Zapata Peninsula

Our sojourn with New Mexico Ornithological Society moves on to the Zapata Peninsula on the central south coast of Cuba––a fabled land! Indeed, three birds are named for the region––the Zapata Wren, the Zapata Sparrow, and the Zapata Rail––of those, all are highly adapted to the marshy conditions of Zapata Swamp, and all are endangered.

Zapata Swamp National Park and Biosphere Reserve is also a RAMSAR site for conserving wetlands of international importance.

(Photos by Narca, except for Jerry's wren)

The wren and the rail are endemic to the Zapata Peninsula, at present time living nowhere else. Two other populations of the Zapata Sparrow live in Cayo Coco and Guantánamo Province. The rail, sadly, is slipping towards extinction, and none have been seen in several years. It suffers from predation by introduced African Sharptooth Catfish, which eat the rail chicks, and introduced Small Asian Mongooses. Our hopes, however, are high for finding the wren and the sparrow.

Our base here is Playa Larga ("Long Beach"), a lovely seaside hotel with scattered cabañas and a resident Stygian Owl. When we pull in, a Great Lizard Cuckoo is prowling the entry way.

A Great Lizard Cuckoo at the entry to Playa Larga

One idiosyncrasy of Cuban resorts is towel origami. They fold bath towels to resemble hearts, swans bearing flowers, and the like––and they carry the practice to a high art.

In Cuba, towel-folding gives a new twist to origami.

But Playa Larga is the only place where I've seen them attempt to fold a blanket in this manner!

This origami resembles a Red-throated Loon more than a swan.

The wetlands of Zapata Swamp are even more flooded than usual.

Venturing along roads with flooded sawgrass savanna on either side, we find Zapata's famous namesakes. The sparrow is especially cooperative: a pair observes us, then resumes foraging, until finally we walk away from them! This beautiful sparrow recalls for me the colorful brush finches of Central and South America.

A curious, confiding Zapata Sparrow (not all are so cooperative!)

The endangered Zapata Wren is more secretive, creeping through the undergrowth by the road, but eventually he relaxes with our presence and hops into full view. His flat crown strikes me as very distinctive.

Zapata Wren (Photo by Jerry Oldenettel)

The Zapata Peninsula is also the site of the 1962 Bay of Pigs invasion. We visit a museum which presents the Cuban point of view of events here, where US actions were seen as an extreme provocation. To understand the US viewpoint, we have to place ourselves back in the fearful mindset of the Cold War. There is no need now to perpetuate those particular old fears. It's time to move on to today's vantage point, and normalize relations between the two countries!

The Chigger Farm

In a brief interlude between major destinations, our group from New Mexico Ornithological Society stays in the lovely hotel of San Diego de los Baños. (Yes––there are hot springs!)

San Diego de los Baños (Photo by Narca)

Here we (rather carefully) tromp through what came to be called "the chigger farm". Forewarned, all of us accept Dale's generous offer of a liberal dusting with his flowers of sulphur, and later I hear only one person lament having found those chiggers.

And why head out on such a risky mission? The chigger farm is our one chance at seeing the beautiful Cuban Grassquit.

They are elusive. With no luck on our first try, we return another day. They are still elusive, but we persist. Eventually our Cuban guide Giraldo and our driver Francisco (also an enthusiastic birder!), locate the little imps, in a flock where they are outnumbered by Yellow-faced Grassquits. From across a field, we all enjoy scope views, and then the more audacious photographers wade through more chiggers to try for photos.

Yellow-faced Grassquit (Photo by Narca)

As uncooperative as these birds are, I'm amazed that Jerry is able to catch this photo of the gorgeous male and his fetching mate.

