The Dominican Republic Apr 17—24, 2010
Posted by David Ascanio
David Ascanio
David Ascanio, a Venezuelan birder and naturalist, has spent the last 26 years guiding birding tours throughout his native country, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, the Amazo...Related Trips
There are few trips that I look forward to as much as our Dominican Republic tour, which offers a wonderful combination of endemic bird species and good birding conditions.
Despite its size (about 18,000 sq. miles), the Dominican Republic is comprised of an incredible mix of habitats, from coastal mangrove to grasslands and three forest types: moist, cloud, and pine. Although we spent most of the tour in the forest, we also visited gardens, grasslands, and desert scrub in the southern section of the country.
Our tour started in Los Limones where we gained an appreciation of how humans and birds can coexist. Here we saw more than seven Ridgway's Hawks sharing their habitat with the local farmers, who seem to respect the hawks' need to search for prey. Although conflicts remain between the farmers and the hawks, there is hope for the survival of this species, as long as the NGO running the conservation program remains in the area to deal with such conflicts.
After a successful day in Los Limones, we drove to a lodge near Barahona, which is the headquarters for visiting the Sierra de Bahoruco. Here the road was rough, thus our chances for seeing the endemic species were reduced to a few hours a day. Nevertheless, despite the limited time and the road conditions, we managed to see all of the endemics well, and most of them through the scope!
Some of the endemic birds were relatively easy to see, but others required a good effort, as well as time spent standing at the edge of the forest. An Eastern Chat-Tanager showed up for a few seconds of singing before hiding again in the forest. A La Selle Thrush eventually came so close to us that no binoculars were needed to appreciate it!
It is worthy of note that our drives throughout this portion of the Hispaniola allowed sightings of 27 birds endemic to the island, plus many Caribbean specialties. Among the endemic species, the Todidae, Ridgway's Hawk, Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, La Selle Thrush, Ashy-faced Owl, and Antillean Piculet were voted as the favorites.
I hope our birdlist brings back memories of great birds, wonderful companionship, and lots of fun. I will always remember Alan's warning that brought laughs after we finished our checklist on the first night: "David, we had a great day, but remember that tonight everything resets to zero!"
I believe all of the participants on this year's tour would agree that ours was a true adventure. I hope to travel with you again someday!