The winter of 2025-2026 is shaping up to be a proper one. Since basically the start of December we have experienced below average temperatures and an abundance of snow. We haven't had much respite from the cold, other than a brief warm spell in January quickly followed by an unrelenting Arctic blast. As I write this in early February we are mired in a long stretch with temperatures oscillating between -20 and -5 degrees Celsius. Most regions of southern Ontario have several feet of snow piled on the ground, and nearly every body of water (other than parts of Lake Ontario) is frozen solid.  Spruce Bog - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District In an attempt to stave off the seasonal depression that is common with many at this time of year, I have been spending more time outside this winter. One advantage of the crisp days is that the sun is often shining. Even on a bitterly cold day, the sun feels just a little stronger now than it did a month ago. And the days are growing noticeably longer, with today's sunset scheduled for 5:36 PM; a full 50 minutes later than what we were experiencing in late December. Red Squirrel - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District To continue reading on my other blog, click here.

In November I visited The Gambia along with ten travellers from Quest Nature Tours. Why The Gambia, you may ask? This tiny country is not well-known to the international community, but it is an attractive ecotourism destination. The Gambia is a stable, English-speaking democracy that has a relatively high diversity of species given its tiny size.  Egyptian Plovers Guinea Baboons (Papio papio) Its borders follow the Gambia River (with some buffer on either side) and it is surrounded entirely by Senegal. The Gambia is a popular destination for Brits and other northern Europeans due to convenient direct flights and beautiful beaches. While most tourists stay close to the resorts along the coastline, there is so much more to see in The Gambia by traveling up-country.  Scarlet-chested Sunbird Black-headed Lapwing In west Africa there is one distinct rainy season which usually occurs between May and September. This contrasts with east Africa which typically has two rainy seasons (one from March - May, and a shorter one from October - December). Our trip to The Gambia was timed to occur at the beginning of the dry season. Many birds were active and still in breeding plumage, while our days would largely be rain-free, making birding easier.  Beautiful Sunbird Greater Blue-eared Starling We began the tour with two nights at a resort along the Atlantic coast. Each day we were up early to make the most of our explorations before the heat of the day set in (but not too early, since sunrise isn't until 7 AM). We acquainted ourselves with some of the spectacular bird species that call this corner of Africa home. Our first morning at Brufut Woods was a bit overwhelming given the colour and diversity of the species. The vast majority were new for me as well, as this was my first time visiting sub-Saharan Africa. African Gray Hornbill Western Plaintain-eater Northern Red Bishop Hamerkop Some of the highlights from Brufut included Guinea and Violet Turacos, an exquisite African Pygmy Kingfisher, Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, Northern Puffback and four species of sunbirds. We enjoyed watching the antics of Rainbow Agamas and Gambian Sun Squirrels, too.  Red-cheeked Cordonbleu Northern Puffback African Pygmy Kingfisher Rainbow Agama (Agama agama) Gambian Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) The coastal mangroves and scrubby areas were filled with interesting species as well, including Giant Kingfishers and our only Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters of the trip. Some other standouts included Blue-bellied Roller, Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher and Little Bee-eater.  Giant Kingfisher Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Blue-bellied Rollers Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher Before commencing our journey up-country we stopped at Farasuto Forest. This community forest is found in the hometown of our local guide, Mustapha, and he is also a board member here. Farasuto came through with a roosting pair of Grayish Eagle-Owls, shown to us by a local guide. We also found a whole host of new species for us - Vieillot's and Bearded Barbets, great comparison views of both wood-doves, and our only Dideric Cuckoo, Beaudouin's Snake-Eagles and Striped Kingfishers of the trip. We also found a West African Banded Cobra (Naja nigricollis), a huge highlight for the herp enthusiasts in the group.  Grayish Eagle-Owl Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus) Bearded Barbet Dark Chanting Goshawk Blue-spotted Wood-Dove African Wood White (Leptosia alcesta) We drove east for a couple of hours towards Tendaba Camp. Located on the shores of the mighty Gambia River, and situated near the wild and vast Kiang West National Park, this would be our base for two nights.  