore for a while, all the while searching with keen intent.

          Beach Moonflower (Ipomoea violacea) trailed all across the beach.

        We hunted diligently for Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii), without success, but we spotted this unusual Giant Goofy Gull (Larus trumpensis obfuscatiatus) and Virgil quickly swung into action to enshrine it for posterity.

     I haven't quite figured out yet where to include it on my life list.

     As we made our way back to the resort we stopped at various points and saw many shorebirds, spoonbills, egrets etc but mostly quite distant or bathed in direct sunlight, unconducive to good photography.

     A Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was imposed on us as a substitute for Bahama Mockingbird, but we were gracious and welcomed it to our happy gang.

     This Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) looked lovely bathed in early morning sunlight.

    

     Virgil took this delightful picture of a Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia).

     We were seated for breakfast around 08:45 and ate heartily.

     Around 11h:00 a few of us visited a little mall nearby, mainly a collection of boutiques designed to provide trinkets for tourists to take home, and left a few dollars behind to fuel the local economy.

     When I arrived back at my room I had no water and was advised that the municipal water supply into all the resorts was compromised and "they are working on it!" How fast and how efficient "they" would be was a question that sprang to mind immediately.

     After lunch I went for a stroll at the front of the hotel and there were many Julia Heliconians (Dryas iulia) flying around.

     Not for them any concern with water.

     People in the pools might feel differently if the water was not replaced from time to time.

     Various domestic fowl wandered around the grounds at will, and I found them quite pleasant.

     Some even had chicks who had become very adept at scratching in the dirt.

     Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) seems to have invaded the whole world, and this one had found a source of nectar.

     At 15h:30 we returned to the beach where Kathy was very excited to have a return engagement with Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodius) and got into position to get lots of pictures, with Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) to keep her company.

     Piping Plovers were once again the stars of the show, although as you will see there was a great supporting cast.

     

     Even Piping Plovers have their little spats once in a while.

    

     A juvenile American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) was an unexpected sighting, and the first time I have seen this species in Cuba.

     Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla), on the other hand, is a "regular."

      Pelicans on the sand really were a joy.

     And in the water too.

     Feather maintenance is always important.

     A few Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) patrolled high in the sky waiting for a hapless tern or gull to pass by with a fish waiting to be pirated.

     Two American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) made us very happy when they put in an appearance.

     Alan took this great shot of one flying past the nest of a Cuban Blackhawk (Buteogallus gundlachii).

     We returned to the hotel at 17h:15 and there was still no water, although it appeared that tankers were being brought in - with water I assume. I had been wondering how dinner could be prepared without water.

      In any event, dinner proceeded as usual, and when I returned to my room at 20h:30 water came out of the faucet - a mere trickle mind you, but water!

     It's perhaps a good thing that we will be leaving in the morning!

Photos have been provided by Alan, Beth, Kathy, Tania and Virgil, with a few of my own too. 

Book Review - Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin and the Dawn of Modern Science - Princeton University Press

 

     I am not sure that there is a convention when it comes to reviewing books, but it is probably customary to expound on the contents before declaring a verdict. Permit me to reverse the order here and to state immediately that I am entranced with this work. It is scholarly, extremely well written, and introduces me to an author hitherto unknown - to me at least. The title is apt - there was magic between the pages for this reader.

     Darwin has been the bedrock of my belief system for almost as long as I have cogent memory of such things. Of Emily Dickinson I knew very little, confined only to popular poems that have been frequently cited in other works, and the phrase "Hope is the thing with feathers" that has been used almost ad nauseam in ornithological circles.

     Dickinson and Darwin never met, and Darwin had but the briefest knowledge of Dickinson, (if any at all), through the conduit of a mutual friend, Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Darwin, however, featured in Dickinson's life in a substantial way, and she embraced his view of nature divorced from belief in divine creation. Neither Darwin nor Dickinson were regular churchgoers, in a time when lack of observance was viewed with suspicion and disapproval. The majesty of nature was sufficient testament to the origin of species long before hominids appeared on Earth. While some contrived to fit new discoveries, and unassailable fossil evidence, into biblical accounts, there was increasing skepticism about the Genesis creation story, and subsequent events such as the universal flood. The belief in the interconnectedness of all life was becoming ever more widespread.

     At the time, the study of nature was viewed as suitable for girls and women, and their contribution to the growing fields of geology, biology, chemistry and other disciplines - science as it came to be called - was substantial. It was only when science became more specialized and careers opened up for men that it came to be viewed as a preserve for males, with women lacking the temperament and intellectual capacity for such esoteric pursuits.

     Science was deemed more precise, more definitive, grounded in evidence, remote from literature and poetry, yet neither Darwin nor Dickinson ever accepted that this separation existed. 

      It is interesting to speculate how they would have reacted to the schism between the religious right and science today, where many advocate the teaching of creationism in science curricula. I suspect they would have been alarmed.

