Thousands of migratory birds that arrive at the Cuban peninsula of Guanahacabibes, on the island's western extreme, will not find the shelter of the usual habitat, which was destroyed by Hurricane Isidore on Sep 20. “What they will find is an unrecognizable and inhospitable landscape… at least for now,” said an expert in the wake of the hurricane, which thrashed the western province of Pinar del Río.

Swallows, peregrine falcons and Florida ducks, among many other species, are the migratory birds that make a stop at Guanahacabibes, one of Cuba's six biosphere reserves.