Puerto Rico Critical Wildlife Areas - Puerto DRNA - Gobierno de ...

5- Baja Swamp and Herrera River Mouth, Río Grande, Puerto Rico
Area Description:
Located in the municipality of Río Grande, southwest to the Berwind Golf Course in
Loíza, the area consists of freshwater swamp and the Herrera River mouth (Cardona and Rivera
1988). The system connects to the Espíritu Santo River through the San Luis Channel. The 2002
aerial photo shows that the area is drier than in previous years. Although this area is not well
studied, it is known to have some importance to waterfowl (Raffaele and Duffield 1979).
The area has an extension of approximately 172.80 ha of mangroves. David Ramos
(DNER Terrestrial Resources Division Biologist) has study the area for more than 18 years and
considers this area as a priority area for acquisition in order to perform management for
waterfowl establishment. He also identified this swamp as an important area for hunting
(waterfowl, doves and pigeons).
Ownership/Protection:
The Puerto Rico Land Authority owns the majority of the lands. Others are privately
owned.
Special Recognition:
The Baja Swamp was classified in 1979 and in 1988 as CWA of secondary importance
(Raffaele and Duffield 1979; Cardona and Rivera 1988, respectively). Today, using recent
census data on waterfowl and hunters reports, we classified the Ciénaga Baja Swamp as a CWA
of primary importance, because the potential it has to sustain native and migratory waterfowl.
Wildlife:
Birds
Although no data have been published on the avian presence in Baja Swamp, the DNER
biologists have reported thirty one bird species: Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis, Great egret Ardea
alba, Great blue heron A. herodias, Little blue heron Egretta caerulea, Green heron Butorides
virescens, Killdeer Charadrius vociferus, Black-necked stilt Himantopus mexicanus, Common
moorhen Gallinula chloropus, Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis, Puerto Rican Woodpecker
Melanerpes portoricensis, Zenaida dove Zenaida aurita, White-winged dove Z. asiatica,
Common ground dove Columbina passerina, Gray kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis, Northern
mockingbird Mimus polyglottos, Caribbean Martin Progne dominicensis, Bananaquit Coereba
flaveola, Greater Antillean Grackle Quiscalus niger, Yellow-faced grassquit Tiaris olivacea,
Black-faced grassquit T. bicolor, Bronze mannikin Lonchura cucullata, Blue-winged teal Anas
discors, Green-winged teal A. crecca, White cheeked pintail A. bahamensis, American wigeon
A. americana, Lesser scaup Aythya affinis, Ring-necked duck A. collaris, Common snipe
Gallinago gallinago, West Indian Whistling duck Dendrocygna arborea, Ruddy duck Oxyura
jamaicensis, Masked duck Nomonyx dominicus (DNER 1993).
Fish
Tilapia fish Tilapia mossambica (DNER 1993).
Invertebrates
Blue land crab Cardisoma guanhumi (Cardona and Rivera 1988).
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