Birding Lake Coolmunda – Boat Ramp & Adjacent Areas

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Tara

Lake Coolmunda is an amazing birding hotspot and has something for everyone! There were plenty of parrots to keep me happy, lots of water birds in the lake and elusive little Fairy Wrens to watch out for in the bush. These photos were taken around the boat ramp area which also has a campground and picnic area, the area across the road which is really good for parrots and the road leading to the dam. The Coolmunda Caravan Park is where the purple dot is.

As we approached the turn-off to the lake & boat ramp, some Galahs were waiting to greet us.

Before we turned left down the boat ramp road, I heard parrots in the field across the street so we pulled over to investigate. Good move as we found Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Eastern Rosellas, Pale-headed Rosellas, more Galahs, Red-rump Parrots and Little Corellas!

Noisy Miner

This camping area has spaces for tents and caravans and a nice picnic area which we used for breakfast.

We drove a bit further towards the dam and saw water birds on the lake and some Superb Fairy-wrens in several bushes along the road. Many birds were on private property and as you can see by the signs, trespassers are not wanted! Fair enough, I wouldn’t want strangers traipsing around my property either! The roads here are paved and in excellent condition, normal sedan cars are fine.

We turned around at the above sign and went back to the picnic area for breakfast. We enjoyed a nice view of many water birds while we ate. A Pied Butcherbird came over to ~~beg~~ steal our food! Public conveniences are available here.

When we went back to this area in the evening, there were lots of Red-rumped Parrots foraging in the tall grasses. The light was really beautiful on the lake!

Magpies squabbling, probably over territory or a female.

And with these Outback sunset shots we ended a fantastic day of birding!

Brisbane – Gateway To Outback Queensland

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Tara

After almost 3 years of owning this blog, I am finally going to blog about my hometown – Brisbane! Australia is high on the wish list of eco-tourists, especially those who wish to see lots of parrot species and many other birds too. And don’t forget Australia’s amazing mammals such as kangaroos, koalas and wallabies (not the rugby playing ones)!

Australia is a huge country and Queensland is a huge state so you won’t be able to see it all in one go if you have the usual 2-4 weeks annual leave. Far north Queensland will need a separate series all on its own. In this series, we will be looking at South-east Queensland and some of its best eco-tourism hotspots. Brisbane is a great place to start your birding/eco-travel adventure and if you have miles and points you can save a bundle!

GETTING TO BRISBANE

Brisbane is the main international airport serving South-east Queensland although the Gold Coast airport also has some flights from New Zealand. There are several options for using your miles to get from your home country to Australia. It has been harder to get business class awards recently, especially to/from the USA so you may have to suck it up in economy. Just keep your eye on the prize that awaits at the end of that long flight!

Brisbane specifically is served by:

STAR ALLIANCE

Air New Zealand – Auckland, Christchurch

Eva Airlines – Taipei

Singapore Airlines – Singapore

Thai Airways – Bangkok

ONE WORLD

Qantas (home carrier) – Auckland, Hong Kong, LAX, Singapore, Tokyo

Jetstar (Qantas affiliate and only available using QF points) – Denpasar, Honolulu

Cathay Pacific – Hong Kong

SKYTEAM

China Airlines – Taipei

China Southern – Guangzhou

Korean Airlines – Seoul

NON-ALLIANCE AIRLINES

Virgin Australia (partners with Delta) – Apia, Auckland, Christchurch, Denpasar, Honiara, LAX, Nadi, Port Vila, Queenstown, Wellington

Emirates (Partners with Qantas, Alaska, Korean) – Dubai, Singapore

Etihad (Partners with AA & Virgin Australia) – Abu Dhabi

Hawaiian – Honolulu

DOMESTIC ROUTES

The only two airlines you are likely to be able to redeem miles on are Qantas and Virgin Australia. I have a post with more information on domestic connections.

QANTAS

QF BNE routes

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

VA domesitc BNE

WHERE TO STAY ON POINTS

If you plan to spend a day or so in Brisbane and will be relying on public transport, your best bet is in the CBD where buses and trains are plentiful. Out in the suburbs you can wait 30 minutes or more to catch a train or bus (speaking from experience). If you will be renting a car (which you will be if you are heading to the Outback), then avoid the CBD as parking is expensive. Brisbane really isn’t the best place to get the best value out of hotel points unless you are swimming in them.

