Caribbean Birding Trail

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You are here: Home / Dominican Republic / Southwest / Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park

Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park

  • About
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

Oviedo Lagoon is one of several showpiece sites within the larger (165,448 ha) Jaragua National Park. The wetlands support more than 20,000 waterbirds including the West Indian Whistling-Duck and regionally important populations of Caribbean Flamingo, Brown Pelican, Sandwich Tern, Least Tern, Sooty Tern, Roseate Spoonbill, and White Ibis, as well as other waders and shorebirds. Hispaniolan Parrot, Hispaniolan Parakeet, and White-necked Crow occur in these forested areas. Jaragua National Park is one of the best managed national park in the country. All of this owes to coordination by Grupo Jaragua.

At the visitor’s center you may pay the small entrance fee and then climb the viewing tower for a nice overlook of the lagoon. To experience a close look at American Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbill, and White Ibis, as well as other waders, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and pelicans, a boat trip on the lagoon is recommended. The cost is about RD$ 2,000.00 (US$ 70) for a boat-full of up to eight people (in 2010). A longer trip down the lagoon passes an island where White Ibis nest. The White-necked Crow and the endemic sub-species of the Yellow Warbler may be seen in the mangrove woodland shore.

A second nearby site, Fondo Paradí, lies approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) south of the small community of Tres Charcos, which itself is just west of the Oviedo Lagoon. Exploration in the area will turn up a variety of species which favor low thorn scrub habitats, including White-winged Dove, Zenaida Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Vervain Hummingbird, Stolid Flycatcher, Black-whiskered Vireo, Northern Mockingbird, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Green-tailed Ground-Tanager, and Greater Antillean Bullfinch.

Target species include West Indian Whistling- Duck, American Flamingo, Brown Pelican, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Caribbean Coot, Semipalmated Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sooty Tern, Least Tern, Sandwich Tern, White- crowned Pigeon, White- necked Crow, Yellow Warbler

To reach the lagoon, head south along the Barahona waterfront for about 1.5 hours. There is a large national park sign confirming your arrival. Enter by turning off of the main highway onto a small dirt road on your left where you will soon encounter the visitor’s center.

Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park (Map by Dana Gardner)
Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park (Map by Dana Gardner)

 

  • Entrance fee: Dominicans $RD 20, Foreigners $RD 50
  • Website: www.grupojaragua.org.do (in spanish)

Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park

Dominican Republic Sites

Constanza and Valle Nuevo

Ebano Verde Reserve

Hatillo

Jarabacoa with Armando Bermúdez and José del Carmen Ramírez National Parks

La Joya de San Francisco

Loma Quita Espuela

Pico Diego de Ocampo, Santiago

Bávaro

Cumayasa

Del Este National Park: Boca de Yuma

Del Este National Park: Guaraguao

Del Este National Park: Padre Nuestro Trail

Del Este National Park: Saona Island

Ecological Foundation Trail, Punta Cana

Limón Lagoon

Los Haitises National Park: Caño Hondo

Los Haitises National Park: Los Limones

Monte Plata

Aguacate and Zapotén

Cabo Rojo and Pedernales

Cabral Lagoon

Cachote, Eastern Bahoruco

Jimaní

Lake Enriquillo

Loma Charco Azul

Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park

Puerto Alejandro and Tortuguero

Rabo de Gato and Puerto Escondido

Los Arroyos, Sierra de Bahoruco National Park

Cayos Siete Hermanos

El Limón, Samaná

Estero Hondo

Loma Guaconejo

Loma Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata

Monte Cristi and Saladilla

Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio

Samaná

Las Salinas de Baní

Mirador del Norte Park

National Botanical Garden

Ozama Wetlands

Partners in the Dominican Republic

  • Grupo Acción Ecológica
  • La Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola (SOH)
  • National Aviary

With special thanks to our partners at the Ruta Barrancoli

Ruta Barrancoli logo


Dominican Republic Tour Operators

  • Cúa Birding
  • Explora Ecotour
  • Miguel A. Landestoy T., Independent Guide
  • Tody Tours
  • Wildside Nature Tours

Bird Checklists

Click here to download a pamphlet-sized year-round checklist for Dominican Republic.

Recommended Field Guides

Field Guide to the Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti by Steven Latta, Christopher Rimmer, and Kent McFarland

Field Guide to the Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti

Aves de la República Dominicana y Haití by Steven Latta, Christopher Rimmer, Allan Keith, James Wiley, Herbert A. Raffaele, Kent McFarland, and Eladio Fernandez

Ruta Barrancolí: A Bird-finding Guide to the Dominican Republic by Steven C. Latta and Kate J. Wallace

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

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