Dominican Republic, October 2025: Mountain Endemics At Zapotén

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. 

Dominican Republic, October 2025: Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, And Working Hard For Eastern Chat-Tanagers

October 19, 2025 (continued)

Where I last left off, we had just departed the Caño Hondo area in northeastern Dominican Republic, not even 24 hours after arriving in the country. Today's agenda was to drive, and drive, and drive; all the way to the mountains in the southwest. 

One week is not nearly enough time to do justice to the Dominican Republic from a naturalist's perspective. Heck, there are around 50 species of anoles, and it would likely take years to find all of them! But birders, if they are lucky, can find all of the endemic bird species in just a week's time. All but one of them (the Ridgway's Hawk) reside in the southwestern corner of the country. And so that is where we headed. With our Ridgway's Hawk already in the bag, we hoped to finish the endemic sweep in the upcoming days. 

Two-spotted Prepona (Archaeoprepona demophoon) - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

To break up the drive we detoured to the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens. Traffic in the capital was relatively painless as it was a Sunday. But there was a long line of cars waiting to enter the gardens due to an orchid expo that was occurring. Hundreds of Dominicans were leaving with pots full of beautiful orchids. Eventually, we were able to park, pay our entrance fee to the gardens, and leave the throngs of people behind as we took snaking trails towards the back side of the expansive gardens. 

Antillean Palm-Swift - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

We had one main bird target here and we found them without any trouble. West Indian Whistling-Ducks are found throughout the Caribbean but they can be surprisingly difficult to bump into. Populations throughout the islands have crashed in recent decades, and the duck is getting difficult to find anywhere. I saw my first ones last March while leading a tour in Jamaica but those ducks were quite distant and the views were poor with the heat haze. However, the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens is home to several dozen wild West Indian Whistling-Ducks. Surely this is the easiest place in the world to see them. 

West Indian Whistling-Duck - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

We found at least nine West Indian Whistling-Ducks along the creek that flows along the eastern edge of the gardens. It was a bit surreal to see these rare ducks up close! Didn't they know that they were supposed to be rare and difficult to see?

West Indian Whistling-Duck - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

West Indian Whistling-Duck - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

West Indian Whistling-Duck - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

This shady creek corridor provided a welcome relief from the scorching sun. Birds were rather numerous back here - Common Gallinules, Least Grebes, various herons, even a Solitary Sandpiper. 

Least Grebe - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Taking a photo without piles of garbage in it was a little bit difficult, though.

Green Heron - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

The Least Grebes were clearly thriving as there was nesting evidence all over the place. 

Least Grebe on a nest - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Baby Least Grebe - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

We found our first Dominican Sliders, a freshwater turtle that is endemic to the island. Some of the logs were so heavily laden that there was barely an inch to spare. 

Dominican Sliders (Trachemys stejnegeri vicina) - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

As expected given the hot and sunny conditions, anoles were rather numerous in the botanical gardens. We managed our first good photos of Bark Anoles and also found another endemic species, the Cordillera Oriental Stout Anole (Anolis higuey). 

Bark Anole (Anolis distichus) - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Cordillera Oriental Stout Anole (Anolis higuey) - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

We found our only Green Iguana of the trip along the creek, too. 

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Some high pitched calls in the canopy alerted us to some Black-crowned Palm-Tanagers, an endemic species to the island. These aren't "true" tanagers of the family Thraupidae; they are actually in the family Phaenicophilidae along with three other species found only on Hispaniola. 

Black-crowned Palm-Tanager - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Islands are well-known as laboratories for endemic species, since the barrier caused by the open ocean is enough to prevent individuals from adjacent islands to ever cross paths with each other. Over time, these populations become distinct enough from each other since there is no breeding between the populations, and thus, no gene flow. 

Regarding birds, there are 34 species that are widely considered to be endemic to Hispaniola. However, many of the other resident birds have unique races (or subspecies) in Hispaniola; they just haven't been separated long enough from adjacent islands for scientists to consider them different species. The American Kestrel is one example. The individuals in Hispaniola are non-migratory and have a unique look to their plumage. They are currently considered a subspecies of the American Kestrel and are called the Hispaniolan Kestrel. Neighbouring Cuba also has its own resident subspecies, called the Cuban Kestrel. Check back in another million years or so, and these two races may be distinct enough to be considered separate species. 

Hispaniolan Kestrel - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Each year, eBird updates its taxonomy based on current research. This year, one of changes was the split of the Red-legged Thrush, a bird found in the Caribbean which I had seen many times before in Cuba. As I write this after the conclusion of our trip, eBird's annual update is occurring and one of the changes is that the Red-legged Thrush has been split into two species. I didn't know it at the time, but the Red-legged Thrushes that we observed in the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens were a new species for me, the Eastern Red-legged Thrush! Unfortunately, this is the only photo I managed...

Eastern Red-legged Thrush - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Our walk at the botanical gardens was quite birdy despite the time of day. What was supposed to be a quick stop to see the whistling-ducks turned into a two and a half hour amble. We found a few more birds, including Hispaniolan Parakeet (heard-only), Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo and Greater Antillean Grackle. Dan spotted a male Hooded Warbler which is a familiar species from back home, but one that had only been reported from these gardens a few times previously. It was great visit. 

Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Greater Antillean Grackle - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

Hooded Warbler - Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic

A three hour drive still beckoned and so we eventually pulled ourselves away from the gardens. The rest of the drive was uneventful and in the early evening we arrived at our AirBnB in Polo, a town in the foothills. It had been a very full day but we stayed awake long enough to follow along to the end of the Blue Jays game against the Seattle Mariners (they won, forcing a game seven!). I have always been a massive fan of both baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays, so it was killing me a little bit that our trip coincided with the final games of the American League Championship Series. Hopefully the Blue Jays could pull out a win in game 7 the next night to send them to the World Series. 

