Day 6 Monday, January 14: Batey Caleton, Zapata

	Bird of the Day: Zapata Sparrow

casa particular in Batey Caleton


This morning El Chino surprised us with a birding outing in a green1954 Ford. These 1950s American cars predate the Revolution (1959). Our beautiful antique car came with a driver and El Chino's brother, Angel, as our guide. The Ford didn`t have any trouble following a bumpy dirt road into a marshy area.



Angel would lead us to the Zapata Sparrow (great views) and patiently tried to call in the elusive Zapata Wren (heard and observed in flight). We twice heard the call of the Zapata Rail, but we had no expectation of actually seeing it!



We also saw some more of our Canadian warblers, the bright Purple Gallinule and the colourful Common Moorhen.



On the way back to El Chino`s we stopped for a short hike in a forest to look for a roosting Stygian Owl (no luck), but we did spot a Key West Quail-Dove - one of the 5 lifers today.



It was lunchtime. El Chino arrived with his wife, new baby Johannsen and his little granddaughter, Lisa. Pedro prepared our typical ham and cheese sandwiches.



After our siesta, El Chino picked us up and we visited the backyard of a home with Bee Hummingbird flowers.



Can you find the tiny hummingbird in this photo?



We were lucky to see the female Bee Hummingbird as well as the much larger Cuban Emerald.



Our next stop was a farm with some charcoal production in process. Good views of a Cuban Green Woodpecker and a Cuban Parrot.



We enjoyed another lobster dinner together and then set out to find a Greater Antillean Nightjar.



We returned to a farm and waited until dark. In the light from El Chino's flashlight, we were able to spot a Nightjar as it rose up from the ground and flew away, trip lifer #39.



Birds seen January 14, 2013
*new birds bolded

Bird of the Day: Zapata Sparrow

1. Great Blue Heron
2. Great Egret
3. Snowy Egret
4. Cattle Egret
5. Turkey Vulture
6. Northern Waterthrush
7. American Redstart
8. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
9. Common Moorhen
10. Sora (H)
11. Mourning Dove
12. Tree Swallow
13. Green Heron
14. Zapata Rail (H) - lifer#35
15. Palm Warbler
16. Neotropic Cormorant
17. Common Yellowthroat
18. Red-legged Thrush
19. Zapata Sparrow - lifer#36
20. Purple Gallinule
21. Northern Mockingbird
22. Osprey
23. Prairie Warbler
24. Cuban Pewee
25. Loggerhead Kingbird
26. American Kestrel
27. Zapata Wren - lifer#37
28. Red-shouldered Blackbird
29. Cuban Tody
30. Cuban Trogon
31. Key West Quail-Dove - lifer#38
32. Bee Hummingbird
33. Cuban Emerald
34. House Sparrow
35. Gray Catbird
36. American Redstart
37. Black-throated Blue Warbler
38. Great Lizard Cuckoo
39. Cuban Green Woodpecker
40. Pine Warbler
41. Northern Parula
42. Cuban Parrot
43. Cuban Blackbird
44. Greater Antillean Grackle
45. Greater Antillean Nightjar - lifer#39

Trip Total: 110