As a sequel of my holidays I flew back to the Island in October 20th, and stayed there for 30 days. Just like in the summer time my plans had to change the very first day. So I stuck in a village 32 km southwest Camagüey City named Vertientes nearly the whole time: from Monday 23rd to Saturday 18th. What might be the ornithological interest of such a place, lost in the middle of the vast sugarcane plains of Central Cuba? No birdwatching trip waste time out of the hot spots known from Cuba, neither do the expeditions or surveys, and this lead to a concentration of observers and therefore observations coming always from the same places (Cayo Coco, Zapata Swamp, La Güira, Sierra Maestra, etc), leaving an enormous space for surprise. Cuba, like most of poor countries, remains unknown for the ornithologists in at least 80 % of its territory. I think this is encouraging enough to get interested in what happens in remote places like Vertientes.

 

 

Habitat and situation of prospected localities

 

Vertientes: small city with around 10.000 inhabitants. It’s plenty of fruit trees (mamey= Pouteria, avocado pear tree, guanábana= Annona, anoncillo= Melicocca, orange tree; coconut palm, lemon tree, etc.) growing in every garden. Located 32 km SW of Camagüey City.

Vertientes dam: small and shallow dam (around 200x150 m2) very open, surrounded by marabú (Mimosaceae). Located 3 km S of Vertientes.

Loaces dam: three or four times bigger than previous. It’s surrounded by an important floating vegetation (virtually monospecific) and reed-like vegetation. There are also some tiny keys. It is immediately encircled by rice fields and cattle ranchs. Located 5 km N of Vertientes.

Ciudad Perdida: large work field with ranches, one diery, etc., extending to the coastal forest. It’s plenty of small wetlands. The coastal forest prospected was a precoastal semideciduous one

Cooperative: cattle cooperative of sheeps and porks situated at the NE outskirts of Vertientes. Patch of vegetation beside a small pond, surrounded by sugacane fields.

 

Following the new guide Birds of Cuba, that is much more accurate than Raffaeles Birds of the West Indies, 6 species classified as uncommon, 7 species as rare, and 2 unexpected so late (an Eastern Wood Pewee on November 18th and one empid on November 15th), besides 3 localized species (one of them, the Cuban Parakeet, vulnerable) were present in the area. Next table summarize status, localities and estimated numbers of individuals seen for every species.

Complementing the main table appear two other collecting the observations made in Havana and during the train route from Camagüey to Havana.

 

·        Species observed in Havana (21st October).

 

 

 

Scientific name

Cuban name

status

Ardea herodias

Garcilote

c

Ardea alba

Garzón

c

Egretta thula

Garza Real

c

Egretta caerulea

Garza Azul

c

Bubulcus ibis

Garcilla bueyera

a

Butorides virescens

Caga Leche

c

Nomonyx dominicus

Pato Agostero

r

Cathartes aura

Aura Tiñosa

c

Accipiter striatus

Gavilancito

r

Buteo jamaicensis

Gavilán de Monte

c

Falco sparverius

Cernícalo

c

Colinus virginianus

Codorniz

c

Porphyrio martinica

Gallareta azul

c

Gallinula chloropus

Gallareta de Pico Rojo

c

Aramus guarauna

Guareao

c

Charadrius vocíferus

Títere Sabanero

c

Himantopus mexicanus

Cachiporra

a

Larus atricilla

 Galleguito

c

Columba livia

Paloma Doméstica

c

Streptopelia decaocto

Tórtola

c

Zenaida aurita

Guanaro

c

Zenaida macroura

Rabiche

a

Columbina passerina

Tojosa

c

Crotophaga ani

Judío

c

Cypseloides niger

Vencejo Negro

r

Ceryle alcyon

Martín Pescador

c

Mimus polyglottos

Sinsonte

c

Dendroica palmarum

Bijirita Común

a

Sturnella magna

Sabanerio

c

Dives atroviolacea

Totí,Choncholí

c

Quiscalus niger

Chichinguaco

a

Passer domesticus

Gorrión

c

Lonchura malacca

Monja  Tricolor

c

 

 

. Species observed in Vertientes (23 October- 19th November).

 

Scientific name

Cuban name

status

localities

e.n.i

Tachybaptus dominicus

Zaramagullón chico

c

Loaces dam

5

Podilymbus podiceps

Zaramagullón grande

c

Loaces dam.Vertientes dam.Ciudad Perdida

20

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

Corúa de Agua Dulce,negra vieja

c

Loaces dam

10

Botaurus lentiginosus

Guanabó Rojo

r

Loaces dam

1

Ardea herodias

Garcilote

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam,Ciudad Perdida

40

Ardea alba

Garzón

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam,Ciudad Perdida

70

Egretta thula

Garza Real

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam,Ciudad Perdida

80

Egretta caerulea

Garza Azul

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam,Ciudad Perdida

60

Egretta tricolor

Garza de Vientre Blanco

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam

5

Bubulcus ibis

Garcita bueyera

a

ubiquous

v.h.

