Puerto Rico

Our Puerto Rico birding tour starts at our hotel in San Juan for a meet-and-greet before supper. Night in San Juan.

We leave very early this morning and drive to the Rio Abajo State Forest reserve, located south of the town of Arecibo. Our target species is the critically endangered Puerto Rican Parrot, one of the rarest birds in the West Indies. A breeding and reintroduction program is underway at the José Luis Vivaldi Lugo Aviary, located in the forest preserve; released birds have been breeding successfully in the wild for several years now, and we have a chance to see one of these wild individuals as we explore the forest. Here we have further opportunities to see Puerto Rico’s endemic avifauna – species such as Puerto Rican Vireo, Puerto Rican Tody and Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo – as well as opportunities for Ruddy and Key West Quail-Doves. Overnight in Arecibo.

In the morning we drive to La Parguera in the southwest part of the island where we should see the endangered Yellow-shouldered Blackbird. Numbers of the blackbird appear to be on the increase, owing in part to a cowbird control program.

In the afternoon, we head back to our hotel for a break so that we are well rested for an evening excursion to search for the endangered Puerto Rican Nightjar and the Puerto Rican Owl. Overnight in La Parguera.

Today we visit Maricao National Forest, at the western end of the Cordilleran Central. At this higher altitude, lush forest covers the montane slopes, and a wide variety of the island’s endemics can be found. Our main target bird here is the Elfin-woods Warbler, a secretive and fast-moving warbler discovered as recently as 1971, and we spend quite a bit of time searching for this species. Whilst doing so, we should encounter Green Mango, Puerto Rican Emerald, Puerto Rican Tody, Puerto Rican Pewee, Puerto Rican Tanager, and - with luck - Antillean Euphonia. Overnight in La Parguera.

Today we visit the dry scrub forest of Guanica National Forest, a new habitat with a new suite of birds for us, including Pearly-eyed Thrasher, Puerto Rican Vireo, Black-whiskered Vireo, Puerto Rican Bullfinch, Adelaide’s Warbler, as well as the amazing Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo. We also visit the coastal mangroves and sand spits along the coast, looking for shorebirds, Mangrove Cuckoo, Caribbean Eleania, and Venezuelan Troupial. Overnight in La Parguera.

As we make our way back east along the south shore of the island, we will visit the Humacao Nature Reserve where we look for the near endemic Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Green-throated Carib, White-cheeked Pintail, Caribbean Coot, and other wetland species. We also have a very good chance of finding Mangrove Cuckoo here, and perhaps one of the several naturalised, introduced species (last year this was our only site for the handsome Tricoloured Munia). Overnight near Luquillo.

The Caribbean National Forest covers about 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) and receives high amounts of rainfall which result in dense rainforest on the lower slopes of El Yunque, a peak which rises to 3494ft (1065m). Higher altitudes have palm forests with dwarf forest on the highest peaks.

There are plenty of endemic goodies here – the attractive Puerto Rican Woodpecker, Puerto Rican Tanager, Puerto Rican Emerald, the ever popular Puerto Rican Tody, Puerto Rican Spindalis, Puerto Rican Flycatcher and Puerto Rican Bullfinch. Scaly-naped Pigeon, Loggerhead Kingbird and Red-legged Thrush occur here, and Green Mangos are found near fast running water. In the evening we may try for the virtual endemic Puerto Rican Owl, an atypical screech-owl as it lacks ear tufts! We then drive back to San Juan where we spend the night.