October 20, 2025

The morning dawned calm and cool. This was a wonderful change from the previous morning and we enjoyed the crisp air of the foothills. The respite was brief since we would soon be huffing and puffing up a steep slope. 

Candy Cane Snail (Liguus virgineus) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic 

Our destination for the morning was a gravel track called Camino de la Hoz. This rough road cuts through dry forest in the Sierra de Bahoruco, crawling up the mountainside from 590 m in elevation to some communications towers above 1,600 m in elevation.  A 4x4 vehicle could scramble up the loose gravel of this road. But our little Chevrolet SUV was not a 4x4 and certainly not up to the task. And so it fell on us to slog it on foot. 

Hispaniolan Pewee - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

The reason we subjected ourselves to such a tough climb was for a bird, of course. The Eastern Chat-Tanager has a limited range in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, where it resides at an elevation band which cannot be reached by good quality road. Most birders who visit here have a guide/driver with a proper 4x4, so seeing the Eastern Chat-Tanager is as simple as getting out of the vehicle and playing a tape for a few seconds. It would not be so easy for us!

I figured that we would have to reach approximately 1,100 m in elevation to have a chance at the chat-tanager. At a minimum, this would require a 500 m gain in elevation, possibly more. 

Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

The hike started off well. We were rested and eager for the lifers that lay ahead of us and the first hundred meters in elevation gain was a breeze. We were also seeing new birds for the first time, including our first Flat-billed Vireos. The soundtrack was provided by Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoos, Antillean Piculets and Hispaniolan Euphonias, the latter two being new species for us. A pair of Broad-billed Todies and a Hispaniolan Pewee were rather cooperative as well.

Flat-billed Vireo - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Broad-billed Tody - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

As we passed the 200 m and then the 300 m mark in elevation gained, we started to lose some steam. The birding remained steady though, and we eventually found a nice mixed flock that contained our first Green-tailed Warblers, a pair of Greater Antillean Bullfinches, and an Antillean Piculet. 

Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Green-tailed Warbler - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Though they would be a common voice throughout the trip, the Antillean Piculets were entirely unresponsive to tape and this would be the only one we would see. 

Antillean Piculet - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

I mentioned the todies in the previous post and how there are only five species in this family, all restricted to the Greater Antilles. Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico each have one species, while two todies live in Hispaniola. We had already seen the lowland species called the Broad-billed Tody, but here at Camino de la Hoz, the mountain-loving Narrow-billed Tody can also be found. Apart from preferring higher elevations, the Narrow-billed can be easily told apart due to its white iris and narrower bill. 

Narrow-billed Tody - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Narrow-billed Tody - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

We kept climbing up and up, sweating as the sun crested over a ridge and shone directly on us. The bird life was quieting down and our slow birding pace meant that we were still below the proper elevation for the Eastern Chat-Tanager. Vervain Hummingbirds were one of the few species that were readily apparent here, and we found over a dozen during the course of the morning. By virtue of being a millimeter or two larger than the Bee Hummingbird, the Vervain Hummingbird lives in obscurity while the Bee Hummingbird is famous for being the smallest bird species in the world. 

Vervain Hummingbird - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

During our frequent rest breaks Dan and I photographed the butterflies which had become numerous along the track. 

Calisto sp. - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Hispaniolan Great King (Anetia pantheratus pantheratus) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Unfortunately, the Eastern Chat-Tanagers were not as easy here as I envisioned, even once we were safely within the suitable elevation band. My frequent trawling produced no hits. I worried that we were going to have a rather painful dip of this endemic species. 

 Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Stolid Flycatcher - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

The hot sun and steep climb had done a number on Laura and so she rested in a shady area at the side of the road. Dan and I continued further, hoping to connect with the chat-tanager higher up. Not five minutes later we found a gorgeous Hispaniolan Spindalis in a fruiting tree, which necessitated a call to Laura as this was one of her most wanted species for the trip. Luckily, the spindalis hung around for great views. 

Hispaniolan Spindalis - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Hispaniolan Spindalis - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Dan and I kept climbing and finally hit pay-dirt at 1,260 m in elevation (around 670 m higher than the start of our walk). We both managed poor but diagnostic views of a pair of Eastern Chat-Tanagers while we also took some decent recordings. They were being very shy though, and photos were not possible. But hey, a tick is a tick, I guess. 

A male Hispaniolan Emerald in this area was another new species for us. 

Hispaniolan Emerald - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

A pickup truck soon passed us along the road, the first one of the morning. Of course it happened to run over a beautiful Cope's Antilles Snake just a few meters down the road from us. What unfortunate timing.

We returned to Laura who was starting to feel much better after a rest and some water. She was not really in the mood to climb another 100 m or so in elevation to search for the Eastern Chat-Tanagers that Dan and I had just seen. Instead, she was happy to start back down the mountain. 

Black-crowned Palm-Tanager - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

By now, it was mid-day and the butterflies were out in full force!

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Caribbean Daggerwing (Marpesia eleuchea) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Antillean Snout (Libytheana terena) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

The walk back down was a little bit easier in some regards, but more difficult in others. It was less of a cardio workout but instead was tough on our quadriceps and calf muscles. The warm temperatures and direct sun didn't help matters, either. But we slowly made progress and by early afternoon had made it back down to the vehicle. Though the birding and butterflying had been good, and the scenery was wonderful, we were all very happy that this hike was now behind us! 

Desert Stout Anole (Anolis aridius) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

Unidentified bee fly (subfamily Anthracinae) - Camino de la Hoz, Barahona, Dominican Republic

That afternoon we made the short drive over to Villa Barrancoli Ecolodge, our base for the next two nights. Surely many new birds, lizards, and snakes awaited us.