|
|
Gallery of Cuba 2016 images CUBA DECEMBER 2016
First morning, full of expectation
Olive-capped Warbler has a fragmented distribution in east and west Cuba and the northern Bahamas. Inhabits stands of pine, mostly in highlands
Red-legged Thrush, a striking Caribbean endemic
Cuban
Trogon - the country's national bird
American Flamingo - with the majority of the population shared between Cuba, Mexico, Bahamas, Hispaniola and Venezuela, surely Caribbean Flamingo would be a better name?
Cuban Parrot
The team working hard as usual
Short-billed Dowitchers at Las Salinas
Ovenbird sightings can be expected daily in the winter months
Bee
Hummingbird, smallest bird in the world. Hummingbirds are only found
from Alaska south to Chile, getting their name from the humming sound
of their beating wings which flap so fast they are audible to human
ears. In mid-hover their wings can flap up to 80 times per second Nest - Bee Hummingbird, an old nest placed on show for visitors by the garden owner. Only thimble sized and seen here against a human finger, what an amazing tiny structure in which to start life
Black-throated Blue Warbler - a stunning male. At least 12 species of North American wood warblers are found commonly wintering in Cuba with a few other species also seen from time to time
fortune teller busy at work in Old Havana
American Redstarts use a variety of woodland and scrub habitats in winter, including town parks, mangroves and secondary forest from sea level to 1300 metres
Common Ground-dove
Laughing gulls loafing on Cayo Coco
Oriente Warbler forms a closely related species pair with Yellow-headed Warbler. Both are rather common if you know where to look and both are endemic to Cuba
A cobbled street in Trinidad
West Indian Whistling-duck
Yellow Warbler
Playa Larga - we enjoyed a four night stay at Playa Larga on the shores of the famous Bay of Pigs, site of the failed CIA orchestrated invasion attempt in April 1961
Blue-headed Quail dove - we saw this lovely species at two sites; one a specially erected screen hidden in the secondary forest on the Zapata peninsula, and another within the confines of Cueva de Los Peces ( Cave of the Fishes). Breath-taking beauty!
An exciting boat trip into the Zapata swamp produced our first Zapata Sparrows in the lush waterside vegetation
Western Spindalis (formerly Striped-headed Tanager) - another quite stunning species which was a group favourite
Northern Parula - another of the more frequently encountered North American wood warblers, seen on almost any walk, even in the parks in central Havana
Swainson's Warbler - one of the hard to see North American wood-warblers. It is found wintering in Cuba in reasonable numbers amongst the leaf litter of the forest floor. For many amongst our group this was a new species
The Valle de Vinales- a unique landscape featuring mogotes - gigantic karst formations that resemble sugar loaves
Street music
Our hotel in Havana the Telegrapho
Living it up inTrinidad
Havana harbour We would like to thank Alan Hayden, Jean Southworth and Andrew Ashworth for their photos used in this gallery.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
900.jpg)
900.jpg)
600.jpg)
900.jpg)
900.jpg)
900.jpg)
900.jpg)
|
|