Birding North Of The Sunshine Coast, Australia

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Tara

This last weekend I joined a Birds Queensland weekend camp to Rainbow Beach which is located just north of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It’s an easy 3 hour drive north of Brisbane. I recommend refueling in Gympie as prices are cheaper there.

We birded 3 main areas each with different specialty birds which I will be going into detail in separate posts. They are marked in red on the map below.

Rainbow Waters Caravan Park (nice variety of birds in the grounds but beware of midges)!
Tin Can Bay Foreshore (good for waders & shore birds)
Noosa Plains ( Ground Parrot area near Cooloola Cove)
Inskip Point (another shore bird area with some forest species)

I chose to join this camp because of the Eastern Ground Parrots. Even though they are difficult to see unless you flush one out, you can still hear them calling at dusk and dawn. Stand by for detailed posts on all these areas with photos!

How Eco-tourism Benefits Indigenous People In Peru

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Tara

Just a little reminder of why eco-tourism is so important to the indigenous people really anywhere we travel. This article originally published by Peru For Less shows how the Ese Eja people in the Tambopata area of Peru have been exploited and cheated by large companies but how they are benefit by eco-lodges such as Refugio Amazonas. I was lucky enough to visit there in 2007 and hope to go back someday.

Holiday Gifts That Help Conservation

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Tara

Looking for that perfect gift for someone who loves birds and wants to help conserve them in the wild? Here’s a few options that have beautiful bird themed gifts online!

Orange-bellied Parrot T-Shirts

New book: Parrots of the Wild

World Parrot Trust Calendar

Birdlife Australia Calendar

Virtual Adoption of a Kakapo

If you happen to be out in the field birding, keep an eye out for handicrafts made by local people. Sometimes you find them in lodges, sometimes in markets or souvenir shops. Make sure they are made in the local area to maximize the profit to the local community. These Kuna women are making molas and selling them at the craft market in Panama.

In Peru, you can buy arpilleras at the craft shop in the Puerto Maldonado airport. But don’t worry if you can’t make it to Peru, the World Parrot Trust also has some for sale!

Me – A Typical Female Airline Miles User?

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Tara

I had to laugh at this article. Men may be from Mars but they have very definite attitudes on how to use – or should I say NOT use airline miles. According to the article (written by a man), men don’t like to spend their miles, they value the status more than the redeemable miles and they take big pride in having a huge number of miles in their accounts.

Women, on the other hand, adopt a smarter, more pragmatic approach, which usually involves setting a mileage goal for a future free trip, and cashing in the instant it’s reached. These behaviors, he told me, are so entrenched that the airlines’ programs all but rely on them for viability: were men to adopt the same tactic and flood the system with those gigantic unspent balances, many programs would implode.

Well that’s me in a nutshell. I do save for specific goals, I track my progress on a spreadsheet and once I get enough miles (and enough cash for non-miles/points expenses) I cash them in and start all over again!

You can’t take them with you, they depreciate over time so use your miles wisely and enjoy your travels!

See full article on Conde Nast Traveler.

Birding Competition In Israel

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Tara

There seems to be a lot of birding competitions springing up around the world. I have previously posted about one in Peru. This one in Israel is in its second year and is drawing contestants from all over the world. I was especially pleased to see the funds raised by the competition go to support conservation!

James Currie (who has the best job in the world) hosts the Birding Adventure series.

They also have a more traditional birding excursion video for those who are not so competitive!

Over A MIllion Birds Counted – 2015 Aussie Backyard Bird Count

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Tara

Just a few weeks ago, I was one of the participants in the 2015 Aussie Backyard Bird Count. The results are in and they are amazing!

I got 7 out of the Top Ten birds Australia wide and all of the 1st three!

Rainbow Lorikeet
Noisy Miner
Australian Magpie Find out who made the list on the Aussie Backyard Bird Count site and see if your favourites are there!

Mark your calendars for next year – 17-23 October 2016.

You can download the 2015 results here

You can download species list for Australia here

Convert Your Points To Etihad & Get 25% Bonus Guest Miles

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Tara

From now until the end of December, Etihad is offering a 25% bonus when you convert points from partners such as credit cards, hotels and shopping programs to Etihad Guest Miles.

That’s 25% more towards that upgrade, free flight or a special something from their Reward Shop. To convert your points, call your bank, hotel or loyalty program’s customer service centre or visit their website. Click here to see the full list of programmes and more details on how to convert your points.

Aussies will be especially pleased that Flybuys is listed under the Retail tab so for this next month you will get 5000 Etihad for every block of 10,000 Flybuys.

Complete T&C’s

I recently did a complete review of the Etihad Guest Program but I do want to remind you that Etihad has a hard expiration date 2 years after miles are earned. You CANNOT extend the expiration by any means so don’t transfer your partner points unless you are sure you will be using them before Dec 2017. This means that I can’t participate this time as I don’t have a use for them within these 2 years but it’s a great deal otherwise so I hope they offer this deal at least once a year!

Beautiful Documentary About Australian Parrots

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Tara

If you’ve read my reports about Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland and wished you could see all these magnificent parrots in person, this will put you over the edge! I really want to go up north to see those Golden-shouldered Parrots!

You’ll see Eclectus Parrots worthy of a soap opera, cheeky Cockatoos, parrots from all over Australia – forests, the dry Outback, rainforests and those who frequent farms – much to the farmer’s consternation.

Enjoy the video!

Birdlife Australia Offers Kimberley Trek – Sept 2016

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Tara

This looks like an amazing trip and I really wish I could go but I already booked our travel for 2016. Maybe next time!

By day, trek across the red plains of The Kimberley and spot Gouldian finches, White-quilled Rock-pigeons, honeyeaters, Northern Fantail and Leaden Flycatchers. By night, fall asleep to the sounds of wildlife, knowing that your support is helping BirdLife Australia create a brighter future for Australia’s birds.

TRIP DETAILS HERE

You can get to Kununurra with airline miles! If you are coming to Australia from overseas using a OneWorld partner’s miles program, the closest you can get is Broome or Darwin, then you need a short Air North flight to Kununurra. Starting in Australia, your best bet is Virgin Australia who offers connections to Kununurra via Perth from all over Australia. Here is an example from Brisbane, you are better off using the points plus cash for the tax option. Please note that Kununurra is not served daily so you can either fly in early or spend a couple days in Perth.

Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Tara

The Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus), is a broad-tailed parrot of the genus Platycercus native to northeastern Australia. This beautiful parrot is special for me as they sometimes come into our property. Their visits are sporadic so I always feel honoured when they come around.

Pale-headed Rosellas have a large range extending from the far north of Queensland into New South Wales. They are readily seen both in bushland and in suburbs of Brisbane (lucky me!) and prefer open forests. They were very easy to see at Lake Coolmunda and Mosquito Creek Road.