Choosing The Itinerary For “The Mother Of All Africa Trips”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Tara

Yesterday, I posted about how I will use airline miles to make a dream trip to Africa come true. Today, I will show you how I chose the specific places I did. Africa has such a huge variety of wildlife habitat, you really need to know what species you are most interested in seeing. For first time travelers, this will usually be the “Big 5” – elephants, lions, rhinoceros, leopards and buffalos. For birders, there are more decisions to be made and more species you need to consider. Here’s how I did it.

ANALYZE REQUIREMENTS

1. Can get miles from credit cards but don’t have much cash. Need destinations that can be reached on Star Alliance airlines.

2. Need to maximize destinations for number of parrot species found nearby.

3. Need to avoid long land trips that would be expensive if it would require private guides and transport.

4. Need to avoid having to pay too much in advance, prefer to pay when we arrive if possible.

5. Need to visit national parks where guides can be found on site rather than paying to transport one around with us.

PRIORITIZING TARGET SPECIES

PARROT SPECIES IN AFRICA (INCLUDING NEIGHBOR ISLANDS)

The species that I have identified as being in range for this trip will be highlighted in green. As I said, I am most interested in seeing as many parrot species as possible but the habitas I have chosen are rich in all kinds of wildlife! You can use the same technique to narrow down your travel plans whether you are interested in leopards, elephants, eagles or lemurs. Just research where your priority species can be found, find the nearest airport where you can redeem your miles and enjoy ALL the wildlife you encounter along the way!

1. Rose-ringed Parakeet – Psittacula krameri. We have seen them in several places in India and feral populations in Europe. Not a priority but may see them during the trip.

2. Mauritius Parakeet – Psittacula echo. Habitat in Black River Gorges National Park, easily driven from hotel in Mauritius.

3. Gray Parrot – Psittacus erithacus. Has large range but many places difficult, expensive or possible unsafe to travel to. Easiest place to see them near Star Alliance airport is in Ghana at Kakum National Park.

4. Greater Vasa Parrot – Coracopsis vasa. Madagascar endemic, easiest place to find them near Star Alliance airport is Andasibe National Park.

5. Lesser Vasa Parrot – Coracopsis nigra. Madagascar endemic, easiest place to find them near Star Alliance airport is Andasibe National Park.

6. Red-headed Lovebird – Agapornis pullarius. Probably out of range for this trip. Habitat in Central Africa, not easily accessible.

7. Black-winged Lovebird – Agapornis taranta. Found in Ethiopia. Slim chance to see them if there is a long layover at Addis Ababa.

8. Black-collared Lovebird – Agapornis swinderniana. Habitat not easily accessible, best chance is in Ghana.

9. Black-cheeked Lovebird – Agapornis nigrigenis. Found in Zambia, not in range for this trip.

10. Peach-faced Lovebird – Agapornis roseicollis. Tried but failed to see them in Kgalagadi National Park in 2009. Other habitats in Namibia but out of range for this trip.

11. Fischer’s Lovebird – Agapornis fischeri. Found in Tanzania, targeting them in Arusha, Tarangire and Serengeti.

12. Yellow-collared Lovebird (Masked Lovebird) – Agapornis personatus. Found in Tanzania, targeting them in Arusha, Tarangire and Serengeti.

13. Nyasa (Lilian’s) Lovebird – Agapornis lilianae. Found in Zambia & Zimbabwe, out of range for this trip.

14. Grey-headed Lovebird – Agapornis canus. Madagascar endemic, easiest place to find them near Star Alliance airport is Anatanarivo’s Tsimbazaza Park.

15. Red-fronted (Jardine’s) Parrot – Poicephalus gulielmi. Targeted in Arusha National Park and possible Ghana.

16. Cape Parrot – Poicephalus robustus. Southern coast of South Africa. Will try to find them as close as possible to Port Elizabeth.

17. Brown-necked Parrot – Poicephalus fuscicollis. Subspecies of Cape Parrot. Have seen in Magoebaskloof, planning on return visit.

