BirdWatching magazine, in collaboration with Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT) is promoting an exclusive U.S.-led and U.S.-managed birding program to Cuba! The program is coordinated under U.S. government authorization by Connecticut-based CCT. CCT staff have a 20-year history of managing bird-conservation programs in Cuba.
Along with BirdWatching Editor Chuck Hagner, our team will include bilingual Cuban ornithologist Arturo Kirkconnell (co-author of Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba (Comstock Books) and curator of the National Museum of Natural History in Havana), a bilingual Cuban tour leader, and naturalists in three different birding regions. They will guide you through some of the best birding habitat in Cuba, the Caribbean’s largest and most ecologically diverse island nation.
Our Cuba bird survey begins and ends in Havana, one of the most authentic colonial cities in the Americas. An optional one-day/night extension in Havana at the end of the program is available and will include a visit to the home and private ornithological collection of Orlando Garrido, Cuba’s most prolific living naturalist and senior author of Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. The extra day also includes a guided orientation to Havana and a visit to Habana Vieja (Old Havana), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city’s historic colonial center and home to Cuba’s National Museum of Natural History, as well as dozens of other museums and historic landmarks.
CCT designed this itinerary to take you to Cuba’s best bird habitats, most beautiful national parks, diverse biosphere reserves, and unique natural areas. We will interact with local scientists and naturalists who work in research and conservation. In addition to birding, we will learn about the ecology and history of regions we visit. Finally, we can expect some degree of indulgence in the richness of Cuban culture, architecture, and history.