Butorides virescens

Caga Leche

c

Loaces dam,Vertientes dam,Ciudad Perdida,Cooperative

50

Nycticorax nycticorax

Guanabá de la Florida

c

Vertientes dam, Ciudad Perdida

10

Plegadis falcinellus

Coco Prieto

u

Loaces dam,Ciudad Perdida

30

Dendrocygna bicolor

Yaguasín,Yaguasa mexicana

c

Loaces dam, Ciudad Perdida, Vertientes (at night flying over)

150

Anas discors

Pato de la Florida

a

Loaces dam

20

Aythya affinis

Pato morisco

r

Loaces dam

110

Cathartes aura

Aura Tiñosa

a

ubiquous

v.h.

Pandion haliaetus

Guincho

c

Loaces dam, Vertientes dam, Ciudad Perdida

5

Rosthramus sociabilis

Gavilán Caracolero

c

Loaces & Vertientes dam

2

Circus cyaneus

Gavilán Sabanero

c

Loaces dam , Ciudad Perdida

3

Accipiter striatus

Gavilancito

r

Loaces dam

1

Caracara plancus

Caraira

r

Loaces dam,Ciudad Perdida

2

Falco sparverius

Cernícalo

c

ubiquous

30

Falco columbarius

Halconcito de Palomas

u

Ciudad Perdida, Cooperative

1

Falco peregrinus

Halcón de Patos

u

Ciudad Perdida

1

Colinus virginianus

Codorniz

c

Ciudad Perdida

25

Numida meleagris

Guineo

c

Cooperative,Ciudad Perdida

10

Rallus elegans

Gallinuela de Agua Dulce

c

Loaces dam

1

Porzana carolina

Gallinuela chica

c

Loaces dam

1

Porphyrulla martinica

Gallareta Azul

c

Loaces dam, Ciudad Perdida

100

Gallinulla chloropus

Gallareta de Pico Rojo

c

Loaces dam,Ciudad Perdida,Cooperative

20

Fulica americana

Galllareta de Pico Blanco

a

Loaces dam

10

Aramus guarauna

Guareao

c

Loaces & Vertientes dams

5

Charadrius vociferus

Títere sabanero

c

Loaces &  Vertientes dams, Ciudad Perdida

100

Himantopus mexicanus

Cachiporra

a

Vertientes dams, Ciudad Perdida

10

Jacana spinosa

Gallito de Río

c

Loaces dam,Ciudad Perdida

100

Tringa melanoleuca

Zarapico Patiamarillo Grande

c

Loaces &  Vertientes dams, Ciudad Perdida

10

Actitis macularia

Zarapico Manchado

c

Vertientes dam

1

Calidris minutilla

Zarapiquito

c

Vertientes dam

20

Gallinago gallinago

Becasina

c

Loaces dam,Ciudad Perdida

2

Sterna caspia

Gaviota Real Grande

u

Loaces & Vertientes dams

10

Columba livia

 

c

inhabited places

v.h.

Zenaida asiatica

Paloma Aliblanca

c

Ciudad Perdida,Cooperativa

5

Zenaida macroura

Paloma Rabiche

a

ubiquous

v.h.

Columbina passerina

Tojosa

c

ubiquous

150

Aratinga euops

Catey,Periquito

local

Vertientes

25

Amazona leucocephala

Cotorra, Perico

local

 

 

Saurothera merlini

Arriero,Tacó

c

Vertientes dam, Ciudad Perdida

15

Crotophaga ani

Judío

a

ubiquous

v.h.

Tyto alba

Lechuza

c

Cooperative,Vertientes

2

Chlorostilbon ricordii

Zunzún

c

Vertientes,Ciudad Perdida,Cooperative

30

Todus multicolor

Pedorrera,Cartacuba

c

Ciudad Perdida

1

Ceryle alcyon

Martín Pescador

c

Loaces & Vertientes dams,Cooperative

5

Melanerpes superciliaris

Carpintero Jabado

c

Cooperative,Ciudad Perdiad

10

Sphyrapicus varius

Carpintero de Paso

c

Vertientes

1

Xiphidiopicus percussus

Carpintero Verde

c

Ciudad Perdida

5

Contopus virens

Bobito de Bosque

c

Ciudad Perdida

1

Empidonax sp.

Bobito

r

Locaces dam

2

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Golondrina Parda

r

Loaces & Vertientes dams

100

Corvus nasicus

Cao Montero,Cao

c

Cooperative,Vertientes

80