Undiscovered Cuba - March 11 - March 22, 2018
Page Four - Topes de Collantes National Park
Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Mountain range in Cuba
Russian truck that we rode around in when we were not walking around the Park.
We took a short walk from this spot.
Female American Kestrel
Kestrels are small falcons, and are seen most times perched on utility poles or lines.
The female kestrel holding on to a lizard that a male kestrel
had just given her and then flew off.
Cuban parrot
Cuban parrots usually build their nests in trees in hollow tree cavities. They typically
inhabit woodlands of pine and palm trees.
Cuban Pygmy Owl - found exclusively in Cuba, perhaps the smallest owls in the world.
The owl has a chest that is mostly white, with vertical bars of alternating light and
dark brown patches that extend to its wings. The head is dark brown with tufts of
white. It has markings on the back of its head that look like dark, menacing eyes
This adaptation of "eye" markings is meant to ward off predators of the owl, and also
to scare the owl's prey.
Pygmy owl closeup view
The Sierra Escambray Mountains are inland from the southern coast near Trinidad.
Their slopes are full of Caribbean pines, ancient tree ferns, bamboo,
and eucalyptus.
At another section of the park, where we took another short walk.
Cuban Blackbird. We saw many.
Chameleon
Another view of the chameleon
Man roasting a pig near the trail we were on
Cuban Trogon, the national bird of Cuba. Its plumage resembles the colors of the Cuban flag.
The Cuban trogon does not build a nest.
It utilizes either natural tree holes (formed by rot in older trees) or
abandoned holes of woodpeckers as incubation sites for its
eggs. It needs older, sometimes dead, trees in its habitat.
Cuban Pewee, the most abundant bird in Cuba
The Cuban Pewee lives in all types of woodlands from sea level to the highest elevations.
They can live in pine forests, woodlands, scrubby areas, and mangroves.
Female West Indian Woodpecker
Both sexes have red nasal tufts but the male has a red crown and nape while the
female only has red on the nape. It nests in holes that it excavates in dead trees
and in live or dead palms. Its abandoned nest holes are often used by other species
such as the Cuban Pygmy-Owl.
Orchids
Hibiscus
???
Red-legged Thrush
They are a tree dwelling species that prefer varied foliage
and terrain as it helps reduce predation.
Turkey vulture - we saw a lot of these around the country.
Small farmhouse and Sierra Escambray Mountains
Museum of Contemporary Art - holds a collection of 20th century Cuban paintings.
It seemed to be a strange location, near a nature reserve. Apparently, it was an effort
to bring art to the people outside urban areas. We did not
see anyone else in the museum other than staff and a couple of tourists.
From the Park, we drove to Playa Giron, near the Bay of Pigs.
When I walked into my room in the Casa, I found this cute
frog hiding in the window shutters. Our main guide Renzo
removed him to this plant at my request, since I wanted to
be sure he did not sing to me at night.
Link to Page 5 - Bay of Pigs and Las Terrazas
Pat's Home Page