Birding:4 Days of Bird Watching Dominican Republic

Quisqueya “Dominican Republic & Haiti” is an island  with a highly diverse avifauna of more than 300 species. In addition to 32 endemic bird species, the country hosts an impressive assemblage of permanent resident species, overwintering migrants, and other transient species that stop to rest and refuel enroute to more southerly wintering or northern breeding areas. The island of Hispaniola’s high level of endemism and its contribution to global biodiversity have earned it the highest ranking of biological importance in a worldwide assessment of bird protection priorities. The most important places for birding are Los Haitises National Park, Cotubanama National Park, Bahoruco National Park and Santo Domingo area. During this experience you will get to oversee most of the country crossing from east to south and south to north, we are spending 3 full days searching for birds of the Dominican Republic.

Bahoruco National Park and Neighboring Areas For Birding 

Sierra de Bahoruco should be your number one choice for birding when you visit the DR. This is one of the best places for birding  in the whole country and is concentrated in the southwest, in and around the Sierra de Bahoruco mountain range. 

This area includes a variety of habitats that range from dry thorn scrub to mountain pine forests. Bahoruco supports one of the highest bird densities in the Caribbean and it’s the only place where you have a chance at almost all endemics.

Los Haitises National Park for Birding 

Los Haitises is considered as a place for conservation of endemic species, the park has over 110 species of birds including residents, migratories and endemics. This adventure will take you through the rainforest to search for Todies, Ridgway’s Hawks, tanagers, hummingbirds, and much more. Providing interesting History about all these birds which you can see on the different trails. We also know the spots habitats of Ridgway’s, Ashy Faced Owls and other endemic species. This Tour is focused on nature and is more concentrated in the information about wildlife.

This tour will happen both in the forest and coast of Los Haitises National Park and we will be hiking and boating to San Lorenzo Bay where we will find species like Indian Whistling Duck, Caribbean Martin, Cave Swallow, White-Crowned Pigeon and many more..

Santo Domingo Area For Birding 

The capital city of Santo Domingo is a good place to start your birding trip with a visit to the National Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanico Nacional Moscoso Puello), which provides many of the lowland endemics and some aquatic specialties, including the West Indian Whistling Duck, endangered and very elusive anywhere else.

An hour and a half west of Santo Domingo, Salinas de Bani, with its salt flats, mangroves, sand dunes, and thorn scrub, is a great place for waders and shorebirds, as well as for winter migrants, making it a favorite haunt of local birders. It is a good day trip from Santo Domingo.