The Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor) is a species of small bird found in Australia. It is also known as the tricoloured chat, saltbush canary, and crimson-breasted nun.
They have a very large range throughout Australia and I have seen them in several places in Outback Queensland & Western Australia. The photos above were taken at Bowra Station.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRDNice close-up!
The Major Mitchell’s cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) also known as Leadbeater’s cockatoo or pink cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo restricted to arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia. Regardless of what common name you use, it’s arguably the most beautiful of all the cockatoos and a real joy to see in the wild, especially in flight with the sun backlighting their pink wings. These photos I took at Bowra Station don’t do it justice! I noticed they always had a sentinel or two while most of the flock foraged on the ground.
Don’t be fooled by all the green on the map, this highly nomadic bird may have a large range but it is really difficult to find them outside of the major birding hotspots such as Bowra Station (blue dot) in Queensland and Eyre Sanctuary in Western Australia.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR MITCHELL COCKATOOS
One bird foraging in a tree.
Enjoying a paddy melon.
In this section we will see birds that are found as you leave the Bowra homestead area and turn in the opposite direction of the main road, heading deeper into the property. Of course it’s pot luck which birds will be there at any given time of year and depending on rainfall. Most cars can make it about 5km down the road but depending on road conditions you will probably need a 4WD to go further. Always check with the caretaker before heading out.
Look in dense bushes for Fairy-wrens, Homey-eaters and Crimson Chats.
Ground foragers like Cockatiels and Bourke’s Parrots are common here.
Major Mitchell Cockatoos often breed in this area.
Odd looking Noisy Friarbird.
And a close-up of a beautiful Bourkie!
IHG Rewards has announced next quarter’s Pointbreaks, redeemable from 26 October to 31 January for 5000 points a night. First I’ll embed the map that shows the worldwide Pointbreaks, then point out the ones that can work for eco-tourists.
AUSTRALASIA
A big fat zero for Australia which is par for the course. If you’re birding West Papua or elsewhere in Indonesia you might want to chill out in Bali for a couple days although Benoa is not the best location.
AFRICA
Most people visiting any country in Southern Africa will be transiting JNB on either Comair or South African Airways so the Holiday Inn JNB Airport could come in handy.
SOUTH AMERICA
We have a couple interesting options in Brazil. Both Manaus and Rio Branco are in good staging points for birding adventures. Cucuta in Colombia isn’t super convenient to the Perija area but could be a stop-over. San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama City are also good gateways to the more attractive birding hotspots in Costa Rica and Panama.
A complete list is available so have a look and see if anything works for you!
For the non-frequent flyer who can’t accrue miles and points from employer paid business travel, partner programs that allow you to accrue miles and points from everyday spending are very important. For the last few years I have earned a lot of Qantas points simply from doing my normal shopping and using products that attract bonus miles. On 31 Dec, this all comes to an end. Woolworths has announced that they will be starting a new program that is “supposedly” what customers want. (No one asked me what I want.)
The complete FAQ is here but I will highlight the 2 main reasons why I think the new program sucks.
YOU DON’T EARN WOOLWORTHS DOLLARS ON EVERYTHING IN THE STORE, ONLY ON ORANGE TICKET ITEMS
Previously you earned one Qantas point for every dollar over $30. No one knows how many orange ticket items will be available, if these items will be ones you actually want or if they will be priced well. They may email you targeted offers that you have to keep track of and you may randomly win $10 when you scan your card.
YOU CAN’T CHOOSE TO LET THE WOOLWORTHS DOLLARS ACCUMULATE, THEY WILL BE APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY WHEN YOU REACH A $10 THRESHOLD.
Before Flybuys hooked up with Etihad (very recently and I will be posting more later), at least Coles lets you accumulate Flybuys as long as you want, the points don’t expire and you can spend them at a time you want. I’ve cashed them in for free Photobooks that are worth at least $80 each and sometimes I wait until I have about a week’s worth of free groceries and use them at a time when my budget is tight. Apparently Woolies thinks we are not capable of determining the best time and method of spending our “Woolworths Dollars” and will just deduct $10 off the next shop once you reach a $10 threshold.