Hilton Brisbane – 60,000

Brisbane Marriott – 35,000

Four Points by Sheraton – 10,000

I think you would be better off using Brisbane as an EARN miles opportunity and use Pointshound or Rocketmiles to book your room. In any case, readers of this blog probably won’t be hanging around the city for long with all the birds awaiting you in the bush!

Grand Cayman Island – Shore Visit From 2008 Cruise

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Tara

This was a cruise we did back in 2008 so I may be a bit fuzzy on the details but at least I still have the photos! We were on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas doing a 7 day RT Miami cruise to Labadee, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios & Cozumel.

I do recall we had booked a diving trip that was cancelled due to bad weather so we were on our own. We ended up taking a bus to a wildlife park that was called Boatswain’s Bay back in 2008 but is now called Cayman Turtle Farm Island Wildlife Encounter. It seems to have the same attractions as it did back them but they seem to be pushing the turtles more now. Of course I was keen to see Cayman Parrots! We did walk through the whole park, including the turtle farm but but spent most of our time in the walk-in aviary with some very friendly birds!

With more time, you can see wild Cayman Parrots but on a cruise you may not have the time to get there and back safely. Definitely for a land trip though!

Back in the day, people were constantly telling me to go to hell…………………so I finally did!

Since we were using local buses, we headed back a bit early so had time to walk around the port area, check out some shops and watch some guy who was hawking photos with his macaws.

Display only, unfortunately this painting wasn’t for sale!

Look at all the tourists! We bought some parrot t-shirts at Margaritaville, then back to the ship!

Cozumel – Shore Visit From 2008 Cruise

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Tara

I do remember vividly trying to get someone to share a taxi to the Mayan ruins at San Gervasio and literally everyone from the ship just wanted to go to the beach! So annoying! We had to pay for the taxi ourselves, visit the ruins and had the taxi drop us at a museum afterwards.

I really wanted to buy this but the museum wasn’t selling!

Outside the museum was this cool exhibit of mini-ruins.

I can’t believe we did such silly touristy things!

We hung around the shops for awhile, this was by far the most tourist port we had been to!

And yet another Margaritaville!

This time I let the man talk me into a silly photo with the macaws.

Back to the ship one last time!

Our First Ocho Rios Visit From 2008

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Tara

As I mentioned before, we had been to Ocho Rios on a previous cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in 2008. I had found out about the Enchanted Gardens online and we also had to do the touristy things – Dunns River Falls and the market. We DIY’d the day. We took a bus to and from the falls. Then we hired a taxi to Enchanted Gardens and kept the driver for the return trip and had him drop us off at the market. We walked through the town and visited some small shops as well, then had the traditional jerk chicken in a local non-touristy restaurant, then hit the Margaritaville and back to the ship. Very few cruisers DIY in this port but being experienced travelers we had no problems at all!

Dunn’s River Falls

Enchanted Gardens

The little Olive-throated Conure on the end was the one I named Tiki. The guide said he didn’t have a name so I gave him one!

Ocho Rios Market

Parking $100 per hour! Glad we walked!

Local restaurant – great jerk chicken!

Shopping center near the cruise ship and Margaritaville

Adding to our collection of parrot t-shirts! This was a huge ship, at the time it was one of the largest cruise ships in the world but it has since been surpassed.

Private Birding Shore Excursion – Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Tara

This was our second time visiting Ocho Rios on a cruise ship. On the first visit (which will be covered on a separate post) we did all the touristy things – Dunns River Falls, the market and finished at the Enchanted Gardens which has a beautiful walk-in aviary.

Princess Cruises has a number of shore excursions but none of them are suitable for birders. We arranged a private tour with top birding guide Wendy Lee. She can be contacted by email at wendylee@cwjamaica.com and you can see another review of a land based birding tour with her on Trip Advisor.

We disembarked with trepidation as the weather was already drizzly. Wendy was right there waiting for us and said she would do her best in spite of the weather. I was prioritizing the 2 endemic parrot species – Yellow-billed Parrot and Black-billed Parrot. Wendy took us to a grove of trees and sure enough the parrots were there, albeit very soggy parrots! I did my best with the photos but I kept having to cover my camera from the rain.