18. Brown-headed Parrot – Poicephalus cryptoxanthus. Easiest to find in northern Kruger National Park.

19. Red-bellied Parrot – Poicephalus rufiventris. Found in Tanzania, targeting them in Tarangire.

20. Yellow-fronted Parrot – Poicephalus flavifrons. Very small range in Ethiopia, probably out of range for this trip.

21. Meyer’s Parrot – Poicephalus meyeri. Several subspecies spread out over southern and central Africa. Best places to target them are northern South Africa and Tanzania’s Tarangire and Serengeti.

22. Niam-Niam Parrot – Poicephalus crassus. Very small and inaccessible range in Central African Republic. Out of range for this trip.

23. Rüppell’s Parrot – Poicephalus rueppellii. Found in Angola and Namibia. Out of range for this trip.

24. Senegal Parrot – Poicephalus senegalus. Wide-spread in West Africa but easiest place to see using Star Alliance airports would be Shai Hills, Ghana near Accra.

As you can see, with just the few stop-overs I planned in my airline miles redemptions; I can try for 17 out of 24 possible species of parrots in Africa and the neighboring islands of Madagascar and Mauritius.

RESOURCES I USED

To determine where parrot species can most easily be seen where, I use mostly two resources.

Joseph Forshaw’s “Parrots of the World” which is my birding travel “Bible”.

Surfbirds Trip Reports which have full lists of which birds people have seen on birding trips worldwide.

A Tale Of Two Cockatoos

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Tara

A Tale of Two Cockatoos has been created to help publicise the plight of two endangered species of white-tailed black-cockatoos: Baudin’s and Carnaby’s. Both are found only in south-west Western Australia. More information is available on their website. I have embedded the video to help spread the word.

If you would like to have a chance to see these beautiful cockatoos in the wild, please see my series on how to get to Australia on frequent flier miles using Perth as a gateway. We will be visiting prime habitat for both of these cockatoos on our trip in Feb 2014. Baudins are commonly found in Wungong Gorge near Armadale and Carnabys are most easily seen in Yanchep National Park.

Brown-Headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus)

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Tara

The Brown-headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus) is a South-eastern African parrot.

I took these shots watching a small flock in Pretoriuskop Restcamp.

From Wikipedia-close up.

They are found along the south-eastern coast of Africa from Kenya through Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe into the northern part of South Africa. There are 2 subspecies:
P.c. cryptoxanthus: E Kwazulu, E Swaziland and E Transvaal, NE Republic of South Africa, to S Mozambique and SE Zimbabwe.
P.c. tanganyikae: Mozambique, north from Save River and S Malawi to E Tanzania including Zanzibar and Pemba Islands and coastal Kenya

Brown-headed Parrot range

The easiest place to see them would be in Kruger Park, South Africa which is easily accessible to tourists and has a population of around 1500-2000. You can fly into Johannesburg, hire a car and drive up there in about 6 hours. I recommend the Punda Maria camp which is beautifully situated in the northern part of Kruger and sometimes has the birds coming into the camp.

2015 Update: I saw one in flight at Satara Restcamp and lots of them in Pretoriuskop. If you want to be pretty much guaranteed to see them, go to Pretoriuskop.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BROWN-HEADED PARROTS

VIDEO

This little guy seems to be thirsty but too wary to go take a drink

I can’t embed this video but if you go HERE you can see one feeding in a tree.

The Elusive Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis)

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Tara

The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a small parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. The species was originally placed within its own genus (Geopsittacus),but most authors now prefer to place it within the genus Pezoporus together with the two ground parrots.

Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis)

It is well known as being one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world, with no known sightings of the bird between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. Sightings since 1979 have been extremely rare and the bird’s population size is unknown, though based on the paucity of records its thought to number 50–249 mature individuals.

This map shows historical sightings of this extremely rare parrot.

Sightings of the Night Parrot from Wikipedia

FROM: AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC:

A LIVE NIGHT PARROT has reportedly been photographed in western Queensland for the first time since the species was discovered more than 150 years ago.

With a loosely estimated population of less than 250 individuals across central Australia, the last living night parrot specimen was collected in 1912 at Nicol Spring in Western Australia.

