On the day we play pranks on each other lets enjoy this awesome Drongo as he cleverly fools some meerkats!
Want more? How about a Lyrebird fooling everyone!
And a crow trying to trick a man out of a frying pan!
April Fools!
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Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Cooinda, Kakadu
Located only a few minutes from Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda is the Warradjan Cultural Centre which is well worth a visit to see the Aboriginal art and culture exhibits. It is open from 9-5 daily and is free to visit. This is an excellent way to while away a hot afternoon in Kakadu!
They don’t allow photos inside so I only have a few exteriors.
You can find both souvenirs and Aboriginal art in the gift shop.
Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
The Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron.
I can’t tell if this bird from Kakadu Yellow Waters is admiring himself or looking for food!
They have a large range in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and throughout much of Australia except the arid inland. A small colony has also established near Wanganui, New Zealand.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NANKEEN NIGHT HERONS
VIDEOS
Go away and let me sleep!
Beautiful close-ups here!
Yellow Waters Sunset Cruise, Cooinda, Kakadu
The best way to see LOTS of birds (and a few crocs) with no effort at all is to book a Sunset Cruise with Yellow Waters at Cooinda. It’s a short drive from the Kakadu Lodge Cooinda and they have a shuttle bus between the lodge and the boat dock. Not only do you see more birds but you avoid the crowds at the mid-day cruise who are day-tripping from Darwin!
When you book, do it online and be sure to scroll all the way down to where you can add a Sunrise Cruise the next morning (incl bkft) for $36!
The boats are open but try to sit in the front if you are into photography.
Crocs before even leaving the dock.
Darter
Darter
“I will eat you!”
Plumed Whistling Duck
Black-necked Stork
Rainbow Bee-eater
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Darter
Little Corellas
Comb-crested Jacana
Nankeen Night Heron 
Azure Kingfisher
Whistling Kite
Towards the end of the cruise, they parked the boats at a nice vantage spot to watch the sunset.
I actually saw more birds than I got photos of. Here is my full eBird list.
Lodge Review: Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda
Staying at the Gagudjdu Lodge Cooinda in September wasn’t cheap! For some reason, this month was higher than August or October and I did plan the trip outside of school holidays. I was able to bring the cost down somewhat by using Le Club Accor certificates. 40 Euros was equal to about $60 each and between my husband and I we had a few of them. If you are birding in Kakadu, you really do need to stay at least one night here because this is where the Yellow Water Cruises depart from and they are a MUST!
This was our room in a building that had 4 rooms (I think), 2 on each side.
Very neat and tidy room. Since it was my birthday, they gave me a bottle of white wine!
Nice assortment of toiletries!
One thing is that they don’t have that many tables in the restaurant. We ended up on a couch with a coffee table in front of us.
I had a lamb shank which was really good. They didn’t have birthday cakes so I ordered this pineapple flavoured dessert.
The next morning, a breakfast buffet was included as part of the Yellow Waters package I bought. It had a good selection, but again we had to take the same couch as the tables were all full.
We weren’t in a hurry to leave so had a quick swim after breakfast.
A few birds were hanging around the pool, including a Blue-faced Honey-eater, a Great Bowerbird and a pair of Torresian Imperial Pigeons.
There is a small gift & food shop and info centre near reception.
I really liked this lodge for the location and the nice rooms. The people were very nice and helpful. There is no wifi but you are way out in the bush! I was sorry we could only afford one night here, 2 would have been better.
Planning A Birding Trip To Kakadu
Kakadu National Park is one of Australia’s top attractions so unlike the other places I have been so far on this Northern Territory birding trip, I ran into LOTS of other tourists! Most of them are there for crocodiles but a few are also interested in birds. I also found accommodation here to be proportionately more expensive than the other places in the Territory as well.
TOP TIPS FOR BIRDERS IN KAKADU
- Come in the cooler dry season – April to October.
- Be aware that many of the roads are accessible only by 4×4 such as Jim Jim, Gubara an Gunlom.
- Buy your Kakadu Pass in advance online.
- Visitors Centres have restrooms, maps, information, shops and food available.
- Download the Kakadu Birds app if you have an iPhone or Android. I found it extremely useful. It even has bird calls!
With only a 2WD car, we were still able to do this itinerary that took in most of the park. We entered from the Pine Creek side and stayed the first night at Cooinda. Then we stopped for a visit to Nourlangie Rock before going to our 2nd night’s accommodation at Jabiru. The 3rd day, we made a couple other birding stops before leaving the park and staying at Mary River.
All of this will be covered in detail in future posts!
How Do Birds Fly?
This blog deals with two kinds of flight. We use airplanes (preferably with miles) to get to our destinations where we can watch birds. Then you have the actual birds who fly!
This is a really cool video which breaks down how birds use their wings to fly. Nice clay lick footage in slo-mo too!
Minor Changes To Avianca Lifemiles
Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)
The Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia; also known as the Blackheart Finch, Shaft-tail Finch, Heck’s Grassfinch, Heck’s Grass Finch, and Heck’s Finch.
They have a large range across northern Australia. I saw them very well at the finch spot on Edith Falls Road in the Northern Territory.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-TAILED FINCHES
VIDEOS
Foraging in the grass.
Drinking water
Small flock in Mataranka
Electronic Device Restriction On Flights To USA & UK
It’s all over the news so most people will have heard of the restrictions on electronic devices which includes laptops, tablets and even cameras on flights departing 10 airports headed for the USA and a variety of airports headed to the UK.
Flights departing for the USA: Cairo, Egypt; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Istanbul, Turkey; Doha, Qatar; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; and Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The U.K. list is shorter. It covers all inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia but omits airports such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Although most of the publicity has been about laptops, birders will be more worried about being forced to check expensive and delicate camera gear. It is well known that baggage handlers are not gentle and many items do get stolen out of checked bags. This is why many people, including myself will do anything to avoid checking a bag.
To me, this whole thing is ridiculous and I really hope the insanity doesn’t spread any further. If it’s a true threat, why just these specific countries? Do they think terrorists can’t book connecting flights via Europe to avoid the direct flights? Do they think that laptops in cargo holds are safer, an alleged bomb can’t be set on a timer? Why would terrorists even be bothering with bringing laptop sized bombs on a plane when they can fix them to a drone, easily purchased by anyone.
The most logical explanation is that the US administration is trying to stick it to the ME3 (Emirates, Etihad & Qatar) which are competing with their own airlines in certain markets. The UK ban doesn’t affect the ME3 so this supports the theory.
ECO-TOURISTS MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED
Since this blog targets people using miles and points to facilitate eco-tourism:
- People using Star Alliance awards on Turkish Airlines, Egypt Air between the USA or UK and Africa, Asia or Australia.
- People using One World Alliance awards on Qatar Airways (USA only) or Royal Jordanian between the USA or UK and Africa, Asia or Australia.
- People using Emirates on any of the afore mentioned routes.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF
- If you are forced to check your laptop or camera, make sure they are very securely wrapped to protect against baggage handlers. Use layers of whatever you have-clothes, bubble-wrap, crumpled newspapers to cushion cameras.
- Carry on the lenses separately if allowed.
- Back up your photos and personal documents to a usb drive and carry on board, also bring the camera’s SD cards with you.
- Put them inside a box securely wrapped and taped up, then put the box inside a suitcase with a TSA approved lock (if you have one) or another box. Double boxes.
Can anyone think of anything else? I haven’t been in this position and I hope I won’t be (if Australia doesn’t join the insanity)!