Cuba, Day 4, 7 March 2017 - Valle de Silencio & Embalse Pressa al Salto

Today was essentially a non-birding day. As I'd cleaned up yesterday I ventured out with the girls today for a visit to a tobacco farm and a long walk in the Valle de Silencio area just outside Vinales. The whole thing was a little touristy with loads of horse riders everywhere and guides I didn't really take to but the scenery was spectacular and I naturally took my camera and bins!

Walking through small arable fields a small flock of Scaly-breasted Munias proved to be the only ones of the trip and Smooth-billed Anis were everywhere. On the walk it was mainly the commoner species that were knocking about but at a patch of pines near the entrance to the valley I was very pleased to find a pair of Olive-capped Warblers and unlike yesterday I was able to get some pics this time. On the lake was a Muscovy Duck (!) and 3 Killdeer flew in while the other sightings included Zenaida Dove, Cuban Tody, American Redstart, Northern Parula, 4 Cuban Martins, La Sagra's Flycatcher, Cuban Pewee, loads of Yellow-faced Grassquits and a lovely showy Yellow-headed Warbler which positively posed for my camera!     

Olive-capped Warbler

Yellow-headed Warbler

Scaly-breasted Munia

Muscovy Duck

A late afternoon drive to a promising looking lake to the east of Vinales, the Embalse Pressa al Salto was very nice. the lake itself was pretty quiet with Great Egrets, Brown Pelicans, Neotropic Cormorants and a Belted Kingfisher but a stroll up the engtrance road for a few hundred yards produced yet another Olive-capped Warbler, Grey Catbird, Northern Parlua, American Redstart, Yellow-headed Warbler, 3 Red-legged Honeycreepers and 2 Western Spindalis.