Paraiso Caño Hondo is our entrance gate to Los Haitises National Park. The park is famed among birders because it is the stronghold of the endemic Ridgway’s Hawk. The entire population (about 300 individuals) of this rare and unfortunately, critically endangered, raptor lives in Los Haitises. Today, we will hike the land-based part of the park in search of Ridgway’s Hawk and other terrestrial bird species such as White-crowned Pigeon, Plain Pigeon, Hispaniolan Parrot, White-necked Crow, Broad-billed Tody, Greater Antillean Pewee, Stolid Flycatcher, Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, and Hispaniolan Oriole. In the evening, we will also look for the beautiful and endemic Ashy-faced Owl.

On the schedule this morning is a boat trip to add some more species to our list of waterbirds and shorebirds. We will get a full host of boobies, egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, terns, plovers: Brown and Red-footed Booby, Black- and Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, Laughing and Ring-billed Gull, Least, Caspian and Royal Tern, Snowy Plover, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird and many more.

After lunch, we drive back to Santo Domingo, where we enjoy dinner in the colonial heart of the city.

Early in the morning, we drive to the Botanical Garden. It is the largest one in the Caribbean, with 2000 hectares and over 69,000 plant species (both native and introduced). It was founded in 1943 and named after he first Dominican botanist to write a catalog on the flora of La Española, Dr. Rafael Moscoso. The garden offers a great introduction to many of the more common bird species of the Dominican Republic, including some of the endemics. Targets here are Vervain Hummingbird, Broad-billed Tody, Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo, Palmchat, Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, Hispaniolan Parakeet, and the near-threatened West-Indian Whistling Duck. 

Afterwards, we drive to the southwestern side of the Dominican Republic. Our first destination – and base for the next few nights – is Cabo Rojo (“Red Cape”). Along the way, we briefly stop at the wetlands in Baní. Some of the species we are likely to see here are American Flamingo, Brown Booby, Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Clapper Rail, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Whimbrel, Red Knot, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Herring Gull, Least Tern, Roseate Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Yellow Warbler.

Today we’ll be dividing our time between Cabo Rojo and Alcoa Road. 

Cabo Rojo is well-known for its enchanting white sandy beaches and the nearby cliffs of the Bahia de las Águilas (“Eagle Bay”). There is also a lagoon where we can find White-cheeked Pintail (a regional endemic), White and Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-bellied Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, Western, Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Stolid Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, Village Weaver and Nutmeg Mannikin.

The latter is a good dirt road leading up to the Hoyo de Pelempito entrance on the south side of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park. We make several stops along the road to look for Antillean Euphonia, Antillean Piculet, Antillean Siskin, Hispaniolan Pewee, Hispaniolan Emerald, Hispaniolan Parrot, Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hispaniolan Palm Crown, Hispaniolan Crossbill and Golden Swallow.

Prepare for some rough terrain today. Don't worry too much, we won't have to walk it, but the bumpy ride in the car over steep rocky roads and through river beds will shake you up a little. However, it is worth it, because this is where we will look for some of the harder-to-get endemics. Primarily the Eastern Chat-Tanager, which is pretty much impossible to get anywhere else, and the main reason to even drive up this road. Other target species we can see here include Hispaniolan Parakeet, Hispaniolan Trogon, Hispaniolan Spindalis, Rufous-throated Solitaire and Narrow-billed Tody.

This morning, we have built in some spare time which we can use either to rest or to try and pick up some species we might have missed on this side of Bahoruco NP. Afterwards, we drive around the park (back through Barahona) to the northern slope of the Sierra. Depending on our morning activity and thus our time of arrival, we may still look for Bay-breasted Cuckoo, Flat-billed Vireo, White-fronted Quail Dove, Broad-billed Tody, Narrow-billed Tody, Hispanolian Piculet, Hispaniolan Oriole and Hispanolian Lizard-Cuckoo. After dark, we can go owling and try again to get the Ashy-faced Owl, in case we didn’t see it at Sabana de la Mar or we just can’t get it enough of it.

Another rough drive today, this time along Zapotén road. Though ‘road’ is actually too much credit for what we will be driving on, because most of it is actually a dry river bed. You will understand why we need the 4WD and high clearance car! But again, this is a must-go location, since it is one of the best spots to look for White-necked Crow, White-winged and Green-tailed Warbler, Antillean Siskin, Hispianolian Spindalis, Greater Antillean Elaenia, Western Chat-Tanager and LaSelle’s Thrush.

This morning we go birding along the nearby Rabo de Gato trail. An easy and pleasant walk through a beautiful forest and along a lovely stream. This area is home to Flat-billed Vireo, White-fronted Quail Dove, Key-West Quail-Dove, Broad- and Narrow-billed Tody, Hispaniolan Piculet and Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo, among several others.

In the afternoon, we drive back to Santo Domingo for our farewell dinner.

The Dominican Republic Endemics trip has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your stay, saw plenty of beautiful birds, and have added some (endemics and others) to your life list. We will bring you back to Las Americas international airport in time for your flight.