2025 Puerto Rico Escape – Endemics and Island Birding

We will start off early this morning leaving the San Juan area behind and begin heading across the island. Our first morning stop will be at Cambalache State Forest, a beautiful lowland forest loaded with endemic birds. A productive morning can yield up to half of the island endemics and this area is a favorite spot for Puerto Rican Bullfinch, Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo, Puerto Rican Spindalis, Adelaide’s Warbler, and Puerto Rican Tody. In addition to the endemics, these trails are normally full of other great species such as Bananaquit, Black-faced Grassquit, Black-whiskered Vireo, and Smooth-billed Ani, to name a few.

From here we will move onto Rio Abajo State Forest which is absolutely our best site for spotting the Critically Endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Parrot). Access to known nesting areas is not always possible due to the strict management of these birds and recent weather conditions such as hurricanes. We should hopefully be able to see some of the fine work going on in this park, aiding the conservation of these amazing birds. After exploring these two remarkable locations, we will make it to the small town of La Parguera for the evening where we will set up for the next three nights. This area is one of the last strongholds for Yellow-shouldered Blackbird and perhaps we will come across one as we get into town.

Overnight: La Parguera

After breakfast we head off to Maricao Forest Reserve, a wet mountain-forest area. Our top target here is the Endangered and range-restricted Elfin Woods Warbler. This elusive species was only discovered in 1968 and is restricted to high humidity, high altitude forests with elfin (dwarfed) trees. The trails here are an excellent place to find this fascinating bird as well as Puerto Rican Oriole, Scaly-naped Pigeon, and Puerto Rican Flycatcher. While the warbler may be the top target of the day, we will carefully search for the unique Puerto Rican Tanager, as this is a great area for it. This species is highly desirable to many listers as this unique bird is the only member of its genus and recently has been placed into its own family, Nesospingidae.

After lunch we will move on to explore Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, located in the southwest corner of the island. This area and the nearby rice fields are fantastic for waders (shorebirds) and waterbirds. Here we will target specials such as Masked Duck and West Indian Whistling Duck. This site can also be great for other wetland species including Smooth-billed Ani, Black-necked Stilt, Sora, Common Gallinule and Glossy Ibis, plus a host of wintering warblers and some exotic species which have become established in Puerto Rico like Orange-cheeked Waxbill and Northern Red Bishop. We will return to La Parguera for dinner, always keeping our eyes peeled for Yellow-shouldered Blackbird. After dinner we will venture out in the evening in search of Puerto Rican Nightjar, located only in this region of the island.

Overnight: La Parguera

After breakfast we will head out to Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, a great location for seabirds and shorebirds. The mudflats here should be teeming with wintering species such as Wilson’s and Semipalmated Plovers, Black-necked Stilt, Least Sandpiper, and Royal Tern. We will head out to the lighthouse and scan the sea in hopes of spotting a White-tailed Tropicbird or Brown Booby flying close to shore. The trees in the area should be full of other great species like Caribbean Elaenia, Puerto Rican Flycatcher, Grey Kingbird, and the established exotic Venezuelan Troupial.

The afternoon will be a free one with our birding dependent on how we have faired with endemics and other Caribbean species thus far. Some folks may want to enjoy an afternoon around the town of La Parguera, certainly a fine and relaxing option. Others may want to venture out to other nearby birding locations for species such as Puerto Rican Woodpecker, Puerto Rican Vireo, Pearly-eyed Thrasher, Green Mango, Puerto Rican Emerald, and Puerto Rican Spindalis or any other species we may still be lacking. After dinner gives us another chance for Puerto Rican Nightjar and Puerto Rican Owl in case of a miss or bad weather the previous night.

Overnight: La Parguera

This morning we will enjoy our final breakfast in the southwest portion of Puerto Rico before loading up and heading east across the island with a few birding stops planned. First up will be  Aguirre State Forest, a coastal mangrove forest. Here is our first chance at spotting Antillean Crested Hummingbird plus other nice species including Mangrove Cuckoo, Prairie and Adelaide’s Warblers, and Pearly-eyed Thrasher. From here we will cut north through the center of Puerto Rico and into the mountains in search of the Near Threatened and range-restricted Plain Pigeon. We will also keep our eyes peeled for any endemics we might be missing at this point, if any, such as Green Mango and Puerto Rican Spindalis. In the afternoon, we will enjoy a relaxing walk around our lodging in El Yunque National Forest, full of scenic trails and waterfalls.

Overnight: Casa Cubuy

After breakfast we will head off to Humacao Nature Preserve, a great area of wetlands and flowering trees, typically loaded with birds. Here we will search for both Green-throated Carib and Antillean Crested Hummingbird which are mostly restricted to the eastern areas of the island. Unfortunately, they have become scarcer due to recent hurricanes that have swept through Puerto Rico. In addition to the hummers, we will be on the lookout for other great species including White-cheeked Pintail, Puerto Rican Flycatcher, and Mangrove Cuckoo. From here we will head to the town of Fajardo for lunch next to the ocean. Here we will continue searching for those two hummingbirds and will scan the sea for Magnificent Frigatebird and Brown Booby.

In the afternoon we will head back to El Yunque to continue birding the trails around our lodge hopefully digging up nice species including Loggerhead Kingbird (Puerto Rican subspecies), Red-legged Thrush, and Puerto Rican Tanager. The evening will provide an optional outing for Puerto Rican Owl on our final night of the tour.

Overnight: Casa Cubuy

After breakfast, and potentially some morning birding, we will load up and head back to the San Juan Airport to catch flights home. We strongly recommend flights departing after noon to allow enough time to transfer to the airport (approx. 1hr 15min drive).  This will be the final trek on what was surely an amazing week spent in the paradise of Puerto Rico!

Be sure to check out our other tours in the Caribbean region, easily combinable with this one: Cuba – Endemics and Cultural Paradise, Dominican Republic – Complete DR Experience and Jamaica – Island Endemics in the Heart of the Caribbean.

 

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides, and other factors. In addition, we occasionally need to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.

Perhaps! – Assuming that everyone’s flight arrives before dark. One of our first targets is only a few minutes from from the airport.

Check the weather for the destination as close to your departure date as possible, and dress accordingly for your comfort level. You can also review our What to Bring page for more information.

There are many items the will be useful to you while on a Bird Treks tour. We have put together our list of recommendations on the What to Bring page.

Our tours are all conducted in English, but we do have some experience working with client that don’t speak English well – Some English would be needed for safety reasons. In locations where another language is predominately spoken, a native guide may accompany the tour.

Yes, we will always try our best to help with anything at all! We’re here to serve you. However, it is usually easier if you book your flight through your own travel agent as we can’t always get the best deals from your particular country. But we will help whenever needed!

While Day 1 is usually a travel (arrival) day, and the last day of the tour is usually also a travel day (departure), many people do like to arrive early and/or leave late. We can indeed book extra nights before and after the trip, and we in fact recommend you let us book them, as it avoids confusion and allows us to book the accommodation that is most convenient for the tour.

NOTE: Most often it is the same hotel or lodge that you use on the first night of the tour, but in some instances, it could be an airport hotel or an accommodation establishment where the guide is staying.

No, we do not. We find that it is better for trip participants to purchase their own medical, trip cancellation, and baggage insurance through their own insurance provider in the country they reside in. We expect all tour participants to have comprehensive insurance, and we encourage everyone to send us a copy of their insurance documents.

For most tours, meals are included in the tour price. This may include a hotel-provided breakfast, or guide-provided box lunches. For dinners, we strive to find interesting and delicious local restaurants – this allows us to give back to the local economy, and find exciting new place to eat.