Our morning boat trip up a mangrove-lined tributary was simply amazing. We set off shortly after dawn in an uncovered boat with our local guides and experienced a huge diversity of species throughout the morning. Mangrove boat trip at Tendaba Camp Reed Cormorant African Sacred Ibis Malachite Kingfisher with an Atlantic Mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) Mouse-brown Sunbirds were feeding nestlings in their river-side nests, the air was filled with the songs of Brown-throated Wattle-eyes, and Blue-breasted Kingfishers were perched around every bend. We found our only African Blue Flycatchers of the trip and enjoyed our first views of Yellow-crowned Gonoleks, Malachite Kingfishers and both European and White-throated Bee-eaters.  Mouse-brown Sunbird Brown-throated Wattle-eye Blue-breasted Kingfisher White-throated Bee-eaters Among the high diversity of wading birds were specialties like White-backed Night Heron (on a nest!) and Goliath Heron, the world's largest heron species. The latter was a personal highlight as it represented my 5,000th world bird species. It was great to share the moment with everyone!  White-backed Night Heron  Goliath Heron The scrubby habitats around Tendaba and in Kiang West National Park were filled with a different subset of species. We tracked down our first White-crested Helmetshrikes and found a scarce Brown-necked Parrot, while we also enjoyed birds like Grasshopper Buzzard, Purple Roller and Bruce's Green-Pigeon. We loved watching the antics of Guinea Baboons, Green Vervet Monkeys and Patas Monkeys. Brown-necked Parrot Green Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) White-crested Helmetshrike We pushed further upriver by bus, reaching Janjanbureh Island for a two-night stay. The drive between Tendaba and Janjanbureh was made a touch longer as our bus got stuck on a muddy road. Thanks to some quick thinking by Mustapha and our driver, Momodou, we were able to source a tractor from a nearby town to free our bus, and we weren't delayed for too long. While we waited I took the group birding and we found African Green Bee-eaters and had incredible views of a Pearl-spotted Owlet.    African Green Bee-eater Pearl-spotted Owlet One highlight of our time at Janjanbureh Island was a long boat trip along the Gambia River. This particular vessel was quite comfortable with an open upper level, covered lower level, bathroom and a cooler full of cold drinks. Though we were unable to find any African Finfoots (a scarce resident along the Gambia River), we found around 70 bird species including White-backed Vulture, Rüppell's Griffon, Palm-nut Vulture, Levaillant's Cuckoo and Woodland Kingfisher.  Birding from the upper deck Borassus akeassii palms Rüppell's Griffon Palm-nut Vultures We also found Western Red Colobus monkeys along the riverside and spent some time with a few West African Chimpanzees. These chimpanzees were introduced here many decades ago and they have a self-sustaining population along some of the river islands.  Wesern Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) My next post will cover the remainder of the trip. Stay tuned.

Zapotén is a legendary birding area in southwestern Dominican Republic quite close to the Haiti border, and it is a must-visit site for any birder on Hispaniola. This rough track climbs high into the Sierra de Bahoruco, a beautiful mountain range cloaked in pine and broadleaf forests home to a high diversity of species. From a birding point of view, it is the most reliable site to find the localized La Selle Thrush as well as most of the other endemic species found in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. The only problem is that a high clearance 4x4 is required to traverse this road. But there is an easy solution for visiting birders. An ecolodge called Villa Barrancoli is situated only 40 minutes from the start of the rough road and its owner, Kate Wallace, regularly organizes 4x4 transport for birders. And so that is what we did.   October 20, 2025 (continued) We arrived at Villa Barrancoli in the middle of the afternoon and were met by Kate. Originally from the United States, Kate is a passionate biologist and birder who has lived in the Dominican Republic for much of her life. Kate gave us a tour of the ecolodge and showed us to our cabins. We would be the only guests during our two night stay.  Exterior of cabin - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Interior of cabin - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Washroom/shower building - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic The ecolodge is rustic but contains everything you need. Just don't expect luxury. The cabins were simple and came equipped with fans while the toilets and showers were in a nearby building. We found the price a bit steep (75 USD per person per night), but this included our meals and the location was perfect, even if the ecolodge itself was rather basic and in need of some upkeep. And having Kate organize our Zapotén expedition for the following morning was very helpful.  Dan, Laura and I dropped off our bags and headed out for a pre-dinner walk. The ecolodge is situated next to a dirt road/trail called Rabo de Gato that probes deeper into the countryside, accessing dry forest and shallow wetlands. It is a very popular birding trail and many of the more difficult endemic bird species can be found here, including the Bay-breasted Cuckoo and White-fronted Quail-Dove.  Rabo de Gato Trail, Independencia, Dominican Republic Laura came through with an excellent find. "I see a snake!" she yelled and I looked to see a sleek, striped snake vanish off the trail. Fortunately it did not go far. I saw it again and quickly pounced, coming up successfully with the serpent safely in my hands. A Cope's Antilles Snake.  