Wendy had planned to take us somewhere else after the parrots but she said the road would be very dodgy because of the rain and the birds would be hiding anyways. She offered to take us to her wildlife rescue instead to show us some birds rescued from poachers. We saw a Cattle Egret along the road.

The rain had eased off a bit as we headed back to port, getting a glimpse of the ship as we went over a hill. The final stop was the Enchanted Gardens with the fabulous walk-in aviary. This seems to be the best-kept secret of Ocho Rios as hardly anyone ever goes there. The guide showed us around and since we had limited time due to the ship schedule, we only wanted to see the aviary. We spent some quality time playing with the birds. They give you food and the birds will climb all over you. I think it was around $20pp to visit the gardens.

I think this little guy is the same Olive-throated Parakeet I had named “Tiki” back in 2008!

After the tour, Wendy dropped us at the shopping centre near the cruise ship dock so we could visit the Jimmy Buffets and grab some parrot themed t-shirts. We then walked back to the ship. It turned out to be a great day in spite of the rainy morning!

Bad photo of some jerk chicken we shared at Margaritaville.

Two of these Dr Bird paintings are now gracing the hall between the kitchen and our home aviary!

Somebody else on the ship bought this – wish I had seen it first!

Full Transit Of The Panama Canal

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Tara

There are 2 ways to do a Panama Canal cruise – full transit from Pacific to Caribbean or vv; or you can do a partial transit where the ship enters one side, usually the Caribbean, goes through a lock or two so you can see what it’s like and possibly stop for shore excursions.

Here’s an idea of what to expect in the way of shore excursions on a Panama Canal cruise.

Full transit

Stop in Colon (sometimes tagged on to a full transit)

Partial transit with stop in Gatun Lake

Partial or full transit with stop in Panama City (Fuerte Amador)

The day before we were due to go through the canal, I noticed some ADULTS doing crafts with construction paper and cardboard signs. It turned out they were making signs to wave at the photographer as we went through the canal. I decided to join in! Of course I had to feature a bird on my sign. I’m sure a 5 year old would have done better but I liked my finished product anyways!

The full transit we did in April 2011 went from Pacific to Caribbean with only a 3 hour stop in Colon so no time to go out. We were told to stay in the shopping centre for our own safety. We arrived at 5pm so it would have been too late to go anywhere else anyway. During the transit, our fantastic port lecturer, Dr Thomas Ryan gave a fascinating and detailed commentary as we went through the canal. We saw a few birds flying overhead but not very good views. If you have a stop in Panama City, I recommend going to Soberania NP (Rainforest Center). We did end up going there in August 2013.

We entered the canal at dawn. In the following pictorial you will see the pilot boats, Bridge of the Americas, banks of the canal, a few odd birds and ships we passed including another Princess ship. You can see the locks opening and closing with water levels going up and down and the Princess photographer down below aiming his camera at the people like us on the balconies.

Here we are docking at Colon. There’s a small shopping centre with various shops selling duty free goods and Panama handicrafts. You can guess which shops I went into! Those colourful embroidered goods are called “Molas” and they are hand-made by Kuna Indians. Quite a few with bird designs came home with us that evening!

This has become one of my favourite handbags and some of those molas are now decorating our home either on the walls or stitched onto pillows. Supporting local people at it’s best!

Puntarenas, Costa Rica – The Ultimate “Birding From A Cruise Ship” Port

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Tara

Costa Rica is one of the world’s great birding & eco-tourism destinations and really deserves a full land-based trip such as we did in 2013. But if you happen to find yourself on a Panama Canal cruise, make sure Puntarenas (or nearby Caldera) is included! Most ships will offer a good choice of eco-tourism options if you want to book with the cruise line. Here are a few from Princess to give you an idea.

Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary, Boat Tour & Country Drive

Carara National Park, Pura Vida Gardens & Lunch

Rainforest Aerial Tram, Tarcoles River & Lunch

There is also a new Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary (not sure if this is where Princess is going now, they used to go to El Manantial) called the Ara Project. They used to be based in Alajuela but recently relocated here. I have pretty extensive posts on Carara & the Tarcoles River Cruise when we were there on a land trip so in this post I will give my advice for a shore excursion when you have limited time.

