In the early morning hours we traveled to San Thomas, Cuba to start our trek by pole boat into the Zapata Swamp. We were in search of endemic species that can only be found in the swamp but first we had a quick look around the small pueblo that Adrian Cobas, our guide, grew up in. He quickly spotted some of the Cuban parakeets on the other side of town where there was a small flock sunning themselves in the early light at the very tops of the trees along with some of the Cuban Parrots.