Our third and final full day in Florida started slowly, with the first wildlife activity being a visit to the Flint CREW Reserve, which gave different habitats to Corkscrew. The heat was oppressive, and birdlife limited, but we did complete the set of woodpeckers available. We did have an interesting chat with two volunteers who were weeding Abrus precatorius, a creeper that had red berries which we were told were extremely toxic.
Birds
47. Red-headed woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
In the afternoon we decided to have a bit of fun and take an airboat ride. Before that, we went back to the Havanna Cafe for a final lunch.
I had picked out a specific airboat company that seemed interested in wildlife but in the end could not find them. We ended up at a run-down facility staffed by strong supporters of the Second Amendment as well as a liking for the Confederate battle flag. In any event it was lots of fun. The emphasis was very much on alligators. I have to say alligators really do not hold a candle to salt-water crocodiles, but it was all good fun. We managed to see most of the heron species we had already seen, but much closer, and several other species including a couple of new ones.
Birds
48. American coot Fulica cristata
49. American gallinule Gallinula galeata
50. Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
51. Tricolor heron Egretta tricolor
52. Black-necked stilt Himantopus mexicanus
Heading back to Naples, we headed to Naples Pier in case we could see any seabirds. This proved to be a mistake, as the beach was very busy and there were no seabirds to be seen. As dusk was approaching, we decided to see if we could find marsh rabbits. We toured the parks around Naples Zoo, which appeared from iNaturalist to be a hotspot, but to no avail.
The next day was a transfer to Santo Dominico in the Dominican Republic. So there was a quick dash across I75 back to Miami Airport for our midday flight.
Caching up on a few missed birds:
From the Everglades report:
53. American crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
With some assistance we identified the "yellow-headed warbler" at Corkscrew:
54.
Prothonotary warbler Protonotaria citea
Missed from Flint Reserve:
55.
Yellow-bellied sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
From the airboat ride
56.
Mottled duck Anas fulvigula
We arrived in our hotel, which was located in the oldest section of town, mid-afternoon. After settling in we went for a walk around town. Many of the buildings here date back to the early 1500's, as Santo Dominico is the oldest European settlement (excluding Vikings) in North America. After admiring the architecture, we enjoyed dinner in the Cathedral Square.
Hispaniolan parakeets were seen flying around. They have taken to nesting in crevasses of stone buildings and walls in the old town and are now more common in the capital than the countryside.
The next morning we had breakfast on the roof, in a very nice cafe where we observed our first hummingbirds feeding on pot plants. We met up with Ruth, a botanist by training from the UK who has for many years done about three birding trips a year, and who is the third member of our team.
After breakfast, we met with Jorge, our guide and driver. Jorge is the Director of SOH Conservation, one of the largest conservation NGO's in the country, and was donating his fee for the tour back to SOH. Many of the reserves we would visit would be managed by SOH.
Birds
57.
Hispaniolan mango Anthracothorax dominicus
58.
Hispaniolan parrakeet Psittachara chloropterus
We headed northeast towards the Savannah Del La Mar. The trip took about four hours and included wildlife stops for instance to look at a dead tree with about 10 woodpeckers active on it.
We arrived at our hotel for lunch. There are resort hotels along the north coast, but given there is little internal tourism or backpacking, hotels in most towns are basic and utilitarian. The good news is that they are spotlessly clean, the most essential attribute in any accommodation for me.
We were here essentially for the Ridgeway's hawk but saw quite a number of other birds as well.
59. Helmeted guineafowl
Numida meleagris (iintroduced)
60.
Antillian palm swift Tachornis phoenicobia
61.
Vervain hummingbird Mellisuga minima (second smallest bird in the world)
62. Smooth-billed ani
Crotophaga ani
63. Limpkin
Aramus guarauna
64. Magnificent frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
65. Spotted sandpiper
Actitis macularius
66. Royal tern
Thalasseus maximus
67. Red-tailed hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
68.
Ridgeway's hawk Buteo ridgwayi CR
69.
Hispaniolan woodpecker Melanerpes striatus
70.
Antillean piculet Nescoctites micromegas
71.
Broad-billed tody Todus subulatus (new Family)
72.
Grey kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis
73.
Black-whiskered vireo Vireo altiloquus
74.
White-necked crow Corvis leucognaphalus
75.
Greater Antillian grackle Quiscalus niger
76. Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
77.
Black-faced grassquit Melanospiza bicolor
78.
Black-crowned palm tanager Paenicophilus palmarun (new Family)
79.
Palmchat Dulus dominicus (new Family)