Cope's Antilles Snake (Hypsirhynchus parvifrons) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic Cope's Antilles Snake (Hypsirhynchus parvifrons) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic This is the same species of snake that Dan and I had seen road-killed that morning. The Cope's Antilles Snake is endemic to Hispaniola and it is closely related to several other species that are only found in the Caribbean. Like all Caribbean snakes, the Cope's Antilles Snake is nonvenomous and harmless. They prey mainly on small lizards such as anoles, of which there is no shortage of here.  Cope's Antilles Snake (Hypsirhynchus parvifrons) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic Apart from the snake, our late afternoon walk at Rabo de Gato was fairly uneventful. We were unable to find our main target birds (White-fronted and Key West Quail-Doves, and Bay-breasted Cuckoo), though we managed a good look at a Zenaida Dove and a Scaly-naped Pigeon, both of which were new for Laura. We headed back to the ecolodge for dinner.  Dominican Graceful Anole (Anolis distichus ignigularis) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic Despite a 3:15 AM wakeup call looming for the following morning, the three of us headed back out after dinner for an abbreviated night-hike. I manned the thermal camera while Dan and Laura scanned for herps and insects. I found a few heat signatures that turned into roosting birds - Broad-billed Tody and Black-and-white Warbler - while Dan and Laura found some interesting arthropods including a couple of vinegaroons. These arachnids are well-known for their defence mechanism of spraying acetic acid. This is the same compound found in vinegar, hence the common name.  Hispaniolan Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus proscorpio) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic Dan also spotted a couple of Brown Widow Spiders (Latrodectus geometricus), a species closely related to the Northern Black Widow which we have back home in Ontario. Though bites from Brown Widows are apparently painful, they are not as dangerous as bites from the Northern Black Widow.  Brown Widow (Latrodectus geometricus) - Rabo de Gato, Independencia, Dominican Republic Unfortunately, despite using the thermal I was unable to find any Hispaniolan Solenodons (a large shrew-like creature that is one of only two species of terrestrial mammals native to Hispaniola), and Dan and Laura could not turn up any snakes. We checked the moth sheet once we returned to the ecolodge. It was covered with insects! Epitragus aurulentus - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Unidentified crambid moth - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Ethmia abraxasella - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Insulatitan youngi - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic Hieroglyphic Moth (Diphthera festiva) - Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, Independencia, Dominican Republic With the 3:15 AM alarm quickly approaching we called it a night and headed off to bed. The Blue Jays were losing 3-1 partway through the critical Game 7 of the American League Championship Series at this point. October 21, 2025 "The Jays won!!!"  Those were the first words I heard in the morning. Laura must have woken a few minutes before me and checked the score - indeed, they had a massive come from behind win, thanks to a three-run home run by George Springer to erase the 3-1 deficit. I could hardly believe it - the Blue Jays were going to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. Needless to say, the early wakeup didn't seem so rough following that news.  Today was a day that we had been anticipating for weeks as it would be our expedition up the Zapotén Road. Our driver, Rafael, arrived at 3:50 and we loaded the cooler containing sandwiches, cookies and a thermos of coffee into the back of his Toyota Land Cruiser. This is the gold standard vehicle in so many parts of the world for tackling the roughest roads.  The reason for our early wakeup was simple. We needed to be above the third army checkpoint before dawn since La Selle Thrushes can be reliably observed on the road for just a few minutes around 7am. And given the state of the road, it would take around two hours to reach this location.  We stopped only once on the drive up when Rafael heard an Ashy-headed Owl hissing from beside the road just after the first checkpoint. Mere seconds later, he had found it in his spotlight. Clearly, Rafael was more than just a driver - he was a keen birder as well.  We bounced along, slowly making our way up the mountain. We passed the second checkpoint, and then the third. Finally, at 6 AM we had arrived at our destination. Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic We downed the hot coffee while waiting for the sky to lighten. Above us was a most incredible display of stars. Off in the distance the first Hispaniolan Nightjars begin their distinctive song, followed shortly by the Rufous-throated Solitaires. Dawn was imminent and we needed to get moving.  Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic All four of us were on high alert as we tiptoed along the road. Up ahead was a famous bend in the road dubbed "La Selle Thrush Corner" for obvious reasons, and the day was brightening up far too quickly. Would we be late for our date with this rare mountain thrush?  