On a recent trip to Cuba, our guide Ernesto Reyes Mourino, and his driver Adonis, provided us with an excellent day of birding. Ernesto is an accomplished and well known Cuban birder.
They picked us up at 5:30 am for the two hour drive across Cuba from Varadero to Zapata Swamp where we spent the day birding. We seen 62 species that day, 29 new lifers for us, 17 which are endemic to Cuba. The Cuban Pygmy Owl and the Bare-legged Owl were certainly highlights, and future blog topics, however the Bee Hummingbird stole the show.
The Bee Hummingbird is found only in Cuba and is the world’s smallest bird.
It is a mere two and a quarter inches long and weighs less than two grams, less than a dime. They are often mistaken for bees. The female builds nests that are barely an inch across.
According to Audubon their wing beats an incredible 80 times per second and during courtship an incredible 200 times per second!
Marilyn got this terrific shot while we were birding roadside.
I can highly recommend Ernesto as a great birding guide. His email is here.
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