Author Archives: Tara

Birding The Verandah At Asa Wright Nature Centre

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Whether you are a lodge guest or a day visitor at Asa Wright Nature Centre, you will be amazed at the beauty and variety of birds seen on the verandah.  Lazy birding at it’s best!  Hummingbirds need to feed every 15 minutes so don’t worry if you miss one, he’ll be back so you can keep trying for those stunning photos!  There are guides available to help you identify the birds.  This is my eBird list, not bad for about 5 hours!

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Bananaquit, Violaceous Euphoniadscn3875

Turquiuse Tanagerimg_7123a img_7154a img_7159

Blue-grey Tanagerimg_7474 img_7165

Purple Honeycreepersimg_7148 img_7141 img_7194a img_7197 img_7187a img_7183

Silver-beaked Tanagerimg_7181 img_7279 img_7423

White-chested Emerald img_7430 img_7436a

Copper-rumped Hummingbird img_7450 img_7464 img_7506

Crested Oropendulaimg_7649a img_7641a img_7639a img_7632a

Palm Tanagersimg_7480 img_7482 img_7491 img_7502

White-necked Jacobinimg_7516 img_7129 img_7136

Crested Oropendulaimg_7170a img_7173 img_7249
Long-billed Starthroat img_7256a img_7260a img_7267 img_7268 img_7271 img_7146 img_7212

Tufted Coquettesimg_7238 img_7294a img_7295a img_7519a img_7520a img_7523a img_7530a img_7532a img_7533a img_7552a img_7559a img_7560a img_7561a img_7583a img_7562a

 

National Geographic’s Photographer Of The Year Winners – 2016

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National Geographic represents the epitome of excellence in nature photography and this year has been no exception!  The stunning images submitted over 11 weeks have been judged and winners announced.

CLICK HERE FOR GALLERY

My personal favourite was the drongo struggling for a meal amidst a bushfire.  Such a brave little guy!

Having clicked through all the galleries, I am amazed by the variety and quality of each photo and the skill of the photographers.  I don’t think I would have a chance but if you do, then read up on the rules and get ready for next year!

10,000 Flying Blue Bonus Miles With Hotel Stay

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This is one of those rare opportunities where even booking an eco-lodge can earn you a huge miles bonus!  Flying Blue, the miles program for Air France, KLM, Kenya Airways & more have teamed up with Pointshound to offer 10,000 bonus miles for a 2 night hotel stay booked before 31 Dec!  The stay can be after that date but you must book and pay on a credit card before then.  Some eco-lodges can be found here or you can try smaller independent hotels in cities where birding is easily accessible.  I have a few 2 night stays coming up in Uganda & Zambia next year so I will be taking advantage of this promo.

For a limited time, earn 10,000 Award Miles as a bonus for your first 2-night stay! That’s on top of the Miles you earn for each night of your stay… Make your booking via the special PointsHound for Flying Blue website before 31 December 2016. It’s our best deal yet!

  • Choose the ‘Earn Miles’ option and pay with your credit card
  • Make your first booking for 2 consecutive nights before 31 December 2016
  • Earn Award Miles every night you stay, plus an extra 10,000 Award Miles as a bonus!
  • Earn Award Miles towards your next short-haul flight!

Full details, T&Cs

Flying Blue is one of my recommended programs and is very useful if you are traveling to Africa as Kenya Airways is one of the core members.  They also run some excellent promos every month where they reduce the required mileage on specified awards so if you are lucky enough to be traveling to one of their featured destinations you can save a bundle!

 

Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)

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The Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) is a wader in the order Charadriiformes. It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the Rio de la Plata. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years. It reached Trinidad in 1961 and Tobago in 1974, and has rapidly increased on both islands.

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It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the Rio de la Plata. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years. It reached Trinidad in 1961 and Tobago in 1974, and has rapidly increased on both islands.  I saw this very striking bird at Aripo Livestock Station.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUTHERN LAPWINGS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

This one is foraging in a swamp.

This one is protecting its nest and eggs.

Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus)

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The Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus) is a small Neotropical parrot. It is one of seven species in the genus Forpus and is found in Northeastern South America.

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They are found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil and the Caribbean island of Trinidad.  I was lucky enough to spot a few at Aripo Livestock Station in Trinidad.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN-RUMPED PARROTLETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

These tiny little beauties can be hard to spot, look how they lend in with the trees!