A pair of endemic Cuban Grassquits (Photo by Jerry Oldenettel)

In double-checking information for this post, I've learned from Wikipedia that this grassquit is now considered to be a tanager, and most closely related to Darwin's finches of the Galapagos. This relationship between Cuban species and those of the Galapagos is also emphasized by Giraldo Alayon, our Cuban scientist-guide. In his work with spiders, he has found a group in Cuba whose closest relatives are on the Galapagos! Giraldo also tells us that the same situation exists with Bahama Mockingbird––its closest relatives are the Galapagos mockingbirds, not our familiar Northern Mockingbird or the nearby Tropical Mockingbird of Central and South America.

I am very curious about this connection between Cuba and the Galapagos. Does anyone out there know more? Apparently part of Cuba formed over the Galapagos hotspot, yet that was so long ago that it seems unlikely that the lifeforms would have the same source. And the evidence comes from such disparate groups as spiders and birds!

Che Guevara's Cave

The next stop in our Cuban journey with New Mexico Ornithological Society is Cueva de los Portales, the impressive limestone cave where Che Guevara hid during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.

One entrance into Cueva de los Portales (Photos by Narca)

This 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union / Cuba was one of the most dangerous periods of the Cold War. The crisis was a direct result of our involvement in the attempt to overthrow Castro's government at the Bay of Pigs invasion. Our Cuban guide Ray tells us something I hadn't known––Castro only declared the country officially Communist after the provocation of the Bay of Pigs.

During those 13 days, Che Guevara––an Argentine revolutionary who became one of the most loved figures within Cuba and a symbol everywhere for rebellion––used Cueva de los Portales as the headquarters for the Western Army, which was under his command.

Che Guevara's image is everywhere, here on a vintage Chrysler.

When Alan and I visited the cave in 2004, there were a few stark pieces of furniture, including the bed where Che slept and the table where he played chess. Now some wooden construction has been done to give it a slightly more homey appearance, and the bed is neatly made up with sheets. The ceiling of the cave looms 90 feet above these bits of furniture.

The bed where Che Guevara slept during the Cuban missile crisis.

Textured limestone wall

Its history aside, the cave within these limestone mountains is most impressive. The cave lies within La Guira National Park, and the forests here shelter some of Cuba's special birds.

Limestone cliffs at La Guira National Park

The intriguing plant life would rouse anyone's Inner Botanist. 

The first new endemic for the day is a Cuban Solitaire––its plumage is modest, but its song is as haunting as that of other solitaires.

The Cuban Solitaire's song resonates in these mountains and, later,

 echoes in our daydreams.

A Great Lizard Cuckoo thrashes about the bromeliad-laden branches, and Cuban Green Woodpeckers forage on the palm fruits.

The Great Lizard Cuckoo is a relative of our roadrunner.

Fruiting palms attract hordes of hungry birds.

Possibly Cuba's most spectacular bird is its trogon, and today several trogons watch us curiously, as we admire them. This glorious species is both widespread and fairly common.

A fabulous Cuban Trogon, the national bird (no surprise there!)

The mountains around Cueva de los Portales also harbor Cuba's national flower, called White Ginger. It is actually native to Asia, but has thrived after introduction to Cuba. Cuban women used it to smuggle messages to their men during the wars for liberation of the 19th century.

White Ginger or Butterfly Jasmine, Hedychium coronarium,

is Cuba's national flower.

Next destination: the Zapata Swamp!

Cuba's Guanahacabibes National Park

Eager for our best chance to see a Bee Hummingbird––the world's smallest bird––we head to Guanahacabibes National Park and Biosphere Reserve near María la Gorda. The region is important for its coral reefs, 4 species of sea turtles, spiny lobsters, and 11 species of birds endemic to Cuba. Its 150 square miles harbor about 100 lakes.

Entrance to Guanahacabibes National Park

(Photos by Narca, except for Cuban Emerald)

Right away we are finding wonderful Cuban birds, like this Western Spindalis. The Cuban spindalis is one of a species complex that may eventually be split, as understanding of their genetics advances.

Western Spindalis

La Sagra's Flycatcher is much like other Myiarchus flycatchers that nest around Portal.