La Selle Thrush Corner - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic Our first Western Chat-Tanager appeared in the roadside shrubbery, delaying us by a minute or two. But we shouldn't have worried. Right at La Selle Thrush Corner was a solitary La Selle Thrush, hopping along quietly. We crept around the bend in the road, enabling much better views. Not two minutes later it had slunk back into the woods where it would likely remain for the rest of the day. We were lucky.  La Selle Thrush - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic This was our first time in the mountains proper and so we soaked in the sights. Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic Despite the clear skies earlier in the morning, now that it was daylight we noticed clouds rolling down the mountainsides, ready to envelop us. This was not good news. It would make finding another big target, the Golden Swallow, nearly impossible. It would also likely quiet many of the other birds.  We kept an eye out for quail-doves on the road but this was not meant to be. Surely, we would have more chances for the endemic White-fronted Quail-Dove near the Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge later that day or the following morning.  Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic The birding remained steady and we quickly found a pair of White-winged Warblers. These are not actually true warblers - rather, they are in the family Phaenicophilidae which is endemic to Hispaniola and which also contains the two species of palm-tanager and the Green-tailed Warbler.  White-winged Warbler - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic We heard several Hispaniolan Euphonias but they refused to be seen once again. The birding was a bit quiet, possibly due to the gloomy conditions. This satyr was the only butterfly species that we observed at the upper elevations.  Calisto archebates - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic A Hispaniolan Trogon started singing next to the road, though it slipped away before Laura or I managed a look. Luckily, we found a second one at the next bend in the road. These trogons can be common during the breeding season, but at this time of the year they are quiet and unobtrusive. Hispaniolan Trogon - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic Watching the Hispaniolan Trogon - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic Rafael turned out to be an excellent birding guide; not "just" a driver as we had been led to believe. He knew every sound on the mountain and had locations to try for most bird species. He somehow managed to spot this day-roosting Hispaniolan Nightjar. We were incredulous as to how he managed this feat. Surely this is a known roosting spot? A check of eBird shows no photos of this species taken during the day from this mountain which leads me to believe that he just randomly found this one for us. Incredible.  Hispaniolan Nightjar - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic By the time that we returned to the pine forest around the third army checkpoint, the threat of rain had diminished and the sun even came out for a brief moment or two. Rafael and Dan heard an Antillean Siskin (Laura and I were further up the road and missed it), and then a nice mixed flock passed through that contained our first Hispaniolan Elaenia.  Hispaniolan Elaenia - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic As I write this a week later, following eBird's taxonomy update, this is one of the new species that my life list has gained. When we were looking at this elaenia it was called the Greater Antillean Elaenia. I had seen the Jamaican subspecies last year. But the Greater Antillean Elaenia has now been split - each island now has its own endemic species. Hispaniolan Elaenia - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic One of my most-wanted bird for this trip was the Hispaniolan Crossbill and we lucked into a female here. Crossbills are nomadic birds of North America's coniferous forests and back home in Ontario we can find White-winged and Red Crossbills. The Red Crossbill in particular has quite a lot of variation, with several varieties that have slightly different vocalizations and bill shapes. These races specialize on different conifer seeds. One of them feeds on Lodgepole Pines in southern Idaho and it has been split off as its own species called the Cassia Crossbill; all of the other races are, for now, still lumped within Red Crossbill. And here in the pine forests of Hispaniola there is a crossbill that somewhat resembles the White-winged Crossbill. Hispaniolan Crossbill - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic One theory is that a group of White-winged Crossbills remained trapped on Hispaniola near the end of the last ice age. As the temperatures warmed, pine forests retreated further north and the only pines that could survive in Hispaniola were these high elevation ones, now called the Hispaniolan Pine. In the thousands of years since, this resident population of crossbills remained and they are distinct enough to be considered their own species - the Hispaniolan Crossbill. It was really neat to spend a few minutes with this female Hispaniolan Crossbill and to observe its unique bill shape and listen to its distinctive calls.  