The species has since famously avoided detection, save a handful of sightings and two dead specimens, the most recent of which was a decapitated young female picked up by a ranger in Queensland’s Diamantina National Park in 2006.

Full story

City Parrots also has a story on this discovery. Exact location of the sighting are secret for now because otherwise the place would be inundated with bird watchers and this is a very sensitive species.

Next week, bushman naturalist John Young will present to the world a series of photographs and a 17-second video of a bird he watched for 35 minutes in torchlight. He will say it proves beyond doubt that he has, at last, found the elusive, mysterious night parrot.

Rock Parrot (Neophema petrophila)

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Tara

What comes to mind when you imagine a “Rock Parrot”? Maybe this?

Or this?

Then it may come as a surprise to you that the actual Rock Parrot (Neophema petrophila) is a very subtle and small parrot.

Rock parrot

They are endemic to Australia and found along the western and southern coastal regions. Some of the best places to go to see this bird in the wild are Rottnest Island near Perth, Eyre Bird Observatory, Cape Leeuwin and the coast of Esperance.

Rock Parrot Range

MORE INFORMATION

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife Australia

They aren’t very noisy parrots so you will need luck and good local advice to see them. I found one video of them near Esperance.

Australian Ringneck Parrots

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Tara

Australian Ringneck Parrots have been divided in to 4 subspecies. The best way to tell them apart in the wild is by the colour of the hood and where you are in Australia. Port Lincoln Parrots and Twenty-eight Parrots both have the darker blue hood but the Port Lincoln has more yellow on their bellies whereas the Twenty-eight’s belly is green. You are most likely to see them in Western Australia where they are very common, you can even see them in King’s Park, Perth! The Mallee & Cloncurry Ringnecks have the light blue-ish green hoods and the Cloncurry’s belly is yellow and they don’t have a red band over their beak.

Port Lincoln Parrot

Port Lincoln Parrot (Barnardius z. zonarius) – Found from Port Lincoln in the south east to Alice Springs in the north east, and from the Karri and Tingle forests of South Western Australia up to the Pilbara district.

Mallee Ringneck Parrot

Mallee Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius barnardi) – Found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria

Twenty Eight Parrot

Twenty-eight Parrot (Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus) – Found in the south western forests of coastal and subcoastal Western Australia.

Cloncurry Parrot

Cloncurry Parrot (Barnardius zonarius macgillivrayi) – Found from the Lake Eyre basin in the Northern Territory to the North gulf of Queensland.

Range Australian Ringneck Parrots

OTHER SOURCES FOR AUSTRALIAN RINGNECK PARROTS

Birdlife Australia

Birds in Backyards

World Parrot Trust Mallee Ringneck

World Parrot Trust Port Lincoln Parrot

Wikipedia

AUSTRALIAN RINGNECKS IN ACTION

Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris)

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Tara

Western Ground Parrot

The Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris) is an endangered species of parrot endemic to Western Australia and is a close relative of the Eastern Ground Parrot (P. wallicus) and the somewhat more distantly related and mysterious Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis).It is one of the world’s rarest birds with about 110 individuals remaining so it won’t be easy to see them in the wild. Not only are they rare, they are extremely well camouflaged.

The nearest international airport is Perth in Western Australia and you can get there with frequent flier miles if you plan well in advance. From Perth, you need to hire a car and get to one of the two habitats left to these extremely rare parrots – Fitzgerald River or Cape Arid National Parks.

Western Ground Parrot Habitat

This blog has a very interesting account of a survey group who were lucky enough to see them. You can also find more information on the World Parrot Trust website and Birdlife Australia. You can also follow them on Facebook and read the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot for the most up-to-date information.

This is a great video about Western Ground Parrots. Embedding has been disabled so you have to view it on YouTube. And this other video features a Western Ground Parrot up close and personal.