Puntarenas is one port where you are better off organizing a private trip. You can sometimes recruit others to share the cost if you join your cruise’s Roll Call on Cruise Critic. We ended up on our own but the price was reasonable even if we did pay it ourselves. After much online research, I chose Odyssey Tours and Travel and it was an excellent choice! The guide knew the local birds well and he took us to a great local place for lunch that had no other cruise people so it was really authentic. They also have a tour sharing service.

In the map you can see our customized itinerary. We started from the port (Puntarenas Excursions on the Google map), drove to Carara, spent the morning there, had lunch at that little restaurant on the beach (black line), went back towards the port stopping at the Molas souvenir shop and finishing at the El Manantial Sancturay (roughly “unnamed road”), then back to the ship.

Warning, there is a ridiculous number of photos to follow! I probably should have split this over 2 posts but I am trying to show you what you can do in just ONE day in this port!

Pre-dawn arrival and we were first off the ship. Our guide picked us up and we hit the road to Carara to get to the Scarlet Macaws asap.

We caught the Scarlet Macaws in time for breakfast. This was a young family, we could tell by the way the young macaw kept going back and forth between his parents. Since we had such a good view, we hung out here for over an hour.

Reluctantly leaving the macaw family, we walked through the park looking for any kind of wildlife.

We had lunch a bit early to make sure we had time for the afternoon program. The food was delicious an it was only us and one other private tour group of 10 people here. After lunch, we wandered down to the beach to watch sea birds.

We had a quick drive through the town of Tarcoles then a quick stop where the crocodiles hang out under the bridge. Some tour groups feed them. Being Aussies, we weren’t all that fussed about seeing crocodiles.

The Molas Souvenir Shop was about halfway back to Puntarenas. They take all credit cards so I went a bit nuts here! I would have been even worse if we hadn’t been limited for room!

I really wanted those tables but didn’t know how to get them back to Australia.

Enroute to the sanctuary, we lucked upon this beautiful motmot and trogon.

Final stop was El Manantial Sanctuary. The birds were rescued from smugglers or in some cases donated by pet owners who couldn’t keep them anymore. You can see where the Great Green Macaws, Scarlet Macaws and Orange-fronted Parakeets have been set free but still hang around the facility to steal food from their still captive friends. Only the species that are native to Costa Rica are set free here, others such as the Cockatoos and Hyacinth Macaws will stay in the aviaries.

Here’s the end of the tour, a quick drive through Puntarenas and we were dropped at the end of the small market that pops up to serve cruise ships. We did end up buying still more bird themed souvenirs!

The ship docks at the end of a very long pier so they have a cute little train to get us back to the ship. My poor husband was exhausted!

I was more exhilirated after such a successful trip!

What To Do On Sea Days

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Tara

Most cruises that have suitable itineraries for birders will be longer and visit more remote areas. This means more sea days as you cruise from one port to another. Since this isn’t a specialist cruise blog, I’ll just offer a few ideas if you are trying to convince your spouse/partner/family/friend to join you on a cruise. First I’ll remind you of what birders should look for in a cruise itinerary if you haven’t seen the first post already.

Cruises can be very cost-effective because your food and entertainment are all included. Ships do have alternative restaurants that you have to pay for but the main dining room with full service and a self-service buffet are always included in your rate. There’s a wide variety of entertainment including full on production shows, headliners, comedians and more!

Most Princess ships have a huge movie screen called MUTS where they screen recent feature films by the pool. Popcorn is served by waiters and they have blankets if you get chilly. On our cruise, they screened the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton live! I had to get up at 4am but what a way to watch the royal wedding!

Passengers are often invited to join special occasions such as this anniversary celebrating the different brands of Carnival Corporation. I don’t remember what they were celebrating exactly but I do remember that cake!

If you are a member of the cruise line’s loyalty program you will be invited to a captain’s cocktail party. You can take photos with the captain and have a drink or 2 on the house!

Penny slots used to be a great way to manufacture spend. Load money at the casino onto your cruise card and put it in the slot machine and play a few spins. Then cash out – I mean for actual cash. You pay for the cash at the end of the cruise with your miles/points earning credit card. This was good back in 2011, I hear that some cruise lines now charge a fee to do this so you’ll have to check on this.

The crew talent show is always fun!

