My Top Thirty Bird Sightings Of 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Tara

Most other years this would be a top ten, but with 3 major birding trips this year I am struggling to make it a top thirty! If you want to see last year’s birds click here. There is no way I could single out one top bird with so many to choose from so they are being presented in chronological order. I haven’t finished blogging the Queensland road trip or the African Adventure so I have to cheat a bit with the photos. They are my photos but just pasted in.

1. Carnaby’s Cockatoo – seen at several places in Western Australia, Feb 2014.

2. Western Rosella – seen at Dryandra and Stirling Range in Western Australia, Feb 2014

3. Purple-crowned Lorikeet – seen near Fitzgerald National Park, Western Australia, Feb 2014

4. Western Bowerbird – seen at Nallan Station, Western Australia, Feb 2014

5. Splendid Fairy-wren – seen at Yanchep, Western Australia, Feb 2014

6. Orange-bellied Parrot – seen at Melaleuca, Tasmania, March 2014

7. Eastern Ground Parrot – seen at Melaleuca, Tasmania, March 2014

8. Swift Parrot – seen on Bruny Island, Tasmania, March 2014

9. Major Mitchell Cockatoo – seen at Bowra Station, QLD, March 2014

10. Cockatiels – seen at Bowra Station, QLD, March 2014

11. Satin Bowerbird – seen at Girraween, QLD, March 2014

12. Ultramarine Lorikeet – seen on Ua Huka, Marquesas, French Polynesia, June 2014

13. Rimatara Lorikeet – seen on Rimatara, French Polynesia, June 2014

14. Cape Parrot – seen in King William’s Town and Magoebaskloof, South Africa, Nov 2014

15. Lilac-breasted Roller – seen in Kruger Park, South Africa, Nov 2014

16. Echo Parakeet – seen at Black River Gorges, Mauritius, Nov 2014

17. Vasa Parrots – seen at Ankarafantsika, Madagascar, Nov 2014

18. Schlegel’s Asity – seen at Ankarafantsika, Madagascar, Nov 2014

19. Hoopoe – seen at Ankarafantsika, Madagascar, Nov 2014

20. Paradise Flycatcher – seen in Kakum National Park, Ghana Nov 2014

21. Red Malimbe – seen in Kakum National Park, Ghana Nov 2014

22. African Grey Parrot – seen (fleeting glimpse) in Kakum National Park, Ghana Nov 2014

Didn’t click fast enough!

23. Senegal Parrot – seen in Shai Hills, Ghana Nov 2014

24. Tacazze Sunbird – seen at Addis Ababa Hilton, Ethiopia, Nov 2014

25. African Red-bellied Parrot – seen at Tarangire, Tanzania, Nov 2014

26. Cordon Bleu Waxbill – seen at Tarangire, Tanzania, Nov 2014

27. Meyer’s Parrot (Brown Parrot) – seen at Tarangire, Tanzania, Nov 2014

28. Red-and-yellow Barbet – seen at Tarangire, Tanzania, Nov 2014

29. Superb Starling – seen all over Tanzania, Nov 2014

30. Lovebirds – seen in Madagascar (Grey-headed), Tarangire (Yellow-collared) and Ndutu (Fischer’s). Just couldn’t choose between them! Nov 2014

These aren’t necessarily the rarest birds but they were birds that made a major impression on me. Maybe for their rarity, maybe for their beauty or maybe for their behaviour! Apologies for not having profiles up on about half the birds but I still have a lot more to blog about!

One Last Evening With The Rimatara Lorikeets

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Tara

Although it had been cloudy throughout the day, we got very lucky and it didn’t rain so we got to spend one last evening watching the beautiful Rimatara Lorikeets have dinner before flying off to roost for the night.

After bidding farewell to the lorikeets, we walked back past the airport turnoff to our bungalow.

This little Oromao Rimatara Reed-Warbler was in a tree nearby.

We got a beautiful sunset as we sat on the deck. A few lorikeets came close so I couldn’t resist getting a few more shots.

This is the fragrant lei I was given at the airport, kept the room smelling nice!

Rimatara Birding With Guide Mooroa Tiraha

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Tara

As with Ua Huka in the Marquesas, Rimatara also has a superb birding guide who looks after the two endemic species – Rimatara Lorikeets and Oromao Rimatara Reed-Warbler. Mooroa Tiraha is not only a guide, he also works in biosecurity to keep the island free of black rats which would devastate the vulnerable birds. You can read more about him on the Manu website.

Here is Mooroa Tiraha picking us up in his truck first thing in the morning. He drove us down the road past the airport to a banana plantation. We were treated to a brilliant rainbow while still paled in comparison to the even more brilliant Rimatara Lorikeets. They were in no hurry to come out and have breakfast.

We waited, watched and listened and soon a few more came out and this time they came down to the banana trees near us!

I was probably less than 10 metres away from this one! In the past they had plenty to fear from humans but nowadays they are protected by law and a source of pride for the locals thanks to Queen Temaeva. A few more came down, there were about 12 in this area and more in the trees behind out of view.

