As our family reunion in Puerto Rico came to a close last Wednesday, Gayla and I pivoted into a pre-planned four-day guided birding adventure. Within fifteen minutes of our local guide picking us up Wednesday morning in San Juan, we were looking at an endemic hummingbird species which was new for my life list.
There is so much value in having a local guide, as they know where to go to see specific target birds. They know the vocalization, identification, and the habitat requirement for each species. Our guide was fantastic! He was so efficient at taking us to the exact spot to see the specific species for which we were looking. My goal was to see all 18 endemic species found on the island.
Of the 18 endemic species, five of them are hummingbird species—green-throated Carib, Puerto Rican mango, green mango, Puerto Rican emerald and Antillean crested hummingbird. We were successful in seeing all five! There is also one endemic parrot species on the island—the Puerto Rican parrot.
This parrot species is critically endangered, and a captive breeding program is underway to help bring them back from the verge of extinction. No one knows exactly how many Puerto Rican parrots there are in the wild, but it is estimated that there are between 250 and 300, with populations in El Yunque National Forest and at Rio Abajo State Forest.
We arrived late in the afternoon at Rio Abajo, and the forest was dead silent. Not a good sign when looking for parrots! We spent about an hour listening and looking for them and walked a fair distance in search of them, with no luck. Finally, we started hearing the parrots—you can’t miss their loud, raucous calls. At first, we saw a trickle, and then it was as if the flood gates opened. In the end we counted 87 parrots—probably thirty percent of the entire population in the world!
Another highlight of the trip was seeing the Puerto Rican Owl and the Puerto Rican Nightjar. I was concerned it might be difficult to find these two nocturnal species, but our guide knew right where to go. We got great looks at both species.
Our four-day birding trip was fast-paced and fun, and we were successful in finding all 18 endemic species. I couldn’t help but think when I got home, “Gee, earlier this morning I was looking at blue and yellow macaws and red-legged thrushes, and now I’m back in Prescott.” I am so appreciative of the opportunity to travel and birdwatch in different parts of the world. For the trip, I added 37 species to my life list.
This evening, Thursday, March 23rd, is the monthly membership meeting of the Prescott Audubon Society chapter at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church. This meeting was originally scheduled to take place in February, but was cancelled due to weather.
Matt Killeen, City of Prescott’s Environmental Coordinator, will be discussing “Prescott’s Creeks and Lakes: Management Challenges and Opportunities for these Ribbons of Life”. Attend tonight’s meeting and you can earn ten points in the 2023 Birding Challenge!
Another reminder about our impending move to our new store location at 1230 Willow Creek Road. We will remain open at our current location through Friday, March 31st. We be closed on Saturday, April 1st to give us time to set up and merchandise the new store, and are planning to open at 8:00 a.m. Monday, April 3rd, in our new location at the corner of Willow Creek Road and Black Drive. We look forward to seeing you there.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of Jay’s Bird Barn, Arizona Field Optics, and Hallmark in
Prescott, Arizona. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. If you have
questions about wild birds that you would like discussed in future articles, email
him at eric@jaysbirdbarn.com.