 

Birding Aripo Livestock Station, Trinidad

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One of Trinidad’s top birding spots is the Aripo Livestock Station.  Having wasted far too much time the day before getting lost, this time I was determined to get there early to maximize birding. Since we didn’t have a gps in the car I would have to research the location and handwrite the directions.  Google maps doesn’t have the location loaded but by using eBird’s hotspot, I was able to map out the route and make note of which exit came before so I would know where to turn.  From the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, turn left at the Demerara Road, then right on Eastern Main Road and look for the property on the left.

aripo-map

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This sign is easy to spot.  Turn down the road and go past the guard point.dscn3851

Pull into the main building parking lot and they will register your presence and give you a visitor pass like the one below.  This is all routine and they are quite used to birders.dscn3850 dscn3804

From here it’s a matter of driving slowly around the property with your eyes and ears open.  Birds are everywhere!dscn3805 dscn3806 dscn3807

I was over the moon to see some Green-rumped Parrotlets in a tree not far from the entrance.  Parrotlets have always been a difficult bird to spot, see how well this little guy blends in!img_7050 img_7051a img_7062a img_7066a img_7073a dscn3808 dscn3810 dscn3825 dscn3837a dscn3843a

Lilac-rumped Parrotlets are also found here but I wasn’t lucky this time.  We drove around for about 90 minutes as we still had to get to Asa Wright’s before the morning tour started and picked up a fair few birds.  There were also Amazon Parrots flying overhead but I couldn’t tell which ones as we had been stopped for breakfast and didn’t grab the binoculars in time.dscn3845 dscn3846 dscn3848 dscn3849 img_7036 img_7038 img_7042

Southern Lapwingimg_7048

Ruddy Ground Doveimg_7086

Great Kiskadeeimg_7091a

Hummingbird, not sure which kindimg_7098a img_7110a

Rock Pigeonsimg_7115

Tropical Mockingbird

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Amex Platinum Edge – My Secret For Earning Miles & Points

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Many people wonder how I manage to do all these amazing trips on such a tight budget.  The #1 thing I do is to take advantage of any credit card promotions that come along.  We all have daily expenses – groceries, petrol, bills that have to be paid regardless so why not earn miles and points on them?

In Australia, the Amex Platinum Edge is the best card for normal everyday spend.

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Here you can see the benefits of this card.  You may notice a 10,000 points bonus for applying but I can do better than that!

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However if you use my referral link, you get 15,000 Membership Rewards points!  I also get a referral bonus……………….and then you will become eligible to refer people yourself so you can pick up some more points!

There are 9 airline transfer partners –  Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Air New Zealand Airpoints, THAI Royal Orchid Plus, Malaysia Airlines Enrich and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.  Most of these transfer at 1:1 ratio.  You can also transfer to Starwood Preferred Guest at a ratio of 2 Amex = 1 SPG.  From SPG, you have access to over 20 airlines worldwide including American Airlines, British Airways, Flying Blue & more!  When you transfer from SPG to an airline, you should do so in blocks of 20,000 SPG to get a bonus 5000 miles in your airline account.

Earning Amex Membership Rewards is easier than you think!  First of all, your groceries not only get the 3 points per $ but you also get the Coles Flybuys or Woolworths Rewards by scanning your supermarket loyalty card.  Then you can buy gift cards to all kinds of stores like Bunnings, BCF, several clothing stores, Netflix, iTunes and more so almost all your purchases can earn 3x!  It all adds up and you soon will have enough points for your dream trip!

Amex T&Cs

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)

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The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and islands of the Caribbean. In form it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it unmistakable. It is 1 of 2 national birds of Trinidad and Tobago.

In this series of photos I took at Caroni Bird Sanctuary, we see them flying in formation, arriving at the roost area and settling in for the night.  The bright scarlet colour is amazing, especially when you have 1000’s of these birds all together!

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The Scarlet Ibis has a huge range over Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Trinidad and several Caribbean islands.  You are virtually guaranteed to see them in the thousands at Caroni Bird Sanctuary in Trinidad.

scarletibis

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCARLET IBIS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

There is no shortage of videos of this spectacular bird online, many of which were filmed in Caroni so you get the idea of my experience.  Not to be missed!

A Boat Trip To Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Trinidad

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After a very full day of rushing around in the car, getting lost and seeing some amazing birds, we were ready for a nice relaxing boat ride in the Caroni Bird Sanctuary.  As usual, we arrived late after getting lost but another couple also arrived late so we shared a boat all to ourselves.  The crew at Nanan’s were very friendly and the guide found a few water birds along the route even though we were an hour late.

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Only one other couple on the boat.dscn3762

Great Blue Heron

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Emerging into the main lake.dscn3769

We cruised around the lake slowly as the Scarlet Ibises and Egrets flew to their roosts in several small groups at a time.  Despite having lots of trees and islets to choose from, tey all chose to roost together in one area.  There were so many bird the trees looked like they had tons of white and red flowers!dscn3770 dscn3778 dscn3779

Another tour groupdscn3780 dscn3782 dscn3786 dscn3789 dscn3792 dscn3793 img_6966 img_7024 img_7020 img_6990 img_6978 img_6973 img_7026 img_7028 img_7031 img_6952

Finally the specacle was over and the birds settled in for the night.  All boats started heading back to the docks……………………dscn3797

…………..but not before we watched the sun set over the swamp!dscn3795 dscn3796