13 January 2014. Sosua, Dominican Republic. As I write this I am in a funny limbo-land that lies between handing back the key to your room and heading to the airport, Awkwardly, check-out was by noon and the flight leaves eight hours from now, close to midnight. So it’s that tricky balancing act between wearing the right things for tropical heat while anticipating an Ontario winter when I emerge into a January night not so very long from now. Still, I’ve found and claimed a shady spot with a view; there are worse problems in life.
Whiling away my time has been a peaceful birding moment. Above and to my left a northern Mockingbird sings, Greater Antillean Grackles swoop down to pick at odds and ends, and a Bananaquit visits every so often without any apparent reason; I scattered the dusty remnants of a nuts and berries mix thinking it that might appeal to its scavenger instinct, but apparently not. A couple of Turkey Vultures are circling overhead, drawn I suppose by the scattering of inert, white bodies lying around all over the place and, who knows, perhaps some of the elaborate tattoos make the scavengers circle back for a long second look; as far as I know everyone is still breathing.
Digressing again I see – so to the point. As I sat here pondering the stretch of time ahead I caught sight of a Hispaniolan Woodpecker visiting a nearby tree. I grabbed my camera certain that the very instant I’d be ready to press the shutter the bird would fly; it usually works that way. But to my delight I managed to get a couple of super shots. The Hispaniolan Woodpecker is endemic to this island (found nowhere else in the world), so it’s a nice sighting even if fairly common. Bird of the Day – here it is. I’ll soon be home.
