Villa Barrancoli Eco Lodge, Puerto Escondido, Dominican Republic
2 Days 12 Hours
Ecotourism
30 persons
Dominican Republic
Tody Tours is dedicated to sharing the special endemic birds of the Dominican Republic with bird watching.
With campsite perfect for bird watching.
The morning begins with a walk in the Botanical Garden. This extensive garden offers an introduction to the common bird species in an almost wild and natural setting. Afternoon drive to Villa Barrancoli, where we will spend the night.
Very early morning (4:00 am) the guide will pick you up and depart for the north slope of the Sierra de Bahoruco. Very rough road where we only needed a 4x4 to get to Zapoten! We try to arrive pre-dawn in cloud forest at 1200 meters above sea level to search for the some of the endemic birds among other high elevation species.
We take a morning walk on the local puerto escondido trail Rabo de Gato and or La Placa . This may be the best chance to see birds in transition forest. After lunch we will pack and drive towards Barahona where we will be staying at Hotel Quemaito which will be our base for one night. Here you can make the choice to go to Alcoa Road as one of our options.
Early morning (5:00 am) the driver with a 4x4 Will pick you up at the hotel, to take you up to the cloud forest habitat to look for the Eastern Chat Tanager. After Cachote we take a afternoon drive to Santo Domingo or you can go on directly to los Haitises, we will stay at Hotel Paraiso Caño Hondo. In the evening the guide will take you to see the Ashy-Faced Owl.
This morning the guide will meet you early to look for the Ridgway’s Hawk’. The Ridgway's Hawk is one of the rarest birds in the world and was under the threat of extinction. The Peregrine Fund started a survey to check the population. The bird was only found in Los Haitises. With extended research efforts and education the population has been expanding it is now possible to see the Ridgway's Hawk fairly close to the hotel. The guide will meet you in the morning to look for it. The Peregrine Fund has been transferring young hawks to a site at the Punta Cana Resort and Ecological Foundation. The goal is to create an alternative population in a protected area. For several years, this was not successful but then thanks to the research of Thomas Hayes from The Peregrine Fund, and local vet, a veterinarian at the zoo the cause of the deaths of so many chicks in the nests has been discovered. The parasitic bot fly (Philornis sp) is laying eggs on the chicks and the larvae then killed the small birds. A treatment was developed and now the numbers of chicks surviving has greatly increased. New pairs have formed and have fledged chicks. Because of this, it is now possible to visit the hacking site and see the hawks. Reservations must be made with the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation. 809-959-9221. The new super highway to Punta Cana makes this a possible day trip. Keep up with he news in the Face Book page. Proyecto Conservación del Gavilan
A morning drive from Santo Domingo Can be made to Los Limones, in the southern part of Los Haitises National Park. Here a local guide helps to monitor the hawk population and he will guide us to the closest active nest. Some bushwhacking involved. This is usually included as part of the regular tour, with an additional COST, $100 for the local guide fee.
The target species are Hispaniolan Crossbills and Golden Swallows, resident Pine Warblers and Antillean Piculet and Palm Crows. In the afternoon, we will visit a small wetland near Cabo Rojo for coastal and aquatic birds. We will make a brief stop at the Lagoon of Oveido to spot Flamingoes and Roseate spoonbills.