When your Woolworths Dollars balance reaches $10, you’ll automatically get $10 off your next eligible shop at participating Woolworths Supermarkets and BWS stores (excluding Tasmania). All you need to do is scan your Rewards card at the checkout and we’ll take care of the rest.Remember: Woolworths Dollars can only be redeemed in multiples of $10. For example, if your Woolworths Dollars balance is $20 and you spend $28, you’ll get $20 off your shopping.
There’s no limit to the amount of Woolworths Dollars you can redeem in one transaction. However, given that when you reach $10 Woolworths Dollars you automatically redeem on your next eligible shop, it’s unlikely you’ll have more than $10 to redeem at any one time. And remember you can only redeem in multiples of $10. Any remaining Woolworths Dollars will remain in your balance.
The Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata) is a bird resident in Australia. The dove predominantly exists in areas near water but which are lightly arid or semi-arid in nature, being Central, West and Northern Australia. They are one of Australia’s smallest pigeons along with the peaceful dove. They have been spotted occasionally in Southern Australia in parks and gardens when the centre of Australia is very dry.
Their large range extends over most of Australia. I took the photo above at Bowra Station near the shearer’s quarters.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DIAMOND DOVESThese birds are so popular in captivity I struggled to find one in the wild. This is a nice close up.
The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) also known as common pet parakeet or shell parakeet and informally nicknamed the budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Budgerigars are the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus, and are found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia where the species has survived harsh inland conditions for the last five million years.
I’ve been dreaming of seeing one of those huge flocks with 10,000 birds in it (Budgie-nado anyone?) but at least I got to see them up close at their nesting site at Bowra Station.
Although they have a huge range throughout inland Australia you need to be very lucky to stumble across them in the vast Outback along the main roads. Some people have been that lucky as you can see in the video below. In Queensland, Bowra Station is very reliable for budgies, also check eBird for recent sightings as these parrots are very nomadic.
There’s no shortage of Budgie videos online but here’s a couple really good ones. This one is a whole documentary about the species.
Budgie swarm.
In this video it seems the young wild Budgies have mistaken a windscreen for water and are confused. I wish that workman had a clue and offered them some water, they look really thirsty.
There are some great places to see birds just a few steps from the shearers cabin at Bowra Station. Getting up at dawn, bringing a chair outside and watching the birds wake up is very rewarding!
Black-winged Stilts are very common here.
White-breasted Woodswallows
Black-fronted Dotterel
Another stilt
Red-winged Parrot
Rainbow Bee-eater
Spoonbill
Red-rumped Parrot
Spotted Bowerbird with Bower
Kangaroos
Paddy Melons – food for hungry parrots
We’ve all seen pet Budgies but nothing beats seeing them in the wild! They have nests in the trees near the homestead.
Red-rump Parrot
Diamond Dove
Red-winged Parrot
More Budgies
Beautiful Red-winged Parrot posing nicely
Red-rumps are usually in the trees around the pond
Just when you were thinking Americans get all the good deals NAB comes out with this doozy! In a nutshell, if you take out a home loan for at least 250k and get a Velocity credit card and transaction account you get 250,000 Velocity points. Click on the image to see the complete offer and be sure to read the T&Cs.
So where can you go with 250,000 Velocity points? Pretty much anywhere they or their partners fly! Brazil, anyone?
The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. The emu is an important cultural icon of Australia, appearing on the coat of arms and various coins. The bird features prominently in Indigenous Australian mythology.
Emus are pretty easy to find whether you are driving through the Outback or visiting national reserves throughout most of Australia. I’ve seen them all over Western Australia, Queensland, down the Mosquito Creek Road and on Bowra Station to name a few.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EMUS