Day 8 – Hasta la Victoria Siempre
We assembled early on January 12 to board the bus for the long drive to Havana. As for prior driving days, we enjoyed getting to view a broad swath of the Cuban countryside. First, however, we had to get to the Cuban mainland and getting there required a long drive on the causeway. We stopped on one island to fuel the bus and found a surprising number of warblers in the trees around the fueling station. We also picked up a few new shorebirds along the causeway itself.
Our longest stop en route to Havana was in Santa Clara. Our first stop there was at Hotel Los Caneyes for a buffet lunch, and where we would also see a large roost of Jamaican Fruit-eating Bats. More importantly, Santa Clara was where the Cuban Revolution was won in 1958 in a two-pronged attack led by Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. After lunch, we toured the Che Guevara Memorial and Mausoleum (Conjunto Escultórico Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara). The inside of the mausoleum, with a strict no photography policy, was beautiful and housed a large number of revolutionaries. Also inside was an eternal flame. Adjacent to the mausoleum was a museum, which also forbade photos, that told the story of the Cuban Revolution in artifacts and photos from both Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Photos were allowed outdoors of the monument (in one of the images below you can see a Cuban soldier for scale) which faced a large area that in English is called Victory Square.
After leaving Santa Clara was the long push to Havana. We arrived well after dark, with our first stop being for dinner at a beautiful coastal restaurant. Street musicians played local music for us as we ate. I gave them some money, and they unexpectedly started playing classic American rock songs. That wasn’t the intended result.
We arrived late at our accommodations in a beautiful area near the US Embassy. We ended January 12 with 13 total bird species.
Birding during a fuel stop. This tree patch was loaded with birds. 
The causeway nearing mainland Cuba. 
Baseball stadium in Jatibonico, Cuba. 
Baseball stadium in Jatibonico, Cuba. 
Río Jatibonico del Sur 
Hotel Los Caneyes in Santa Clara, Cuba. 
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bats roosting at the entrance of Hotel Los Caneyes. 
Conjunto Escultórico Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara in Santa Clara, Cuba. 
Conjunto Escultórico Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara in Santa Clara, Cuba. 
Conjunto Escultórico Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara in Santa Clara, Cuba. 
My room for two nights in Havana.
Day 9 – Viva La Habana
Our last full day in Cuba was not about birds, except that our first stop was the eclectic home of Orlando Garrido, a great Cuban ornithologist (and former professional tennis player!) and the author of the Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. We packed tightly into his office where the 92-year-old told stories of early exploration and species discovery, where he is certain Ivory-billed Woodpeckers still exist, and his time playing at Wimbledon. I was happy to have him sign my field guide before we left.
Walking up to the home of Orlando Garrido. 
Orlando Garrido talks about playing at Wimbledon and the history of Cuban ornithology. 
General Freyre de Andrade Hospital in Havana. 
I think was a newspaper building, Havana. 
Capitol building in Havana. 
Old Havana. 
Former rail car of the Cuban president in Old Havana. 
Streets of Old Havana. 
Square with an “interesting” statue of a nude woman with a giant fork on a giant chicken, Old Havana. 
Statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a Cuban revolutionary hero. 
Building from the 1500s, Old Havana. 
Fort from the 1500s, Old Havana. 
Streets of Old Havana. 
Church in Old Havana. 
Walking along Fondeadero del Morro, Old Havana. 
A Hemingway-themed restaurant on the outskirts of Havana. 
Lunch at a Hemingway-themed restaurant on the outskirts of Havana. 
“Defendiendo el Socialismo” painted on a wall outside of our bus window. 
Entering the Túnel de la Bahía de La Habana. 
Building under repair in Old Havana. 
Fire station in Havana. 
Another view of the capitol building in Havana. 
US Embassy in Havana. 
Surprise fleet of old vehicles to pick us up in Havana. 
Cruising Havana at night. 
Plaza de la Revolución, Havana. 
Plaza de la Revolución, Havana. 
Arriving at our dinner spot. I didn’t actually get to drive.
After we left Garrido’s home we spent several hours touring Old Havana. There, we learned much about the history of the place, its deterioration, and its subsequent revival into a world class destination for travelers (except for most Americans, unfortunately!). We originally planned lunch in Old Havana, but a regional gas outage prompted a change in plans and we bussed outside of town to have lunch at a wonderful Hemingway-themed restaurant. It was while we were there that a storm came in, preventing our planned continuation of the tour of Old Havana. We instead visited the offices of the local tour company operating our trip, then returned to our accommodations with instructions on when to meet for dinner.
