In March–April 2008, together with Alan Eardley and Guy Kirwan (who produced the species texts), I visited Cuba in search of the endemics and specialties of the archipelago. We visited all of the usual sites that are part of the birders' 'trail', but also spent a couple of days at the Guanhacabibes Peninsula in the extreme west of the island, a site that Guy had not previously been to (despite this being his 15th trip to Cuba). For more information about Cuban endemics and specialities, see Kirwan, G. M. & Price, W. H. (2009) Varia: endemics and specialities of Cuba. Dutch Birding 31: 110-122. I plan to go back to Cuba in a few years time to photograph those endemics that I failed to get capture 'on film', like Blue-headed Quail-Dove, which was very elusive by the time of our visit, although Guy and Arturo Kirkconnell, who were leading a tour in early April, found a pair building a nest on our last day.

I have added more Images from a return visit to Cuba in 2013

For information about each species please click on the photos. The texts mainly cover taxonomy, but also include some remarks on the best sites for each species and conservation.