La Sagra's Flycatcher

And this Eastern Phoebe looks just like... an Eastern Phoebe! What is this bird doing in Cuba? It's only about the fourth record for the country! Yesterday Arturo Kirkconnell and his group from Massachusetts Audubon found this rarity, and it is still here today.

Eastern Phoebe is a great rarity in Cuba.

The insects at Guanahacabibes are dazzling, too.

Orthemis sp. (Antillean Red Skimmer) 

Doug Danforth (who noticed that Roseate Skimmer does not have a red face) has sent me a note on this dragonfly, after consulting with Dennis Paulson. Dennis writes: "It is what we have been calling 'Antillean red,' a red species looking very much like discolor that occurs all over the Greater Antilles and into southern Florida...." The bottom line is that this Cuban skimmer has not yet been officially described, and DNA work on this species complex is underway. Thanks, Doug! I can always count on you for elucidating dragonflies.

We saw Common Ringlets, Calisto herophile, in many locales.

We are impressed both by the efforts here to regenerate native forests and by the outreach programs which involve local schoolchildren. Several people in the group have brought school supplies which we leave for the reserve's programs.

And the great giveaway of baseballs commences! Several people––Janet, Pat, Rich––have brought something like 50 baseballs and a glove. Throughout our trip, the kids who receive this largesse can't contain their excitement.

And what about those hummingbirds? Plenty of big Cuban Emeralds are buzzing around.

Cuban Emerald (Photo by Jerry Oldenettel)

And, yes indeed, here is the prize! Bee Hummingbirds! I was only able to photograph a female, and only her nondescript front––her back blazes with turquoise. Rich Wagner shot an excellent photo of the Bee Hummingbird, showing some of that turquoise on her flanks and back. Click here to link with his blog.

Dave's devotees are all very happy at the end of the day, and some are clamoring for a toast with Vitamin R!

A tiny Bee Hummingbird, about 2 inches long, bill and all. Think about it!

Cuba's Far West

Daybreak at María la Gorda (Photos by Narca)

We set out for María la Gorda at the extreme western tip of Cuba. It's an all-day drive, and our unflinching NMOS leader Dave Krueper (sustained by the whole gang) is not going to leave any Cattle Egret or Smooth-billed Ani uncounted. Yes, this is fun, but I am ready for those endemics!

Along the way, we pass endemic Barrigon ("Big Belly") Palms. 

Giraldo Alayon, our very fine Cuban guide, talks to us about Cuba's geology and habitats as we travel––of the karstic (limestone) soils and the high level of endemism. Giraldo is a birder (and a very fine dancer!), but his more serious profession is arachnologist––a spider man.

In 1986 Giraldo spotted an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in eastern Cuba, igniting excitement that the species survived. Researchers found three Ivory-bills in that area, but in recent years biologists seeking Ivory-bills have been chasing evanescent rumors in Cuba. Hope has faded, but among Cuban biologists it hasn't died entirely.

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers (Acrylic painting by Narca)

From Ray (Raydalie Pérez O'Farrill), our marvelous Cuban logistics-and-cultural guide, we learn of Vitamin R (rum). Only one day into the trip, spirits are high and joking is rampant.

After a few birding stops, we arrive at María la Gorda, where palms overhang the breaking surf and a Cuban Black-Hawk perches above mangroves. It's good to land!

Jerry Oldenettel, Jim Shiflett, Janet Ruth and Bruce Neville––relaxing!

Our cabaña at María la Gorda

Butterflies like this White Peacock enliven the path to the bungalows.

The hotel grounds are rich in Cuban Orioles, Cuban Pygmy-Owls, Cuban Bullfinches... I think we've found those endemics!

Cuban Black-Hawk is a recent split from Common Black-Hawk.

West Indian Woodpecker

Cuban Pygmy-Owl

Cuban Bullfinch

As I drift off to sleep, sea breezes are stirring, and waves lap at the shore, promising great adventure ahead.

