This was our final stop on our around the world ticket (New Zealand, Fiji, California). July is not the best time of the year for California, but this short stop was a great addition to our time in NZ and Fiji. We drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco along Highway 1 and made some birding stops in between.
Fiji was chosen as a destination on the basis of our world ticket. (New Zealand, Fiji, California). We decided a week of tropical warmth was welcome after three weeks in wintery New Zealand.
Helen visited Dunedin University for 5 months and Rob decided to visit New Zealand afterwards. Rob arrived in Christchurch on June 29th for a 3 week trip. We tried for most endemics, dipped on the Rockwren, did not try for Okarito Brown Kiwi, North Island kiwi and Orange-fronted parrot. The timing of the trip made it impossible to try for New Zealand Petrel.
Because Helen decided to study in New Zealand for a couple of months we decided to go birding fort wo weeks on the way there. After the trip Helen travelled onwards to New Zealand and Rob travelled back to Amsterdam. We did not rent a car and travelled by bus, taxi, and hitchhiking. In Pak Thale we rented a motorcycle for the day.
Visited sites: Pak Thale & Laem pak bia, Khao Yai, Doi Inthanon, Doi Chang Dao.
A year after our trip to Mexico we visited Costa Rica for three weeks. Visited sites: La Georgina, San Vito, Osa Peninsula, Carara, Monte Verde, La Selva and Braulio Carillo.
Our first birding trip outside Europe. Visited sites: Yucatan, Chiapas, Tikal, Cozumel
As a part of his studies Rob spent three months in Australia, mainly doing fieldwork on Sleepy Lizards 200 km north of Adelaide.
Penguinbirding 