Gavin Bieber on his recently completed tour, The Dominican Republic.

This year's Dominican Republic tour was a great success.  We managed to encounter 30 endemics (seeing 28 of them) and most of the distinctive subspecies that may be split in the future, but beyond the endemics we found a host of birds restricted to islands in the Caribbean. This region may not hold the same diversity of species as a trip to the mainland tropics, but we managed fine views of some unique and often dazzling birds from the consistently encountered but undeniably cute Broad-billed Tody, charismatic Palmchats and striking Black-crowned Palm-Tanagers,

 
Broad-billed Tody

Palmchat

Palm Tanager

to the elegant pair of Hispaniolan Trogon and wonderfully eloquent Rufous-throated Solitaires in the mountains near the Hatian Border and comical Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoos, birds entertained and amazed us at every turn.

Hispaniolan Trogon

Rufous-throated Solitaire

Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo

I think most of the participants will long remember the raucous and gaudy Hispaniolan Woodpeckers that were near daily companions! 

Hispaniolan Woodpecker

We took three short boat trips this year, which enabled us to get incredibly close to birds like White Ibis, Least Bittern and American Flamingo and also allowed us to find the first Yellow-breasted Crakes (and a surprise Spotted Rail) for our WINGS tours here. 

White Ibis

From the arid cactus-clad forests and rocky headlands 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 was always able to bring us to another world. Add to this the friendly atmosphere, excellent accommodations and varied and tasty cuisine, and it's clear why the DR makes for a delightful holiday!