It was while waiting for the expected bus that four beautiful 1950s-era convertibles pulled up on the street. We went to check them out, and got excited when we were told the cars were there for us. We split ourselves up between vehicles, and then toured Havana for somewhere around an hour. The highlight was easily La Plaza de la Revolución with its massive monuments and building-sized portraits of revolution-era Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. The tour ended at a vintage America-themed restaurant where we had a private room and a private Cuban jazz band. While we were there for birds, this night – for me anyway – was the highlight experience of the trip and, perhaps, any trip I have taken anywhere.
The table below summarizes the 159 bird species I observed in Cuba based on output from eBird. Cuban endemics observed are highlighted in green. In eBird outputs, even for longer periods, the count is the number of birds recorded on the first list the species was recorded. Likewise, the location is the location first recorded.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Count | Location |
| West Indian Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna arborea | 1 | Laguna flamingos |
| Blue-winged Teal | Spatula discors | 12 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| Northern Shoveler | Spatula clypeata | 10 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| American Wigeon | Mareca americana | 4 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| White-cheeked Pintail | Anas bahamensis | 6 | Laguna flamingos |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | Embalse Nina Bonita | |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | 10 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator | 1 | Laguna flamingos |
| American Flamingo | Phoenicopterus ruber | 100 | Las Salinas de Brito |
| Least Grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus | 8 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | 1 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | 1 | Jose Marti International Airport |
| Scaly-naped Pigeon | Patagioenas squamosa | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| White-crowned Pigeon | Patagioenas leucocephala | 2 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | 1 | Auto selected 22.25515, -80.72435 |
| Common Ground Dove | Columbina passerina | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Blue-headed Quail-Dove | Starnoenas cyanocephala | 5 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Gray-fronted Quail-Dove | Geotrygon caniceps | 1 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Key West Quail-Dove | Geotrygon chrysia | 3 | Cayo Coco–Cueva del Jabali |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Zenaida Dove | Zenaida aurita | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Smooth-billed Ani | Crotophaga ani | 4 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Mangrove Cuckoo | Coccyzus minor | 1 | Cayo Coco–Cueva del Jabali |
| Great Lizard-Cuckoo | Coccyzus merlini | 3 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Nightjar | Antrostomus cubanensis | 1 | Soplillar |
| White-collared Swift | Streptoprocne zonaris | 3 | Auto selected 21.87180, -80.23300 |
| Antillean Palm Swift | Tachornis phoenicobia | 2 | Carretera de la CUJAE, Havana CU-City of Havana 23.04766, -82.41825 |
| Bee Hummingbird | Mellisuga helenae | 4 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Cuban Emerald | Riccordia ricordii | 4 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Clapper Rail | Rallus crepitans | 1 | PN Cienaga de Zapata–Las Salinas |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | 3 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Common Gallinule | Gallinula galeata | 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Purple Gallinule | Porphyrio martinica | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Limpkin | Aramus guarauna | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | 20 | Las Salinas de Brito |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | 10 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | 1 | PN Cienaga de Zapata – Las Salinas – 1st platform |
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus | 13 | Hotel Meliá, Cayo Guillermo |
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus | 1 | Laguna flamingos |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | 3 | Auto selected 22.30652, -78.51729 |
| Red Knot | Calidris canutus | 8 | Hotel Meliá, Cayo Guillermo |
| Stilt Sandpiper | Calidris himantopus | 1 | Hotel Meliá, Cayo Guillermo |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba | 1 | Hotel Meliá, Cayo Guillermo |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina | 3 | PN Cienaga de Zapata – Las Salinas – 1st platform |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | 1 | Cayo Coco Wastewater Treatment Ponds |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus | 20 | Hotel Meliá, Cayo Guillermo |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularius | 2 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | 3 | Babiney Rice Fields |
| Willet | Tringa semipalmata | 4 | Las Salinas de Brito |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | 8 | Las Salinas de Brito |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | Chroicocephalus philadelphia | 2 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Laughing Gull | Leucophaeus atricilla | 1 | Auto selected 22.28230, -81.21033 |
| Gull-billed Tern | Gelochelidon nilotica | 1 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Caspian Tern | Hydroprogne caspia | 4 | Las Salinas de Brito |
| Forster’s Tern | Sterna forsteri | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Royal Tern | Thalasseus maximus | 1 | Auto selected 22.28230, -81.21033 |
