Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

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The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the Rosella genus. The male and female are generally similar in plumage, being predominantly black, green, and yellow in colour with a red band above the beak and blue cheeks; however, some females have red-orange colouration on the front of their necks. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

Green Rosella

If you would like to see this beauty in the wild, first you need to fly to Hobart in Tasmania.  You can use your airline miles to get to Australia.  Once there, hire a car and drive to one of these national parks.  More information about Freycinet, Mole Creek, Cradle Mountain and all of Tasmania’s national parks can be found on the Parks & Wildlife website.  Freycinet has a very impressive bird list!  Green Rosellas are also seen in parks in Hobart and Launceston.

Green Rosella habitat

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife Australia

Parks & Wildlife

Wikipedia

Birds In Backyards

VIDEO

Chamberlain’s Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles And The Comoros

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Publication Date: September 15, 2013

This book describes the bird life of the region embracing Madagascar, the Seychelles group, the Comoros and the Mascarenes (comprising Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues) – a region that hosts nearly 400 species, many endemic. All are fully described, giving ID features, preferred habitats, status, calls, distribution maps and full-color illustrations. The book includes useful guide-type maps and practical birding tips. The 70+ superb plates are by Norman Arlott, Hilary Burn, Peter Hayman and Ian Lewington – among the world’s leading bird artists.

Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands is the comprehensive guide to the bird life of a region that embraces Madagascar, the Seychelles group, the Comoros and the Mascarenes (comprising Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues). Together, these magical islands and the warm surrounding ocean host a total of nearly 400 regularly encountered species, many of them endemic to the area. All bird species of the region are fully described, giving identification features, preferred habitats, current status and vocalization.

Accurate distribution maps accompany all species. Full-color illustrations show diagnostic plumage features. A special chapter, incorporating useful guide-type maps, discusses the practicalities of birding in the region’s main locations.

*Disclaimer:  The link above contains an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you buy this or any other product on Amazon.com after clicking it.  As always, I appreciate your support, thank you!

US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard

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This is one card that if you don’t already have it, you should get it before it goes away.  When US Airways and American Airlines merge, they have already announced that Citibank will be their credit card issuer.  This card will no longer be available.  Even if you don’t normally collect US Airways Dividend Miles, once the two programs are merged, they will become American AAdvantage Miles.  Before applying for any credit cards, make sure you can pay the bills in full each month as you do not want to be paying interest.

US Airways’ website has the following offers, however you should always check the FlyerTalk thread to make sure there aren’t any special offers around at the time you apply.  The first post is being updated by the mods so should have the best offers linked.  You should also read the last few pages for the latest experiences being reported by FlyerTalkers who apply for the card.  The text below is from US Airway’s website and I do not have any affiliate relationship with this product.

US Airways Premier World MasterCard®

Up to 40,000 bonus miles*

Benefits include:

  • Redeem award travel for 5,000 fewer miles
  • 2 miles for every $1 you spend on US Airways purchases and 1 mile for every $1 you spend everywhere else
  • Annual companion certificate good for roundtrip travel for up to 2 guests for $99 each
  • Zone 2 boarding and First Class check-in

US Airways World MasterCard®

Up to 25,000 bonus miles*

Benefits include:

  • 1 mile for every $1 you spend on US Airways purchases
  • Annual companion certificate good for roundtrip travel for 1 guest for $149
  • Redeem award travel for 5,000 fewer miles

US Airways Business MasterCard®

Up to 35,000 bonus miles*

Benefits include:

  • 2 miles for every $1 you spend on US Airways purchases
  • Additional cards for employees to earn you greater rewards
  • Complimentary US Airways Club day pass

*Offer subject to credit approval. Please see important information in the terms and conditions.

Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella)

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The Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella) is a medium-sized, arboreal passerine bird. This fairy-bluebird is found in forests across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayan foothills, India and Sri Lanka east through Indochina, the Greater Sundas and Palawan (Philippines). Two or three eggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree. It was described by British ornithologist John Latham in 1790. The only other member of the genus and family is the Philippine Fairy-bluebird, I. cyanogastra, which replaces the Asian Fairy-bluebird in most of the Philippines.

Thattekad Asian Fairy-bluebird3

I saw this one in Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Kerala, India.  It’s quite easy to get there using airline miles as you can see by my detailed blog post on “Getting to Central Asia“.

Asian Fairy-bluebird range with red dot indicating Thattekad Bird Sanctuary

Thankfully this beautiful bird is not endangered as it is quite widespread.  This also makes it more likely you will be lucky enough to see one in the wild.  Places to visit include Sri Lanka; the western coast of India from Travancore up to the latitude of Belgaum and Sawantwadi; Sikkim and the lower ranges of the Himalayas to Dibrugarh in Assam; the Khasi Hills; Cachar; Manipur; Arrakan; Bago and Taninthayi Division in Burma; the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In southeast Asia it occurs throughout most of Indochina (including Peninsular Malaysia), Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Palawan, and on smaller nearby islands. In the Indian part of its range this species is confined to the evergreen forests of the hills and plains, but elsewhere it is regular in various types of humid and deciduous forests from lowlands up to about 1,600 metres (5,200 ft).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Birdlife

Wikipedia

VIDEO

 

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

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You never know when you may be out on a birding hike and run out of water.  There may be streams or rivers nearby but they may not be safe to drink.  This product can help!

