Gavin Bieber on his recently completed tour, The Dominican Republic

From the arid cactus-clad forests of the southwest to the lush broadleaf forests of the high sierra and Los Haitises National Park it seemed as if a journey of a couple of hours always brought us to someplace new and interesting. Along the way we were treated to 30 of the island's bird endemics (seeing 29 of them), most of the distinctive subspecies that may be split in the future, and a host of birds restricted to islands in the Caribbean. We had wonderful views of some stunning birds from the mating Hispaniolan Parakeets and maniacal Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoos in the Botannical Gardens on our first morning to the fantastic La Selle Thrush and Hispaniolan Trogons in the mountains near the Hatian Border, and the truly scarce Ridgway’s Hawk on the last morning at Los Haitises National Park. I'm confident most of us will long remember the perky and impossibly cute Broad-billed Todies that were near daily companions but also the island's friendly atmosphere, excellent accommodations and varied and tasty cuisine.  The DR was as always a delight.

Hispaniolan Parakeet

Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo

La Selle Thrush

Hispaniolan Trogon

Ridgeway's Hawk

Broad-billed Tody