| Sandwich Tern | Thalasseus sandvicensis | 1 | Auto selected 22.29335, -78.52741 |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana | 1 | Auto selected 22.33028, -81.18326 |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | 1 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga | 1 | Auto selected 22.28374, -81.20983 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Nannopterum auritum | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Nannopterum brasilianum | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | 20 | Babiney Rice Fields |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | 2 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | 1 | Zapata–La Turba |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | 2 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor | 1 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Reddish Egret | Egretta rufescens | 2 | PN Cienaga de Zapata – Las Salinas – 1st platform |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | 1 | Auto selected 22.92124, -82.73503 |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus | 3 | Hotel Playa Larga |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | 60 | Babiney Rice Fields |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | 15 | PN Cienaga de Zapata–Las Salinas |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | 1 | Jose Marti International Airport |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Snail Kite | Rostrhamus sociabilis | 2 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Northern Harrier | Circus hudsonius | 1 | PN Cienaga de Zapata–Las Salinas |
| Gundlach’s Hawk | Accipiter gundlachi | 1 | Auto selected 21.80060, -79.73133 |
| Cuban Black Hawk | Buteogallus gundlachii | 1 | PN Cienaga de Zapata–Las Salinas |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Bare-legged Owl | Margarobyas lawrencii | 2 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Cuban Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium siju | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Stygian Owl | Asio stygius | 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Cuban Trogon | Priotelus temnurus | 2 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Tody | Todus multicolor | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Belted Kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius | 1 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Cuban Green Woodpecker | Xiphidiopicus percussus | 3 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| West Indian Woodpecker | Melanerpes superciliaris | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | 2 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Fernandina’s Flicker | Colaptes fernandinae | 2 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Crested Caracara | Caracara plancus | 1 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | 1 | Pinar del Rio–Farming Ponds |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | 1 | Carretera de la CUJAE, Havana CU-City of Havana 23.04766, -82.41825 |
| Cuban Parrot | Amazona leucocephala | 4 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Cuban Parakeet | Psittacara euops | 20 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Cuban Pewee | Contopus caribaeus | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| La Sagra’s Flycatcher | Myiarchus sagrae | 1 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Loggerhead Kingbird | Tyrannus caudifasciatus | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Vireo | Vireo gundlachii | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Palm Crow | Corvus palmarum | 4 | Auto selected 21.82021, -79.75679 |
| Cuban Crow | Corvus nasicus | 4 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | 2 | Babiney Rice Fields |
| Cave Swallow | Petrochelidon fulva | 1 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Cuban Gnatcatcher | Polioptila lembeyei | 3 | Auto selected 21.81701, -80.10265 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | 1 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Zapata Wren | Ferminia cerverai | 2 | Zapata–La Turba |
| Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Bahama Mockingbird | Mimus gundlachii | 1 | Auto selected 22.61098, -78.68347 |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Solitaire | Myadestes elisabeth | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Red-legged Thrush | Turdus plumbeus | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | 2 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata | 4 | Embalse Nina Bonita |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | 1 | Jose Marti International Airport |
| Zapata Sparrow | Torreornis inexpectata | 2 | Zapata–La Turba |
| Western Spindalis | Spindalis zena | 8 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Yellow-headed Warbler | Teretistris fernandinae | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Oriente Warbler | Teretistris fornsi | 1 | Cayo Coco–Cueva del Jabali |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Cuban Oriole | Icterus melanopsis | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Red-shouldered Blackbird | Agelaius assimilis | 2 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Tawny-shouldered Blackbird | Agelaius humeralis | 8 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Blackbird | Ptiloxena atroviolacea | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Greater Antillean Grackle | Quiscalus niger | 1 | Auto selected 22.93744, -82.72890 |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapilla | 1 | Refugio de Fauna Bermeja |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | Parkesia motacilla | 1 | Zapata–La Turba |
| Northern Waterthrush | Parkesia noveboracensis | 2 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Tennessee Warbler | Leiothlypis peregrina | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | 1 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cape May Warbler | Setophaga tigrina | 1 | Auto selected 22.28230, -81.21033 |
| Northern Parula | Setophaga americana | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Magnolia Warbler | Setophaga magnolia | 1 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia | 1 | PN Cienaga de Zapata – Las Salinas – 1st platform |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | Setophaga caerulescens | 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Palm Warbler | Setophaga palmarum | 1 | Auto selected 22.76491, -82.99434 |
| Olive-capped Warbler | Setophaga pityophila | 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Setophaga coronata | 1 | Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | Setophaga dominica | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Prairie Warbler | Setophaga discolor | 1 | Auto selected 22.15320, -80.82571 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | Setophaga virens | 1 | Palpite Casa de Bernabe |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris | 1 | Cayo Coco–Cueva del Jabali |
| Red-legged Honeycreeper | Cyanerpes cyaneus | 10 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit | Tiaris olivaceus | 3 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Bullfinch | Melopyrrha nigra | 1 | Orquideario de Soroa |
| Cuban Grassquit | Phonipara canora | 35 | Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario–Las Terrazas |
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