The recording of this program from 3 Oct 2023 is now available on-line

It starts at 14 seconds in.

Birds of Cuba, with Alvaro Jaramillo.

Cuban Tody, endemic to Cuba, one of five species in a family endemic to the Caribbean. (A. Jaramillo)

Cuba is one of the closest neighbors to the United States, but due to politics it might as well be on the other side of the world. Few Americans have traveled there, and birders have been restricted to a few legal survey trips a year, or going there illegally through Canada in order to enjoy its birds. But things have opened up and we expect that more and more US-based birders will be able to enjoy the amazing diversity and incredible level of endemism (species found nowhere else on earth). Cuba is a fantastic birding destination. It is safe, birdy, has much protected habitat and forest cover, and there is still a lot to learn there. In fact it may be the place where the Ivory-billed Woodpecker actually still lives! Alvaro has been lucky to have birded in Cuba on many occasions over the years. He is excited to be able to show you some of the gorgeous bird life, teach a bit about the interesting biology of Cuban wildlife, and give you a sense for the culture, and its people. Cuba remains a charming, friendly and very jovial place even though the people there have had to endure so much!

Of the 4 species of Spindalis, all endemic to the Caribbean, the Western Spindalis is the most widespread. (A. Jaramillo)

Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of international birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. For some time, Alvaro wrote the Identify Yourself column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. He is author of a major New World sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World (now Birds of the World), and the new ABA Field Guide to Birds of California. He was granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York, which is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.

Alvaro Jaramillo’s email: alvaro@alvarosadventures.com
Alvaro Jaramillo’s website: www.alvarosadventures.com

Cuba is the Happy Hunting Ground where U.S. cars — if they’ve been good — go to live forever. (A. Jaramillo)