They can be very playful and entertaining to watch!

My husband Ina chatting to a local. Then we both took photos with Mooroa.

This says it all!

Rimatara Lorikeets Coming In To Roost

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Tara

After taking the Circle Island Tour of Rimatara, it was time to get our first glimpse of the beautiful native Lorikeets. We already had a morning birding tour booked for the next day with the resident guide, Mooroa Tiraha so decided just to take a short walk towards Anapoto to the nearest banana patch. It didn’t take long before a pair of Lorikeets came down for a quick bite before settling in for the night. Having gotten my first close up photos, it was back to the bungalow to watch the sun set.

You can barely see an ‘oromao a.k.a. Rimatara Reed-warbler hiding in this tree!

He’s had enough so good night!

Temaeva – The Queen Who Saved A Species

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Tara

Lodge Review: La Perruche Rouge, Rimatara

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Tara

La Perruche Rouge (the Red Parakeet) grabbed my attention the minute I started seeking out accommodation on Rimatara. The website is in French but Google Translate is your friend! I was surprised how close it is to the airport, the access road is just 5 minutes up the road.

The lower level is where the Kato family (the owners) live and the reception/dining area. The guest bungalows are on the higher level.

Our bungalow

Small but clean bathroom. No kitchen or even a kettle but the family will boil water or heat up simple food for you in their kitchen.

The bungalow has a king sized bed and a single bed.

The bed linens are to die for! Embroidered Rimatara Lorikeets! Of course I wanted to buy some but they don’t have any extras for sale. Aline said she had them custom made in Bali. Next time I go there I have to look for embroidery shops!

Back at the reception/dining area. Meals are served family style and are very good! Most people have a demi-pension plan which includes breakfast and dinner.

Back at the bungalow we had a nice porch to relax on and enjoy the view!

You can book a variety of tours – birding of course and some cultural experiences. The “Decouverte de taro” one totally cracked me up – they were charging people to do what my husband has done for free in his family plantation since he was a kid growing up in Rarotonga! Still for a Western tourist it would be new and different. This was a fantastic little pension and the owners were lovely! I highly recommend a visit here. You need to book via their website and pay cash on arrival. Actually you can pay when you check out but I hate carrying cash around so chose to pay up front.

Rimatara – Rarely Visited Island Of French Polynesia

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Tara

Very few people make it out to Rimatara other than birders – which is a real shame. It may be small but it’s a beautiful, friendly island. The surprising thing is that it is geographically closer to Rarotonga (indicated by its capital Avarua) than to the capital of French Polynesia – Papeete. Although you can get to Papeete with miles, you will have to pay cash for this domestic flight.

Air Tahiti flies there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I wanted a 3 night stay so out on Friday and back on Monday was the best option. If you are pressed for time or can only manage a 2 night stay, you will still see the Rimatara Lorikeets. The island is small and they are easy to see.

The first thing I noticed as we approached Rimatara is that the island is much flatter than the islands of the Marquesas.

The island has 3 small villages. I’ll give a more detailed tour of the island in a future post.

Once we arrived at the airport, we were met by our hostess and had a quick look around. I was really pleased to see how protective they are of their native birds!

Rare Birds & Ramen Noodles – Birding Remote French Polynesia

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Tara

Last month, I snuck off to two of the most fascinating islands in French Polynesia for birders – Ua Huka and Rimatara. Although I was pretty much unplugged for this trip, I did have blog posts queued up for auto posting so no one probably even noticed I was away. But now it’s time to ‘fess up and introduce you to two amazing islands that most travel bloggers have never heard of, let alone traveled to!

Location of Ua Huka and Rimatara in relation to Papeete and Bora Bora

This map shows where we were in relation to the two French Polynesian islands most other bloggers have been posting about – Tahiti and Bora Bora.

This trip was a bucket list journey for me in which I got to see one of the world’s most beautiful birds – the Ultramarine Lorikeet for the first time………………….

Ultramarine Lorikeet

……………………and to see the beautiful Rimatara Lorikeet, previously seen in Atiu in their original homeland of Rimatara!

Rimatara Lorikeets

I have many more photos of these gorgeous birds, I haven’t really sorted through them all yet so as this journey progresses you will get to see a lot more………………and yes they will be clear shots!

This is one trip you can’t do totally with miles and points. I had originally planned to do it in Feb 2015 with AAdvantage miles redeemed on Qantas and Air Tahiti Nui but brought it forward to June 2014. All the recent devaluations have spooked me a bit and this is one trip that could be vulnerable to the new US/AA merger. Air Tahiti Nui is a partner of AAdvantage but not US Airways and even then they are only a half partner. You can redeem but not accrue miles on Air Tahiti Nui using AAdvantage and they are not in OneWorld or any other alliance. Theoretically, I should have been able to do this trip with Star Alliance partner United or even US Airways before they merged but it’s been over a year since Air New Zealand has released award space in ANY class – economy or business on the Brisbane-Auckland route and space between Auckland and other Aussie airports is extremely limited. I felt it was a situation of book now or possibly lose my chance to get the flights to Tahiti on miles period!

