Orange-winged Amazon Parrot (Amazona amazonica)

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Tara

The Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica), also known locally as Orange-winged Parrot, Curica and Loro Guaro, is a large amazon parrot. Its habitat is forest and semi-open country. I took these photos in Nariva Swamp.

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They have a huge range from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil. I have seen them in the Pantanal, on Parrot Island near Belem and Nariva Swamp in Trinidad.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT ORANGE-WINGED PARROTS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

VIDEOS

I had to wade through a lot of pet bird videos to find these wild birds!

IHG Pointbreaks Through 30 Sept Unveiled, Some Good Ones For Eco-tourists

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Tara

Last time they were so bad, I was calling them “Disa-Pointbreaks“! The new list which is valid from July 28- September 30th has much better options for eco-travelers. For those new to the program, PointBreaks properties are Reward Nights for only 5,000 points per night. Bookings will be open on 28 July. Unfortunately, it seems Oceania has been left out in the cold – pun intended since it is winter Down Under! The entire list can be found here, but I’ll point out a few that may be of use to those traveling to Central & South America. Remember, don’t go crazy booking multiple nights at these city based hotels, you just need a night before and after a flight, what you really want is to be out in the bush where the birds are!

I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Belem, it’s a good gateway to the Amazon region of Brazil. There is a plaza within walking distance where you can see Jenday Conures and White-winged Parakeets, you can also take a river cruise to Parrot Island to see 100’s of Orange-winged Amazons. Manaus is also an excellent gateway to the Amazon.

Another travel blogger, Weekend Blitz has created a very handy Google map to show where the concentrations of Pointbreaks are. Click on the image to see the map full sized and be able to zoom in on locations.

Notice poor Oceania left out in the cold!

Eco-Lite: Emilio Goeldi Museum and Zoo, Belem

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Tara

Welcome to our next Eco-Lite Mini-Trip which features the Emilio Goeldi Museum and Zoo in Belem, Brazil. You may find yourself in Belem before or after a visit to the Amazon region and this is a great place to spend a morning getting to see some gorgeous birds close up and be better prepared to identify them in the wild.

OVERVIEW

Their website is in Portuguese and I didn’t like the way Google Translate was handling it so I grabbed some information off Wikipedia.

The Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi is a Brazilian research institution and museum located in the city of Belém, state of Pará. It was founded in 1866 by Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna as the Pará Museum of Natural History and Ethnography, and was later named in honor of Swiss naturalist Émil August Goeldi, who reorganized the institution and was its director from 1894 to 1905. It is open to the public from 9:00 to 17:00 h, daily except Mondays.

The institution has the mission of researching, cataloging and analyzing the biological and sociocultural diversity of the Amazon Basin, contributing to its cultural memory and its regional development. It has also the aim of increasing public awareness of science in the Amazon by means of its museums, botanical garden, zoological park, etc.

The Museum maintains a scientific research station in the high Amazon forest (Estação Científica Ferreira Penna), which was inaugurated in 1993, with 330 km² in the Caxiuanã National Forest, municipality of Melgaço, Pará.

HOW DO YOU GET THERE?

It’s pretty much in the middle of Belem. We were staying at the Crowne Plaza and took a bus but taxis aren’t too expensive. Figure on $10 from most major hotels.

Location of Emilio Goeldi Museum and Zoo

HOW MUCH IS IT?

A bargain R$ 2.00 which is around $1 USD.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU SPEND THERE AND WHAT SHOULD YOU SEE?

We spend several hours in here as I was trying to get better photos of the birds I had seen in the wild. There are also some Green-wing Macaws free-flying around the grounds. The aviaries are large and well planted and it’s worth just sitting and relaxing and watching the various birds. There are several Golden Conures, many of whom were rescued from poachers. The grounds are beautiful and a pleasure to walk around.

VALUE TO CONSERVATION

They have several projects going on which you can read about on their website. The Museum maintains a scientific research station in the high Amazon forest (Estação Científica Ferreira Penna), which was inaugurated in 1993, with 330 km² in the Caxiuanã National Forest, municipality of Melgaço, Pará.

WHERE TO STAY NEARBY ON POINTS

IHG GROUP

Crowne Plaza Belem – 20,000 points. We stayed here, it’s a good mid-range property with a good central location. Breakfast buffet is excellent. I have seen this hotel on Pointbreaks for 5000 points a couple times so keep checking!

Holiday Inn Express Belem-Ananindeua – Not yet open but I suspect it will be either 10,000 – 15,000 points. Location is terrible, I would choose the Crowne Plaza anyways.

HILTON HONORS

Hilton Belem – 30,000 points. Location is excellent, right across the street from Praca Republica which has flocks of wild parrots visiting in the mornings and afternoons.

CLUB CARLSON

Radisson Hotel Maiorana Belem – 44,000 points. Don’t forget that credit card holders get 1 award night free when two or more award nights are booked! Location is good, central and walking distance to Praca Republica.