Cuba, Day 9, 12 March 2017 - Bermejas & Playa Larga

Our last day in the Zapata/Bay of Pigs area and I had a just a couple of target species left to go for. I needed to complete the set of Quail-doves so set off on my own in the early morning to Bermejas just inland of Playa Giron. On the 35 km drive there were plenty of American Kestrels on roadside wires and Zenaida Doves on the verges. 2 Cuban Parrots flew over the road and then, just as I was nearing the woodland reserve at Bermejas a Cuban Black Hawk flew low over the road - I'd been scouring the skies for one for days and my target list was now down to just one! Walking the easternmost track through the woods at Bermejas (avoiding a big tour group who went the other way) and I found my wanted bird within about 20 minutes as a Key West Quail-dove walked slowly along the track in front of me. I also saw it or another on the walk back. In the woods I also had 15 Cuban Parakeets (by far my biggest group), several White-crowned Pigeons, 3 Cuban Todys, Loggerhead Kingbird, La Sagra's Flycatcher, c15 Red-legged Thrushes, Magnolia Warbler, 2 Black-throated Blue Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, 3 American Redstarts, Yellow-headed Warbler and Cuban Green Woodpecker before I got back to my car. Job done!

Key West Quail-dove

Magnolia Warbler 

Yellow-headed Warbler

Northern Mockingbird

American Kestrel

Back in Playa Larga I'd exhausted pretty much all the posibilities so in the late afternoon I went for a walk along tracks through woodland on the north side of the village. Dodging all the rubbish I eventually got into some scubby woodland and in the next hour found Northern Parula, Cuban Vireo, Great Lizard Cuckoo, a Green Heron, Common Gallinule, Cuban Tody, La Sagra's Flycatcher, American Redstart and Palm Warblers. Back at our digs a Royal Tern flew around the bay that also held 3 Little Blue Herons with a Cuban Crow calling in the trees. 

La Sagra's Flycatcher

Cuban Tody

Northern Parula