Some Avian Delights Of Amazonia

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Tara

To finish off my series about Amazonia National Park, I’d like to show you some of the beautiful birds you can see there. Since we didn’t have a car, we could only bird in the immediate vicinity of Urua. Gilberto took us on the Acaizal Trail which is a challenging 4.5 km hike up and down slippery slopes. The main target bird here is the Vulturine Parrot (Pyrilia vulturina), but we didn’t have any luck. This species seems to be quite a challenge as other birders have had trouble too. You can check out this trip report starting from 1 August for another perspective. But sometimes there is success as you can see from Bradley Davis’ (Birding Mato Grosso) trip report from a few years ago! He did quite well with the Acaizal Trail! Maybe you will too!

The best birding in our case was also the easiest, right around the Urua guard post. Although I am far from being a good photographer, even I get lucky sometimes and captured some good birds in flight shots! The one thing you learn when you become a birder, don’t regret the birds you didn’t get to see, be happy for the ones you did see and also be happy that your presence is helping to keep them safe in their homes!

Enjoy the photos!

Quaker Parrot (Myiopsitta monachus)

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Tara

Quaker Parrots building a nest in the Pantanal, Brazil

Quaker Parrot, (Myiopsitta monachus) aka Monk Parakeets are native to the Pantanal in Brazil and northern Argentina.

Quaker Parrot Habitat

Self-sustaining feral populations have been recorded in several US states and various countries of Europe (namely Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Great Britain and Belgium), as well as in Brazil, Israel, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and Japan. As it is an open woodlands species, it adapts readily to urban areas.

In areas where they have been introduced, some fear that they will harm crops and native species. Evidence of harm caused by feral colonies is disputed, and many people oppose killing this charismatic bird. However, there have been local bans and eradication programs in some areas of the USA. Outside the USA, introduced populations do not appear to raise similar controversy, presumably because of smaller numbers of birds, or because their settlement in urban areas does not pose a threat to agricultural production. The UK appears to have changed its view on its feral populations and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is to remove Monk Parakeets from the wild,^[12] as it believes that they threaten local wildlife and crops.

WHERE TO SEE THEM

The easiest place to see them in their native habitat is the Pantanal, Brazil. It is also pretty easy to find them in the USA, especially Brooklyn, Edgewater and several cities in Florida.

AVIAN ARCHITECTS

They build some pretty amazing communal nests, here are some photos of them I took in the Pantanal, Brooklyn and Edgewater.

Although this is a pet Quaker, you can see the construction technique up close.

LEARN MORE ABOUT QUAKERS

WILD QUAKER PHOTOS

A few I took in the Pantanal and USA.

Golden Conure AKA Queen Of Bavaria Conure AKA Ararajuba (Guaruba guarouba)

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Tara

This week, I would like to introduce you to my all-time favourite bird. In their native land, Brazil; they are known as Ararajuba. The Golden Parakeet or Golden Conure,⁽Guaruba guarouba), formerly classified as (Aratinga guarouba),is a species of Neotropical parrot. Sometimes known as the Queen of Bavaria Conure, it is the only species (monotypic) in the genus Guaruba.

Its plumage is mostly bright yellow, hence its common name, but it also possesses green remiges. It lives in the drier, upland rainforests in Amazonian Brazil, and is threatened by deforestation and flooding, and also by the now-illegal trapping of wild individuals for the pet trade. It is an endangered species listed on CITES appendix I.

Mature pair of Golden Conures at the Emilio Goeldi Zoo in Belem

Juvenile Golden Conure at the Emilio Goeldi Zoo in Belem

Flock of wild Golden Conures in Amazonia National Park

Getting to see them in the wild is no easy feat! Their range is in a very remote area of Brazil and there are no eco-lodges or established eco-tourism in the area. The full story of my journey to see them can be seen in the April 2013 issue of Flock Talk by the World Parrot Trust. Scroll down and click on the PDF. The World Parrot Trust also has a species profile on this beautiful bird. At the end of this series, I will upload the text from this article written by myself with more photos and hyperlinks to all the posts I am doing to show you how to do this trip for yourself.

This is the range of Golden Conures as shown on Golden Conure Survival Fund. (For those who are curious, I did get a glimpse of a Hawkheaded Parrot at Cristalino).