Hispaniolan Crossbill - Zapotén, Pedernales, Dominican Republic By this point we had found most of our bird targets from the upper elevations, though the Golden Swallow and White-fronted Quail-Dove still eluded us. We started back down the road as we had a few more targets - namely the Hispaniolan Loggerhead Kingbird and Bay-breasted Cuckoo, two of the toughest endemics on the island.  Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Beginning around 1000 m in elevation, we made frequent stops to play tapes for both of our target species. Our first handful of stops produced no hits, though we found our first Olive-throated Parakeets of the trip as well as a nice selection of butterflies.  Trawling for cuckoos - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Olive-throated Parakeet - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Anasaitis locuples - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Banded Yellow (Eurema elathea) - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic Finally, we lucked out with a Hispaniolan Loggerhead Kingbird that responded to the tape. It remained out of sight, though. I had read that this species is quite tape-responsive; perhaps this is only the case during the breeding season.  Hispaniolan Violet Dung-Rolling Beetle (Canthon violaceus) - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic One of our last stops produced a vocal Bay-breasted Cuckoo as well! It was also uncooperative, but we would have redemption at our final stop before reaching the first army checkpoint. We heard a pair of Bay-breasted Cuckoos vocalizing from somewhere off the road. I decided to enter the forest and, after following the sounds of the cuckoo, I found it perched just above eye-level. Luckily it stayed long enough for Dan and Laura to bask in its glory. Such an awesome bird! Bay-breasted Cuckoo - Naranjos area, Independencia, Dominican Republic With most of our targets in the bag, Rafael drove us back to Villa Barrancoli. But we made one final stop in some agricultural fields and quickly found a pair of Antillean Siskins, yet another endemic species down! Antillean Siskin - Puerto Escondido, Independencia, Dominican Republic We thanked Rafael profusely for such an excellent day. If anyone is planning a Zapotén expedition through Kate Wallace, ask for Rafael - you won't be disappointed.

I have recently returned from an eight-day blitz of the Dominican Republic with my wife, Laura, and good friend, Daniel Riley. Now October isn't really an ideal time for a birding trip to the Dominican Republic for a few reasons. First, October is the off-season and few birds are breeding. This means that bird song is relatively quiet and playback doesn't work very well since most species couldn't be bothered with the idea of defending a territory. Second, October is one of the hottest months of the year, especially compared to January or February which is when most birders visit the country. This makes birding in the lowlands that much more uncomfortable, especially for us Canadians who are used to the cold. And third, October is well within the window for hurricane season. Though the 2025 hurricane season had been relatively quiet prior to our trip, this would change halfway through and would cause us to change our itinerary. More on that later! That being said, we still had an amazing trip and found almost everything that we hoped to. The birds did not give themselves up easily, but we persisted and prevailed with almost every species. And the herping was phenomenal with many snakes, lizards, and frogs. Certainly, the rainier conditions assisted us in this regard. The mothing was also fantastic. As birds are only one of our interests, missing a couple of bird species in exchange for better herping and mothing conditions seemed to be a reasonable trade-off. Ashy-faced Owl - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic   October 18, 2025 One of the reasons why we picked the Dominican Republic in the first place is because of how easy it is to visit from Canada. Each day, there are multiple direct flights from Toronto and this was important as we only had an eight-day window to complete our trip. Laura's work rotation has a suitable gap, and so this was an opportunity for us to get away on a trip without her having to use any vacation time. Our flight arrived on time and we quickly sorted out the rental vehicle through Enterprise at the airport. By 3 PM we were on the road, heading north along the coast towards the town of Sabana de la Mar and Parque Nacional Los Haitises. We had added our first lifers while procuring the rental car, species that would prove to be common throughout our week in the DR: Hispaniolan Woodpecker was a lifer for Laura and I, while Antillean Palm-Swift was a new one for just Laura. Dan had been to a resort in the Dominican Republic previously and so he had already seen some of the common bird species.  The drive was uneventful and we kept a close eye on the clock as we slowly made our way through coastal towns with their innumerable speed bumps. The high clearance SUV was necessary for the speed bumps alone! By 5:30 PM we arrived at Paraíso Caño Hondo, our hotel at the edge of the national park. Unfortunately the drive had taken too long to manage much birding before dark, and so our number one target species, the Ridgway's Hawk, would have to wait until the following morning. Still, it was exciting to walk around at dusk and see new species, such as Bark Anole (Anolis distichus) and a neat mantis called Gonatista major.  