  • Removes a minimum of 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria per manufacturer.(>LOG 6 reduction)
  • LifeStraw® offers easy access to clean and safe drinking water away from home!
  • Filters up to 1000L of contaminated water per the manufacturer.
  • Removes a minimum of 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites per manufacturer.
  • Reduces water turbidity by filtering particles of approximately 0.2 microns.

*Disclaimer:  The link above contains an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you buy this or any other product on Amazon.com after clicking it.  As always, I appreciate your support, thank you!

Ecocamp Patagonia Tops Trip Advisor’s “10 Incredibly Unique Hotels”

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The actual list is varied and eclectic and has “incredibly unique hotels” from all over the world.  I was really happy to see an eco-lodge topping the list!  Ecocamp Patagonia’s website shows even more stunning photos of this place and makes me really want to go there!

EcoCamp is situated in the very heart of Torres del Paine National Park and provides the region’s first fully sustainable accommodation, complete with green technology. You enjoy guided treks and wildlife excursions by day and share evening meals with new friends, before falling asleep gazing up at the star-filled sky through your dome ceiling. Wake up in the middle of the Patagonian wilderness in a cozy geodesic dome, with a panoramic view of the majestic Torres del Paine, ready to pick up the hiking trail!

 

If you’re curious, here’s what the entire list looks like, click over to Trip Advisor to read the reviews of each hotel.

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Getting to Chile with airline miles is easy.  Chile is in the Southern South America zone for most frequent flyer programs and I have details on how many miles you need here.

 

 

Rusty-faced Parrot (Hapalopsittaca amazonina)

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The Rusty-faced Parrot is most threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation. Extensive logging and clearing for agriculture, development, and mining have destroyed much of its historical habitat in the Andes.

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Hapalopsittaca amazonina has three subspecies in the Andes of Venezuela and Colombia. A sight record from Ecuador in 1992 was presumed by range to be this species (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). Subspecies theresae is restricted to the Sierra de Mérida (Trujillo [Sharpe et al. 2001], Mérida and Táchira), Venezuela. Nominate amazonina occurs on both slopes of the East Andes in south-west Táchira, Venezuela; and Cundinamarca, Boyacá and historically Norte de Santander and Santander, Colombia. Subspecies velezi is known from both slopes of the Central Andes in Caldas, Risaralda (R. Strewe in litt. 1999) and Tolima (B. López-Lanús in litt. 2000), Colombia. There are recent sightings of Hapalopsittaca species from the head of the Madgalena valley, Huila, Colombia, and northern Ecuador (Robbins et al. 1994a, G. H. Rosenberg in litt. 2000), probably all amazonina (Juniper and Parr 1998). A recent Colombian population estimate of 2,500-10,000 individuals based on a hypothetical density c.1 individual/km2 and 25% occupancy of the estimated 13,890 km2 of suitable habitat (Renjifo et al. 2002) may be over-generous, but it is likely that the Colombian population numbers several thousand birds (P. G. W. Salaman in litt. 2005). There are c. 250 birds of the nominate subspecies in the Soata bird reserve, Boyacá (O. Cortes and A. Hernandez-Jaramillo in litt. 2007). The Venezuelan population unknown, although it is encountered regularly in several different parts of the Mérida Andes (C. J. Sharpe in litt. 2003, Weller and Rengifo 2003, Rengifo et al. 2005, Rengifo et al. 2005).

Getting to Colombia is easy with airline miles.  Since Colombia is in the northern South America region with Peru, please see this post for details on how many miles you would need.  The main airport, Bogota is well served by both Star Alliance (Avianca, Copa, United, Lufthansa, Air Canada) and One World (American, LAN, Iberia).

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

American Bird Conservancy

Birdlife

World Parrot Trust

ECO-TOUR OPERATORS

Colombia Birding

Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve

VIDEO

 

Creative Bird Photography Book

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This beautifully illustrated, inspirational guide to bird photography is packed with practical advice for how to photograph birds presented in an informative but accessible writing style. Creative Bird Photography offers a fresh approach to its subject, looking closely at how to photograph specific aspects of birds’ lives, such as eating and drinking, courtship, and flight. The author gives examples, demonstrating particular points and approaches for taking great shots of all of these daily bird activities as well as taking “mood” photographs at dawn and dusk. Each shot is accompanied by detailed technical data, information about locations, and advice about other challenges that will need to be surmounted in order to achieve the perfect shot. Coster also shares fascinating anecdotes about his encounters with the birds featured. There are also up-to-date sections on bird photography basics, including equipment and storage of digital images.

*Disclaimer:  The link above contains an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you buy this or any other product on Amazon.com after clicking it.  As always, I appreciate your support, thank you!

5 Great Routes On Eva Air For Eco-Tourists

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Eva Air is a very welcome addition to Star Alliance because it’s not only a great airline but it has a good network of connections via Taipei.  Here are some destinations that will now be easier to reach because of Eva Air.

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1.  BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA:  Great place to head inland to Bowra Station, O’Reilly’s, Girraween or Fraser Island for excellent birding.

2.  SURABAYA, DENPASAR & JAKARTA, INDONESIA:  Jumping off points to the birder’s paradise of West Papua, using an Indonesian domestic carrier.

3.  MANILA, PHILIPPINES:  Drive up to Subic Bay or hop a domestic flight to Palawan to see the endangered Philippine Cockatoo.

4.  HO CHIH MINH, VIETNAM:  Head to Nan Bai Cat Tien National Park where you may be lucky enough to see the Moustache Parrot (Red-breasted Parakeet).

5.  HANOI, VIETNAM:  Grey-headed Parakeets are in range of northern Vietnam.