How old are these people trying to catch the balloons? Feel like a kid again!

Choose whether you want a table for 2 or to join others for dinner. It’s up to you!

Traditional Baked Alaska parade!

Towel animal demonstration – you will probably find one in your room each night as you get back after dinner and the evening show.

Overview of the Coral Princess pool, we spent a lot of sea day time in the jacuzzi.

Champagne fountain and formal nights!

Another production show.

Balcony cabin – nice if you can afford one, even nicer if you get upgraded to one!

What I didn’t photograph but really enjoyed were the port lectures. We had a really good lecturer, Dr Thomas Ryan who gave informative, educational and thoughtful lectures………….and not one mention of Diamonds International! Cruises with more exotic ports do tend to have better port lecturers – authors, naturalists, historians. Caribbean cruises just have shills for jewelry shops so don’t bother!

Other things to do on a ship include trivia, karaoke competitions, bingo, ballroom dance lessons, tours of the bridge and exercise classes. There really is something for everyone!

San Juan Del Sur Shore Excursion

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Tara

For this port, Princess didn’t offer a specific birding excursion, nor could I find anything independent so we went with a mainstream shore excursion that I thought might bring us into contact with birds incidentally. It visits the Masaya Market, Masaya Volcano and colonial city of Granada.

Your full-day, moderately active shopping and sightseeing excursion begins at the pier where you will board your comfortable, air-conditioned transportation and journey forth out of San Juan del Sur. Travel through the lush, tropical landscape as your knowledgeable guide points out areas of interest and regales you with the history of this exotic and mysterious country.

Visit the magical city of Masaya to explore its world renowned market. Nicknamed the “city of flowers” Masaya is the capital of Nicaraguan folklore and is known as the birthplace of the area’s best painters, singers, poets, artists and crafts people. So it’s only natural that is should be home to one of the largest crafts markets in Central America ? The Masaya Market! Shop, browse or even engage in some good-natured bargaining at the collection of shops and vendor stands that offer the very best value and quality in arts, crafts and culture. Among them: leather products, delicately embroidered clothing, wood carvings, Indian art and hand painted ceramics with traditional pre-Columbian designs.

Continue your journey to Masaya Volcano National Park. Established in 1979 this national park is a marvel of nature with its two towering volcanoes, lush forest and a crater lagoon. Your transportation will take you near the still active Masaya Volcano, once the object of veneration by indigenous peoples, for an up-close look at steaming fumaroles.

Take a break from your exploration to enjoy a complimentary buffet lunch at a local restaurant. Indulge in a traditional Nicaraguan meal that includes chicken medallions, sea bass, rice and beans, and dessert.

Step back in time as you visit the picturesque, colonial city of Granada, located in the shadow of the towering Mombacho Volcano on the shore of Lake Nicaragua (one of country’s largest freshwater lakes). Founded in 1524 by Spanish Conquistador Hernandez de Cordoba, Granada’s historic churches and convents have withstood the test of the centuries including invasions from English, Dutch and French pirates. Enjoy a delightful and informative guided tour of the grand Convent of San Francisco, now a museum housing an ample collection of pre-Columbian statues unearthed on local volcanic islands.

Stroll the Parque Central, the city’s social, cultural and economic hub, where local artisans and vendors offer their beautifully crafted products for sale. Take time to marvel at the timeless beauty and historic legacy that has been preserved in this amazing city prior to your scenic drive back to your Princess ship.

This port is served by tenders so you want to get down to the tender dock asap as they become crowded quickly. Usually people who book a ship’s excursion get priority.

The market proved to have lots of bird themed artworks and I bought several nice paintings and some feather art. The feathers are not from endangered species, most are from chickens or feathers found on the ground.

Next stop was the Masaya Volcano. Some people chose to climb to the top but I chose to let my lens do the walking.

We had lunch at a touristy restaurant but the food was still good.

After lunch we went to Granada had had a tour of the city and the convent-museum. There was a folk dance show in the main square that was pretty cool!

The last stop was on the lake so we could have a nice view of the volcano. I finally got to see some birds!

We then drove through the town of San Juan del Sur and took the tender back to the ship.

Watching the sun set as we sail away from San Juan del Sur. The big movie screen (MUTS) movies under the stars is where I watched the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

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