Havana! Havana!

Recently Alan and I joined friends from New Mexico Ornithological Society for a humanitarian trip to Cuba. Our project was––of course!––a bird survey, done under the auspices of Caribbean Conservation Trust.

Back in 2004 we made a similar trip with Western Field Ornithologists, and the scene was much the same in the city and the countryside. Vintage cars, polished to a high gleam, still cruise the roads. 1958 was the last year for Cubans to bring US cars into the country; today those ancient vehicles are the only ones which can be legally owned by individuals. (People with more modern Russian Ladas are using their government vehicles.) Only supreme ingenuity has kept those wheels turning.

Cars are often fumigated with insecticides at the outskirts of big towns!

(Photos by Narca, except for Cuban Tody)

In the intervening years, Cuba has switched from its experiment with a US dollar economy to their own CUCs ("kooks"). US restrictions on visitors have also tightened. No longer is it possible to bring home a T-shirt, handicrafts, or a musical instrument made from a gourd. But "information" like artwork and etchings are allowed! (I'm okay with the ban on bringing in cigars! Even though Mike really seemed to enjoy his.)

A peacock strolls through the beautiful Cafe El Cappuccino in Old Havana

Street scene in Havana

Fun public art in Havana

Before we leave Havana for the countryside, we visit Orlando Garrido at his home. Introduced to us as a "national treasure," Garrido is coauthor of Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. For much of his career he has worked in ornithology. He piles his desk high for us with specimens of Cuba's endemic birds.

Orlando Garrido signs our books, while Dale Stahlecker looks on.

Garrido has a second area of renown: he has been a fine tennis player, even competing at Wimbledon. He becomes really animated when he shows us his trophies and talked of tennis! And I had thought him enthusiastic before!

Garrido with a zillion tennis trophies

Among Cuba's fabulous endemic birds is this jewel: the Cuban Tody. Todies comprise the only family of birds endemic to the Caribbean. We are eager to be away from the city and into Tody Country!

A tiny Cuban Tody (Photo by Jerry Oldenettel)

Billboards all over Cuba endeavor to keep the revolution alive.

"An end to injustice!" and "NEVER has a people had so many things to defend or such profound convictions with which to fight."

A woman with whom I struck up a conversation in a plaza in Old Havana didn't seem too keen on continuing that old struggle, lauded in billboards. She was without relations in the US, and so had no one sending her money on a regular basis. Sweet and exhausted, she said that life is very hard now. She had one hope: her daughter was attending school to work in Cuba's tourism business. Contact with tourists brings money to build a better life.

The embargo against Cuba outlived any usefulness decades ago. Isn't it time we normalized our relations? First-generation Cubans in the US fled the revolution. Their property in Cuba was confiscated more than 50 years ago, and those who are still alive, still want it back. The embargo isn't going to accomplish that; it is purely punitive. Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl (now in power) have loved that embargo. It has given them a reason to continue railing against the "imperialists", and a way of distracting the populace from other problems. The Cuban revolution happened because change was needed. But we all need to leave this time warp and move on!

Buff-collared Nightjar / Field Sketching Workshop

Years ago in the village of Alamos in Sonora, Mexico, Alan, Beth Russell and I stumbled across this Buff-collared Nightjar. (Maybe stumbled across isn't quite right––we were out on that chilly night specifically to look for one!)

The bird was nestled under a street lamp next to the cemetery and didn't want to budge. How obliging! It was begging to be sketched.

Today's request from Western Birds for a sketch of a Buff-collared Nightjar brought back the whole scene. Digging through old field journals, I found it. It actually provides great incentive to get back out in the field with a sketchbook.

If any of you have a similar hankering, think about joining me next August for a weeklong workshop in field sketching, offered through WINGS. We will be based right here in the Chiricahua Mountains. What setting could be better?!