DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Sierra de Bahoruco, Rabo de Gato

American Kestrel

Day 2 / Feb 6 – Our first full day in the Dominican Republic began early, as Gabriel and I were eager to explore and continue our quest for the 32 Hispaniolan avian endemics that make this island a popular birding destination.  We left the capital, Santo Domingo, and picked-up local expert Miguel, who would guide Gabriel and I in search of the island’s endemics.  Soon we were passing pairs of American Kestrels hunting along fields of plantains, mangos, sugarcane and coconut palms that dominated the Neiba Valley. This light-colored endemic subspecies would be one of the most numerous species seen during our trip.

Sierra de Bahoruco

Our destination was the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, in the southwest region of the Dominican Republic; this area is also referred to as the “South Island.”  Nearly all of the country’s endemics can be found in this tropical highland ecosystem that is recognized as a globally important area of biodiversity, and encompassed in the UNESCO Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve.

Rabo de Gato trail

After picking up a park pass in the newly-opened park headquarters in Puerto Escondido, we headed up the north slope of the mountain range featuring a variety of habitats, including dry, semi-deciduous, humid broadleaf, cloud and pine forest.  Gray Kingbird, Antillean Bullfinch and Bananaquit were encountered along the way.  At 500 meters we reached Kate Wallace’s campground and stopped just beyond at the Rabo de Gato picnic area to look for target endemics amid the mid-elevation riparian gallery forest.

Narrow-billed Tody

We found both the Narrow-billed Tody (usually found in the higher elevations) and the Broad-billed Tody, a common lowland species. These small, colorful insect eaters are most closely related to the neotropical motmots, and as a generalization, each species forages at a different level in the trees, with Narrow-billed preferring upper canopy. Of the 5 species that make up this Caribbean family, this is the only island that has 2 todies.

Antillean Piculet

The first of many Stolid Flycatcher (a Myiarchus species) showed well, appearing like a washed-out version of a Great-Crested Flycatcher. We heard a flock of Antillean Siskins chattering in the distance, and located them through the scope, perched high on a distant ridgetop.  A Flat-billed Vireo, sounding a bit like a titmouse, foraged in low vegetation and tangles on the slope, revealing his white iris, wing bars and white tips to the outer tail feathers.  A pair of Hispaniolan Orioles flew in to a grove of palm trees, and an Antillean Piculet gleaned insects near the top of the canopy.  One of only two woodpecker species on Hispaniola, the Antillean Piculet, at nearly 6″, is the world’s largest piculet.

We found familiar neotropical migrants such as American Redstart, Northern Parula, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-throated Blue, Cape May, Prairie and Black-and-white Warbler, as well as Summer Tanager, one of the very few records in Hispaniola.  We added another endemic to our list, our twelfth, the rather dull-looking Hispaniolan Pewee, then got a brief glimpse of a Key-West Quail-Dove before it flushed from the trail into the understory.

Mural with endemic Parrot, Bay-breasted Cuckoo and Lizard Cuckoo

On the road leading to the gravel mine, we were rewarded with a Bay-breasted Cuckoo perched briefly in the open.  Larger than the Lizard-Cuckoo, this is now a very localized and rare inhabitant of the low to mid elevations of this mountain range.  We also saw our first group of several fly-over Hispaniolan Parrots.

Hispaniolan Trogon

Back at the picnic area, we located a pair of Hispaniolan Trogons, stunningly beautiful with glossy green head and back, and red bellies.  They perched very quietly, turning their heads in slow-motion to avoid detection by any potential prey, as they foraged in the mid and lower level of the interior forest.  We were delighted to spot a beautiful White-fronted Quail-Dove with its striking white fore-crown, walking up the slope. This chunky ground bird managed to blend in well amongst the leaf litter, as we followed it carefully. Miquel mentioned that he felt the Bay-breasted Cuckoo and White-fronted Quail-Dove were quite possibly the two toughest endemics to find.

On our way out, a Helmeted Guineafowl, an African species introduced in the early 16th century, exploded out of the forest edge, and flew along the trail before veering quickly back into the woods.

Savannah and agricultural land

We ended the day’s birding in the savannah scrub habitat at the base of the range, where Great Antillean Grackles, Gray Kingbirds and Palmchats were numerous. There was excitement when a Merlin came flying through and dove into a tree full of Palmchats.  Yellow-faced Grassquit and an assortment of neotropical migrant warblers foraged along a shrub hedgerow, and a couple of Plain Pigeons flew overhead, heading in to roost.

Burrowing Owl

As we drove towards the coast and the small town of Barahona, our base for the next few days, we saw the first of several pairs of Burrowing Owls.  It was interesting to note that all that all the Burrowing Owls encountered during our trip were found along densely vegetated thorn scrub or wooded areas, not in the expected open areas.  These birds burrowed within limestone banks along the edge of dirt roads.

As darkness descended, we stopped once more when a Barn Owl flew in front of our vehicle and landed on a fence post – a great ending to an exciting day!

all photos © adrian binns