Range of Golden Conures

The range of Golden Conures extends far westward into the Amazon basin reaching all the way to the right bank of the Madeira Rio in Amazonas state; the bird reaches as far east as the Gurupi in Maranhâo state. It is found in much higher density (almost ten times) within the confines of the current study area. This coincides almost directly with the heaviest deforestation zones (Hartley 8).

The Golden Conures are distributed in pockets strewn across northeastern Brazil, south of the Amazon River, in eastern Pará and northern Maranhâo to the western edge of Tapajós (Low 183). Their range has been reduced by as much as 30% in the last 2 to 3 decades.

In the map below, the red dots represent the airports (L-R: Manaus, Itaituba, Santarem, Belem) that are relevant to the journey. The yellow highlighted areas represent areas in which I found documented sightings of Golden Conures during my research. The highlighted area south of Itaituba is the Amazonia National Park where I ultimately got to see them. The yellow area between Santarem and Itaituba marked “CR” is roughly the location of the Cupari River in which the birds have been sighted by Gil Serique, a famous Brazilian guide. The yellow area marked “CX” is roughly the location of Caxiuanã National Forest. Finally, the other yellow area near the Tucurui Dam has had sightings of Golden Conures, though they may have been driven out by the deforestation in the area.

When I first started planning my trip, I had originally hoped to go to Caxiuana. At one point, they did have tourist accommodation but they stopped this several years ago. They still host groups of scientists, biologists and researchers. It seemed like it would be easy enough to get there from Belem and once there, there would be guides to help us find the birds. Directions to get there (in case they start accepting tourists again): The scientific station is located in the municipality of Melgaço, 350 km west of Belém, the capital city of the state of Pará. The trip to the scientific station has to be made in two stages. The first stage can be made by flying or traveling by commercial ship (12 hours) from Belém to the interior city of Breves along the south of the island of Marajó. For the second stage, one boards a motor launch in Breves run by the Goeldi Museum. The launch continues for 9 hours through the Melgaço Bay, located in the Rio Anapú basin, passes the villages of Melgaço and Portel, and up to Caxiuanã Bay. This last leg of the journey can also be made by speed boat, reducing the time of the journey to only 4 hours.

Gil Serique who lives in Alter do Chão – a beautiful beach town near Santarem can lead tourists to the Cupari River area and he knows a lot about these birds. My husband and I couldn’t afford to hire a charter boat and hire him for several days but anyone who has a group would be well advised to do so. There are no accommodations in this area so most people would be sleeping in hammocks either on the boat or ashore.

I finally chose Amazonia National Park since it was accessible by public transport and they have a bunkhouse at the Urua guard station. This is the trip I will be blogging about in hopes that others who care about these birds can see them before it’s too late.

Although I managed to get some photos of the wild Golden Conures, I didn’t have time to get video as it all happened so fast. Luckily there is a professional clip on YouTube (Portuguese language) with some amazing footage of these stunning birds. You also get a glimpse of my guide, Gilberto da Silva. Even as I watch this 8 months after my trip, my heart still skips a beat as I remember my brief but unforgettable encounter with the Ararajubas of Brazil!

Miles To The Wild

Create unforgettable eco-tourism and birding adventures using miles & points!

Category Archives: Parrots

Choosing The Itinerary For “The Mother Of All Africa Trips”

ANALYZE REQUIREMENTS

PRIORITIZING TARGET SPECIES

RESOURCES I USED

A Tale Of Two Cockatoos

Brown-Headed Parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus)

LEARN MORE ABOUT BROWN-HEADED PARROTS

VIDEO

The Elusive Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis)

Rock Parrot (Neophema petrophila)

MORE INFORMATION

Australian Ringneck Parrots

OTHER SOURCES FOR AUSTRALIAN RINGNECK PARROTS

AUSTRALIAN RINGNECKS IN ACTION

Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris)

Some Avian Delights Of Amazonia

Quaker Parrot (Myiopsitta monachus)

WHERE TO SEE THEM

AVIAN ARCHITECTS

LEARN MORE ABOUT QUAKERS

WILD QUAKER PHOTOS

Golden Conure AKA Queen Of Bavaria Conure AKA Ararajuba (Guaruba guarouba)