Once in Tahiti, we still had to get to the islands of Ua Huka and Rimatara. The only way to do this is on Air Tahiti (not the same as Air Tahiti Nui) and you can’t use miles, you MUST pay cash and these flights are not cheap! I’ll be going into detail in a later post but now you know why we ate ramen noodles for most lunches (and will be eating them a lot at home for the next couple months)!

New Birding Guides In French Polynesia

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Tara

While gathering information for a future “bucket list” trip to the Marquesas to see the spectacular Ultramarine Lorikeet, and possibly also to Rimatara for Rimatara Lorikeets, I found this article in a pdf version of Air Tahiti’s magazine. Also see the MANU website.

This is excellent news as the birds could otherwise be difficult to find given the lush mountainous topography of these islands. The local guides would know where to find them.

There are very few airlines that get you to Tahiti on miles, only Air New Zealand (Star Alliance) and Air Tahiti Nui (non-alliance partner with American Airlines & Delta). You need a South Pacific award which falls into the same region as Australia in most cases.

Once you are there, you need to pay full price for the Air Tahiti flight as they don’t have any mileage options…………..and the flights are not cheap!

My Top Twenty Parrot Sightings Of 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Tara

These are not being chosen because of the amazing image quality, rather that they represent the top twenty parrot sightings I had during 2012 over trips to the Cook Islands and Brazil. Some of them like the Golden Conures, Hyacinth Macaws and Rimatara Lorikeets are very rare and endangered, most of them are secure at present and we hope they stay that way! I saw a lot more parrots than these, some of them such as Kawall’s Amazon and Hawk-headed Parrot escaped before I could get a photo. They all made a unique impression on me, especially the Golden Conures!

They are being presented in chronological order of when I first saw them.

1. Tahitian Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana) – seen on Aitutaki, Cook Islands, April 2012

Tahitian Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana)

2. Rimatara Lorikeet (Vini kuhlii) – seen on Atiu, Cook Islands, April 2012

Rimatara Lorikeet (Vini kuhlii)

3. Blue-throated Conure (Pyrrhura cruentata) – seen at Rio Doce, Linhares, Brazil; Sept 2012 Unfortunately, he took off before I could get a better shot.

Blue-throated Conure (Pyrrhura cruentata)

4. White-eared Conure (Pyrrhura leucotis) – seen at Rio Doce, Linhares, Brazil; Sept 2012

White-eared Conure (Pyrrhura leucotis)

5. Monk Parakeet/Quaker (Mylopsitta monachus) and Peach-fronted Conure (Aratinga aurea) – seen in the Pantanal, Brazil; Sept 2012

Monk Parakeet/Quaker (Mylopsitta monachus) and Peach-fronted Conure (Aratinga aurea)

6. Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhyncus hyacinthius) – seen in the Pantanal, Brazil; Sept 2012

Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhyncus hyacinthius)

7. Yellow-chevron Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri) – seen in the Pantanal, Brazil; Sept 2012

Yellow-chevron Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri)

8. Hahn’s Macaw/Red-shouldered Macaw (Ara nobilis) – seen in Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil; Sept 2012

Hahn’s Macaw/Red-shouldered Macaw (Ara nobilis)

9. Illiger’s Macaw/Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana) – seen in Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil; Sept 2012

Illiger’s Macaw/Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana)

10. Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara ararauna) – seen in Cristalino, Brazil; Sept 2012

Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara ararauna)

11. Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus) – seen in Cristalino, Brazil; Sept 2012

Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)

12. Madeira Parakeet (Pyrrhura snethlage) – seen in Cristalino, Brazil; Sept 2012

Madeira Parakeet (Pyrrhura snethlage)

13. White-bellied Caique (Pionites leucogaster) – seen in Cristalino, Brazil; Sept 2012

White-bellied Caique (Pionites leucogaster)

14. Blue-winged Parrolet (Forpus xanthopterygius) – seen in Cristalino, Brazil; Sept 2012

Blue-winged Parrolet (Forpus xanthopterygius)

15. Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata) – seen in Alta Floresta, Brazil; Sept 2012

Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata)

16. Crimson-bellied Conure (Pyrrhura perlata) – seen at Alta Floresta, Brazil; Sept 2012

Crimson-bellied Conure (Pyrrhura perlata)

17. Santarem Conure (Pyrrhura amazonum) – seen at Amazonia National Park, Brazil; Sept 2012

Santarem Conure (Pyrrhura amazonum)

18. Golden Conures (Guarouba guarouba) – seen at Amazonia National Park, Brazil; Sept 2012

Golden Conures (Guarouba guarouba)

19. White-eyed Conure (Aratinga leucophthalmus) – seen at Amazonia National Park, Brazil; Sept 2012

White-eyed Conure (Aratinga leucophthalmus)

20. Orange-winged Amazons (Amazona amazonica) – seen at Parrot Island near Belem, Brazil; Sept 2012

Orange-winged Amazons (Amazona amazonica)

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