Bark Anole (Anolis distichus) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Gonatista major - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic We checked into the hotel, set up the moth sheet, and went for a quick stroll around the property to familiarize ourselves with the area and to figure out where we needed to hike the following morning to search for the Ridgway's Hawk. Yellow Split-Toed Frogs (Eleutherodactylus flavescens) and Common Stout Anoles (Anolis hispaniolae) were quickly discovered. Both of these species are endemic to the island of Hispaniola. We also found our first of many tarantulas. This is one of the species in Phormictopus, a genus which is limited to Cuba and Hispaniola.  Phormictopus sp. - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Yellow Split-toed Frog (Eleutherodactylus flavescens) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Common Stout Anole (Anolis hispaniolae) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic The vast majority of the plant life was unfamiliar to us as well. I snapped a few photos, mainly of ferns that were growing along an embankment.  Pyramid Maidenhair (Adiantum pyramidale) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Fragile Maidenhair (Adiantum pyramidale) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Tropical Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic We wolfed down the hotel's buffet dinner (our first real food since breakfast) before procuring our gear for our first proper birding of the trip, a spotlighting session for Ashy-faced Owl. This species is closely related to the familiar and cosmopolitan Barn Owl, though it is restricted to the island of Hispaniola. Ashy-faced Owls are not particularly rare or range-restricted, but we hoped to find one here since the owling conditions were good this evening and a healthy population of owls resides in this area. If we struck out tonight, we would have to devote valuable evening or early morning hours later in the trip; hours better spent looking for boas, for example. Armed with flashlights, headlights and a thermal camera we headed out by car along the entrance road, making various stops to hunt for our target.  The thermal camera picked up numerous heat signatures. Black Rats were the default culprits, though we also located a Black-whiskered Vireo, Limpkin and Bananaquit in this manner. Black Rats are introduced on Hispaniola and the population here sure seems to be quite healthy. I wonder if the Ashy-faced Owls are taking advantage of this relatively new food item on the menu.  Black Rat (Rattus rattus) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Finally, after over an hour of searching, we heard the characteristic hissing shriek of an Ashy-faced Owl. Success! Seeing them would prove difficult, but eventually a couple of dark shapes glided over the road, sihouetted by the moonlight. Our spotlight illuminated the pair of Ashy-faced Owls.  Ashy-faced Owls - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic We couldn't have asked for better looks of this handsome owl species and we took a few photos of them lit up by the spotlight beam. Owling can be difficult, even with the assistance of a thermal camera, and any victory is one to be celebrated. Happy with our excursion, we returned to the hotel.  Ashy-faced Owls - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Though we were all pretty tired due to the early wake-up required to make our morning flight, we still had one task to complete before our beds beckoned. Mothing!  (moths) It was obvious to us that this corner of Hispaniola had received a fair bit of rainfall recently as the vegetation was lush and the streams were flowing quickly. In our experience, increased rainfall has a positive correlation with diversity on the moth sheet. This evening was another data point in that favour as the sheet was dripping with moths.  If only we had more time to stay out later, as many new moths were appearing even as we were taking the sheet down. But we needed some rest before the Ridgway's Hawk search began, and that took priority.  October 19, 2025 Sunrise at this time of year arrives late, yet by 6 AM all three of us were geared up and raring to go birding. We sipped a coffee at the hotel while the sky slowly lightened and the morning's first birds called out from the darkness: Bananaquits, Palmchats and Hispanoiolan Woodpeckers. Finally, by 6:30 AM it was light enough to see the birds.  Palmchat - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic The Ridgway's Hawk is a species of Buteo that is most closely related to the Red-shouldered Hawk of Canada, the United States and Mexico. While formerly widespread across Hispaniola, this species has experienced a steady decline brought on by two strong factors: habitat loss (deforestation), and direct persecution by humans. When the hawks are hanging around homesteads and farms with chickens, they are often shot. The truth is that a fully-grown chicken is much too large a meal for a Ridgway's Hawk and these diminutive hawks primarily subsist on lizards, snakes and introduced rodents, but the unfair stigma has contributed to their decline. To make things worse, a botfly parasite has been found infecting Ridgway's Hawk chicks, causing reproductive rates to be barely sustainable to begin with. Only a few hundred Ridgway's Hawks survive in the wild with the population stronghold being Parque Nacional Los Haitises. In recent years, the Peregrine Fund has helped establish two introduced populations. One is thriving in the Punta Cana area, while the other has been recently set up in Los Brazos.    