      When Darwin died his fame was universal, his place in history assured. Dickinson, on the other hand, was an obscure New England poet, barely published. Darwin was entombed in Westminster Abbey with all the pomp and circumstance that such an honour demands; Dickinson was buried in a small cemetery close to her home.

     The fact that they have been brought together in this riveting work is cause for great celebration.

      I don't think it is an exaggeration to claim that I know Darwin well. Now it's time to get to know Emily Dickinson much better. 

      Thank you, Renée Bergland, for opening up a panoply of fascination for me. This is just the beginning.

Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science - Princeton University Press

Renée Bergland

Hardcover - US$32.00 - ISBN: 9780691235288

440 pages, 59 black-and-white illustrations

6.125 x 9.25 inches (15.31 x 23.125 cm)

Publication date: 30 April, 2024

Birding in Cuba - February 2024 - Part 8

25 February, 2024

Cayo Coco (Cueva El Jabalí, Laguna Flamencos) - Playa Las Coloradas

     Breakfast at the buffet was enjoyed by all, following which we went to the location popularly known as "The Cave." It is in fact an underground disco, populated by bats during the day when the party-goers are not there, with a reversal at night when the bats are out hunting.

     We always start our visit aboveground with a check of a bird bath and a couple of feeders, where there is much to be seen.

     One of the highlights is a subspecies of the endemic Zapata Sparrow (Torreornis inexpectata), and we were not disappointed.

     A Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus) was common, yet always delightful.

     Scanning the surrounding scrubby vegetation was productive, and this Loggerhead Kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus) posed beautifully.

     A Cuban Bullfinch (Melopyrrha nigra) was no less cooperative.

     Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) is surely the most handsome of the Turdus thrushes.

     A Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was not to be outdone, and showed us his most handsome side.

    
     No visit would be complete without a visit to the bats, and so we descended the stairs - into the cave of mystery and delight!

     There were no crowds of merrymakers to disturb our visit.

     Beth made sure that we were all aware of the rules before entering.

     We did not "violate the principles and ethics of our society." We were the very model of well-behaved Canadians; curious, eager to see the subterranean inhabitants, but innocuous to a tee!

     This is an interesting place, to say the least.

     Mike, generous to a fault, bellied up to the bar and offered to buy everyone a drink.

     Suffice it to say that we went a little batty!

     It was an interesting experience, of that you may be sure, enjoyed by everyone.

     Back into the bright light of day, a male Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena) was a fitting welcome from our journey into the underworld, and a female followed right behind to validate the greeting.

     We boarded the bus and travelled to Laguna Flamencos to see West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea) See it we did, but the birds kept frustratingly far away, so I have no pictures to share with you. 

      A Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) was a little more amenable.

     There was a good variety of shorebirds and other species present, but mostly out of camera range. The following shot will give you an idea of what we were facing.

     On the way back to the resort for lunch we did manage to meet up with a Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor).

     After lunch we had time for relaxation (aka siesta, a nap, forty winks) following which we made a short journey to the beach beyond the resort where a wonderful variety of birds awaited us.

     These Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) perched on driftwood were captivating.

     Kathy and Mike had their binoculars trained on everything that moved!

     Is Virgil pondering the next shot or wondering whether he got the last one just right?

       Many Sanderlings (Calidris alba) provided enchantment for all of us.

       A Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) cruised overhead.

     Kathy kept a close eye on a Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and was able to photograph the following sequence.

     The premier attraction at this section of the beach is the presence of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), a bird under siege at every stage of its life cycle. It is classed globally as threatened and endangered, with a total population of between 7,600 and 8,400 in 2020. It is at a high risk of decline as its shoreline habitat is threatened by pollution, expanding expropriation of its habitat by humans, and rising sea levels.

     It is an incredibly appealing little bird, and we were excited to spot one with a leg marker, clearly visible, and able to be captured on camera.

     When I returned home I submitted a picture and the details of our discovery to the appropriate authorities and was advised as follows:

"David- Yes, this is one of our plovers from eastern Canada – he was banded as a chick in July 2017 at Malbay South, NB.  Originally he was black flag AP, but when the code on the black flag became unreadable, we replaced it with white flag K2 in 2021.  As you noted, he winters in Cuba at Cayo Coco.  In the nonbreeding season he has also been seen in spring 2018 in North Carolina; and in fall: 2018 in Virginia and North Carolina, and 2019 North Carolina.

Great to know he is still alive and doing well!  Thanks for sending in the sighting."

     Piping Plovers have been known to live for fourteen years, but most probably do not survive beyond five years, so this epic little voyager is getting on in years.

     I am grateful to Mike for sending me this map of the migratory route followed by our hero, from birthplace to wintering grounds on Cayo Coco, a distance of 3,050 km.

     We were a very happy group.

     In case you ever wondered, there's more to Cuba than palm trees and rum. Just ask any of the people above and they will set you straight.

     Until the next time.....  

    I am grateful to Alan, Beth, Kathy, Mike, Tania and Virgil for contributing their pictures.