DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Sierra de Bahoruco NP, Aceitillar 

Coastline along the Barahona Peninsula

Day 4 / Feb 8 – This morning, our birding tour of the Dominican Republic took us down the southwest coastline, along the edges of the Barahona peninsula.  Where the lush hills of the Sierra Bahoruco meet the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, Royal Terns and Brown Pelicans could be seen diving.

Amid the multitude of palm trees dotting a limestone landscape, we found a large group of White-necked Crows noisily socializing on some farmland around Penalba.  Sounding like a cross between oropendulas and parrots, this species of corvid seems to be faring better than declining Palm Crows, perhaps because they feed in trees, whereas Palm Crows forage on the ground and may be ingesting more toxic pesticides.

We took an early lunch at a family-run roadside cafe, “Parador Garcia Fernandez,” where I enjoyed conch and crab heaped with rice. Continuing south, we stopped at the Laguna de Oviedo, just inside the Jaragua National Park which encompasses the tip of the peninsula. Scanning the  muddy mangrove edges of the saltwater lagoon, we found a couple of American Flamingos, a white morph Reddish Egret (the only morph found in Hispaniola), Great Blue Herons, White Ibis and a Caspian Tern. A Peregrine Falcon caught our attention when it flushed a small flock of shorebirds.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the Aceitillar section, on the southern slope of the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park. We drove through dry thorn scrub, ascending steadily from sea level through moist broadleaf forests, on a wide paved road built by the Alcoa company.  We reached the now-inactive Alcoa mining pits, surrounded by pine forests, and took a short walk towards the center of the pit.  A pair of Green-tailed Ground Tanagers foraged low in a grove of pines, and we saw Golden Swallows flying around the remains of the mine, flashing their green backs tinged with gold.

At 1100 meters, we were within the Pine forest and delighted to encounter several pairs of Hispaniolan Crossbills coming to drink from a water trough. At least today, it was relatively easy locating two upper elevation endemics.  With time to spare, we continued on through the pine forest to the end of the road at Hoyo de Pelempito, where the Visitors Center, an open wooden building with wraparound deck, highlighted stunning views of the valley between the northern and southern mountains of this “south island.”

In the late afternoon we headed back down the mountain, stopping at the broadleaf forest to check out the avian activity. Birding the road, we found many Palm Warblers, both Narrow-billed and Broad-billed Todies, Antillean Euphonia, Antillean Piculet and Flat-billed Vireo. A stunning male Hispaniolan Spindalis appeared briefly as we listened to the beautifully haunting whistle of Rufous-throated Solitaires accompanying the setting sun.  Scaly-naped Pigeons flapped through the canopy, shuffling for a place to roost.  Flocks of noisy Hispaniolan Parrots staged along the road in small groups, and we could see a few Olive-throated Parakeets flying around their nest hole in a bank on the forest slope.

The Hispaniolan Nightjar began calling at dusk, right on cue. We heard 4 individuals, and saw one swoop and perch briefly for us.  Not far away, an Ashy-faced Owl called non-stop, possibly a begging juvenile.  We tracked it down through the dense broadleaf forest where we found it calling from high up a tree, appearing to be an adult owl.

We toasted another day of birding in the Dominican Republic, delighted that our endemic list now totals 28 species.

all photos © adrian binns