Sunrise at Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic The vast majority of birders who cross paths with Ridgway's Hawks either do around the resorts in Punta Cana, or they visit the Caño Hondo area at the edge of P. N. Los Haitises. We were more interested in seeing the "wild" birds, which is why we added a night here at the start of our trip. We set off on a wide trail near the hotel complex which accessed the mosaic of woodland and pasture home to a pair of Ridgway's Hawks.  Searching for Ridgway's Hawks - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Early on our search was unsuccessful, but the birding was exciting nonetheless. After all, we were in a novel environment and many of the species were new and interesting to us.  Western Cattle-Egret - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Some were familiar to us - the Western Cattle-Egrets working the fields and the Gray Kingbirds twittering from dead snags, for example.  Gray Kingbird - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Others, such as the Plain Pigeons that flew overhead all morning, were new for Laura and Dan. I had seen this species previously in Cuba, but it was nice to be reacquainted with them.  Plain Pigeon - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Laura picked out a Hispaniolan Pewee, a lifer for all three of us. Drab flycatchers are not at all her favourite (who can blame her?) and so I was quite proud of her correct identification of the pewee! We were feeling anxious as the minutes ticked by and the sun rose higher in the sky. We had only budgeted one night here, and if we missed the Ridgway's Hawk this morning then it would be impractical to change our itinerary to spend an extra night. But Dan came through. His scanning of a distant hillside produced a curious small hawk sitting in a cecropia. Indeed, it was our first Ridgway's Hawk! Ridgway's Hawk in Trumpetwood (Cecropia schreberiana) - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Here is a slightly closer photo of the same bird. Though the views were a little bit distant, we were thrilled to see such a rare species. We heard a second Ridgway's Hawk vocalizing from the edge of a pasture and headed over there for a peek, but it vanished. As did the original one before we could approach for a closer view. That was all we were going to get from the birding gods, but our Ridgway's Hawk experience was much better than nothing. Ridgway's Hawk - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic We all had more spring in our step as we headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved breakfast. Many other birds came out of the woodwork - Louisiana Waterthrushes along the creek, Yellow-faced Grassquits buzzing from the grasses, and White-winged Doves feeding on a fruiting tree.  Louisiana Waterthrush - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Yellow-faced Grassquit - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic White-winged Dove - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic I even stopped to take a photo of one of the ubiquitous Turkey Vultures. It is definitely a bird species that gets better looking the further away it is.  Turkey Vulture - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Another highlight was a group of Caribbean Martins cruising overhead. These birds vacate Hispaniola in October, though small numbers can hang around, and it was one species that could be easily missed on our trip.  Caribbean Martin - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic We also saw a few of the common endemic bird species including Hispaniolan Mango, White-necked Crow and Broad-billed Tody. The todies are a well-loved family of birds that only contains five living species, all found in the Greater Antilles. Todies are most closely related to the clade that includes motmots and kingfishers. Laura's favourite bird family is the motmots, so it was no surprise that she was enamoured by her first tody, too. Broad-billed Tody We enjoyed a hearty breakfast, packed up and headed out under blue skies and hot temperatures. We had a long driving day ahead of us but made sure to make a few birding stops along the entrance road to Caño Hondo. This paid off as Dan noticed a few Tricolored Munias feeding on roadside grasses, a life bird for him. This was the first time that Laura and I had seen this adaptable species outside of southeast Asia.  Tricolored Munia - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Tricolored Munia - Caño Hondo, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic Our time at the edge of Parque Nacional Los Haitises had been brief, but it had been immensely productive. Ashy-faced Owls and Ridgway's Hawks, lifer frogs and lizards, and even a great mothing session. The clock was ticking, and it was now time to drive through Santo Domingo to the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic.