rufmita: Botanic Gardens here in Santo Domingo

My first field trip of the year! Thanks to the school having a science assistant I am able to do things that I would not have the time to do, like jump through hoops and organize field trips! My AP Environmental Science class is 11th and 12th grade students, an awesome, bunch. I know you want to think your kids are well behaved at school, and sometimes they are, but this is just one of those classes that I would be proud to be seen in public with! A rarity when you teach high school! So, with a little help, I organized a field trip to the Botanic Gardens here in Santo Domingo. We left at 7:45 am (school starts at 7:30 am) and spent the morning with an American woman who lives here and studies the endemic and migratory birds of the DR. Although my camera is awesome, it didn't serve me well to photograph many birds :( I did, however come away with some great nature shots!

There's Kate Wallace, aka the bird lady. She moved down to the DR in '94 to serve in the Peace Corps here and has never left! She is active in the local ornithological society and has her own tour company for bird watching. She graciously came to our school last week and gave a presentation about the local birds and here she is at the Botanic Gardens with us!