Dominican Republic: Premier Birding Guide Biographical Sketch
Luis Paz:
Luis Paz has been living in Panama (where he was born) and in the Dominican Republic (where is wife was born) for most of his life. He has been a professional bird guide for over two decades. He has studied birds in extensively in Panama, the Caribbean (including the Dominican Republic), and nearby Venezuela.
At a you age, he developed a passion for nature and bird study. He started by enjoying the natural areas in and around the city during his childhood. His family spent summer vacations in the countryside, giving Luis more opportunities to explore nature and birds.
His early passion for birding led him to study biology. After finishing high school, Luis went to study in Romania where he eventually completed a Master of Science in Biology at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. He spent his time off of school exploring Europe and European birds.
Besides his native tongue (Spanish), Luis speaks fluent Romanian and English.
In the last twenty years, Luis has found a number of opportunities on bird research projects and bird guiding. His true passion is bird guiding. Luis has guided numerous international birding tour companies. His 20 plus years of experience as a bird guide includes mostly Panama, but also the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
More details about DR trips:
Arturo Kirkconnell:
Arturo Kirkconnell is a curator at the National Museum of Natural History of Cuba for the Ornithology Department.
Arturo, a native of Cuba, is recognized by many birders as the leading authority on Cuban birds. He is the co-author of two books, including A Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba, and A Birdwatchers’ Guide to Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Caymans.
He truly loves birding and ornithology, and this is his passion. His curriculum vitae includes 77 scientific papers, mostly focused on Cuban and Caribbean ornithology, natural history and conservation. At present, he is working on another project, The Birds of Cuba (that will be published by the BOU Checklist Series). Arturo completed his Bachelor of Science in biology at the University of Havana.
As part of the Museum’s efforts to collect ornithological data, Arturo has been leading birding tours in Cuba for over two decades (since 1988). To date he has guided more than 200 birding groups. He designed the present birding itinerary, and he has developed the main strategies for bird-finding in Cuba.
Clients praise Arturo for his field skills, and they also indicate that his customer service is excellent. On trip after trip, both Arturo (R1) and Arturo (R2) prove they take good care of our clients, and they work hard to meet our customers’ needs throughout the tour.
You will enjoy your birding and ornithological study experience with Arturo.