Cuba dos – Havana, February 12-13, 2018

Morro Castle as seen from the Malecón

View from the Old Havana ferry terminal

Casablanca

Havana as seen from the hill at Casablanca

Old Havana

Old America

Afternoon birding from the balcony, near Hotel Nacional (it gets interesting in this area after sundown)

Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens - love that menacing profile!

Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens

Tawny-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius humeralis

Tawny-shouldered Blackbird Agelaius humeralis

  On my first hour in-country, cavorting Greater Antillean Grackles seen on the taxi ride from the airport represented my first new birds. More tropical novelties awaited during a sundown birding n’ cerveza session from the balcony of our casa near Hotel Nacional in Vedado, the former mob neighbourhood on the ocean. Three Brown Pelicans and four Magnificent Frigatebirds impressed with low and slow flybys. More familiar bird faces included Turkey Vultures, Mourning Doves, Northern Mockingbirds, and House Sparrows.
  The following day, a morning walk along the Malecón coastline past Morro Castle (est.1589) and beyond towards the ferry terminal in Old Havana featured more Brown Pelicans, Common Ground Doves, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and two Laughing Gulls.
  Before hopping on the ferry to Casablanca, I got brief views of four Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds up in the roof of the terminal building, which ended up being my only ones of the trip. Four Sandwich Terns were spotted skimming low over the harbour from the ferry.

  Up on the forested “Jesus Hill” in Casablanca, a Crescent-eyed (Cuban) Pewee, more Northern Mockingbirds, and my first Cuban Emerald of the trip.