Well I have finally gotten around to posting a trip report for my visit to Puerto Rico a couple weeks ago. I went with my dad who was attending a business conference. I only had one day to go birdwatching, but it was still great. I had a fantastic guide whom I found through birdingpal.org. His name is Francisco "Pochy" Rosario and he was knowledgeable and friendly, speaks english, and has very reasonable daily rates.
My dad and I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Mayaguez. We walked around a bit around the pool and the adjoining property and saw bananaquit, scaly naped pigeon, white wing dove, pearly eyed thrasher, and grey kingbird.
Our first stop was Maricao National Forest, which is a montane rainforest preserve. We saw many of the endemics here, including Puerto Rican Tody, Elfin Woods Warbler, Puerto Rican Tanager, Puerto Rican Vireo, Puerto Rican Bullfinch, Puerto Rican green mango, and heard the Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo. I was able to see nesting grey kingbirds, antillean oriole, and tody.
Next stop was Guanica Dry Forest. It was hot! Here we saw the endemic Adelaide's warbler as well as more bullfinches and todies.
Then we continued along the coast to Cabo Rojo salt flats. We drove alongside the lagoon which had many black necked stilts. Common ground doves were very common along the dirt roads. At the visitor center they had a very nice video (in spanish) but I got the gist- very informative. Trails leading from the visitor center produced bananaquit, puerto rican flycatcher, indian silverbill, Troupial, and numerous hummingbirds. On the way back we drove by the Cabo Rojo lighthouse and saw clapper rail among the mangroves, clapper rail, and the Yellow Shouldered Blackbird picking in the garbage dumpster alongside the antillean grackles.
It was a lot of fun, although I wish I had more time there. I will definitely be going back someday.
Species total: 49
Life birds:22
Endemics: 9
Adelaide's Warbler
Dendroica adelaidae
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Antillean Mango
Anthracothorax dominicus
Antillean Nighthawk
Chordeiles gundlachii
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Cave Swallow
Petrochelidon fulva
Clapper Rail
Rallus longirostris
Common Ground-Dove
Columbina passerina
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Elfin Woods Warbler
Dendroica angelae
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Great Egret
Casmerodius albus
Greater Antillean Grackle
Greater Antillean Oriole
Quiscalus niger
Icterus dominicensis
Grey Kingbird
Tyrannus dominicensis
Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris
House Sparrow
Indian Silverbill
Passer domesticus
Lonchura malabarica
Least Tern
Sterna antillarum
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Palm Warbler
Dendroica palmarum
Pearly-eyed Thrasher
Margarops fuscatus
Puerto Rican Bullfinch
Loxigilla portoricensis
Puerto Rican Flycatcher
Myiarchus antillarum
Puerto Rican Tanager
Nesospingus speculiferus
Puerto Rican Tody
Todus mexicanus
Puerto Rican Vireo
Vireo latimeri
Puerto Rico Green Mango
Anthracothorax viridis
Red-legged Thrush
Turdus plumbeus
Ringed Turtle-Dove
Streptopelia risoria
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Royal Tern
Sterna maxima
Scaly-naped Pigeon
Columba squamosa
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Tricolored Heron
Troupial
Egretta tricolor
Icterus icterus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird
Agelaius xanthomus
Zenaida Dove
Zenaida aurita
Nice report Janine. Those european Starlings get everywhere don't they!!
Janine13,
Nice report and a great list of birds. After seeing your photo ID questions, I was waiting for this report 8-) Sounds like a good place to visit. My wife and I are trying to plan a trip there over the New Years break.