Without doubt, this is one of THE tours for pigeon enthusiasts with such spectacular species as Orange Dove (János Oláh)
BirdQuest | NEW CALEDONIA & FIJI
Jan 24, 2009
Jan 20, 2009
Fiji’s Tourism industry has been largely unaffected by the recent flooding
20th of January 2009
Tourism Fiji in collaboration with key industry partners including the Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association (FIHTA), Society of Fiji Travel Associates (SOFTA) and Air Pacific confirmed that the necessary infrastructure, facilities and equipment to operate Fiji’s Tourism industry has been largely unaffected by the recent flooding with only minor damage reported by member Hotels, Resorts, Transport, Transfer and Cruise Operators, and International and Domestic airlines.
The industry is unified in its efforts and working hard to reassure visitor’s considering travel to Fiji to take advantage of Fiji’s tropical climate, excellent deals and of course to enjoy Fiji’s biggest asset – it’s warm, friendly people.
Key strategies to lure visitors to our shores include wide ranging familiarization visits commencing early next week to key tourism areas by prominent Travel Wholesalers, Travel Agents and Trade Press to demonstrate first hand the experiences Fiji has to offer. This will be followed up by great value holiday deals initially in the key source markets of Australia and New Zealand driven by Tourism Fiji and its partners.
In a meeting with the Minister for Tourism on Monday, the Minister reinforced his support for the industry and assured stakeholders that Government will facilitate road upgrading and other necessary infrastructure works to key Tourism areas as a priority. Government recognizes the resilience of the Tourism industry, its ability to quickly facilitate economic recovery, and its widespread importance to the local community.
The private sector continues to invest heavily in the industry with new hotel developments coming on line this year and new routes being opened up by Air Pacific.
Fiji’s Tourism Industry offers a wide range of Holiday experiences for local and international tourists, and support to Fiji’s tourism industry is critical to generate important foreign exchange enabling assistance to areas that have sustained damage by flooding.
The Tourism industry acknowledges and thanks the support offered by Government and global industry partners and will continue to cooperate closely with key stakeholders to achieve targeted visitor arrivals. The industry also realizes the importance of working with the media and seeks their support in the recovery process.
For further information please contact:
Mr Josefa Tuamoto
Chief Executive Officer
Tourism Fiji
Phone: 6722433
Fiji’s Tourism industry has been largely unaffected by the recent flooding
PRESS RELEASE
Tourism Fiji in collaboration with key industry partners including the Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association (FIHTA), Society of Fiji Travel Associates (SOFTA) and Air Pacific confirmed that the necessary infrastructure, facilities and equipment to operate Fiji’s Tourism industry has been largely unaffected by the recent flooding with only minor damage reported by member Hotels, Resorts, Transport, Transfer and Cruise Operators, and International and Domestic airlines.
The industry is unified in its efforts and working hard to reassure visitor’s considering travel to Fiji to take advantage of Fiji’s tropical climate, excellent deals and of course to enjoy Fiji’s biggest asset – it’s warm, friendly people.
Key strategies to lure visitors to our shores include wide ranging familiarization visits commencing early next week to key tourism areas by prominent Travel Wholesalers, Travel Agents and Trade Press to demonstrate first hand the experiences Fiji has to offer. This will be followed up by great value holiday deals initially in the key source markets of Australia and New Zealand driven by Tourism Fiji and its partners.
In a meeting with the Minister for Tourism on Monday, the Minister reinforced his support for the industry and assured stakeholders that Government will facilitate road upgrading and other necessary infrastructure works to key Tourism areas as a priority. Government recognizes the resilience of the Tourism industry, its ability to quickly facilitate economic recovery, and its widespread importance to the local community.
The private sector continues to invest heavily in the industry with new hotel developments coming on line this year and new routes being opened up by Air Pacific.
Fiji’s Tourism Industry offers a wide range of Holiday experiences for local and international tourists, and support to Fiji’s tourism industry is critical to generate important foreign exchange enabling assistance to areas that have sustained damage by flooding.
The Tourism industry acknowledges and thanks the support offered by Government and global industry partners and will continue to cooperate closely with key stakeholders to achieve targeted visitor arrivals. The industry also realizes the importance of working with the media and seeks their support in the recovery process.
For further information please contact:
Mr Josefa Tuamoto
Chief Executive Officer
Tourism Fiji
Phone: 6722433
Fiji’s Tourism industry has been largely unaffected by the recent flooding
Jan 19, 2009
Suva: Colo-I-Suva Forest Park - TripAdvisor
Colo-I-Suva Forest Park (pronounced Tholo-ee-Suva) was once a true tropical lowland rainforest, which has been interplanted with mahogany. It is in the upper drainage area of Waisila catchment, alongside Princes Road. The Department of Forestry manages the Forest Park. Colo-I-Suva Forest Park offers hiking trails, swimming, and birdwatching.
The visitor information centre located at the Forestry Station can give you useful information. The Forestry Station recommends that you start from there. You will find three pools developed as swimming areas: the ever-popular Main Pool with its rope swing and the two Upper Pools. All other pools remain in their natural state and many are shallow enough for a child.
While there are picnic tables near the Main Pool, most facilities have been built near the Upper Pools where it was possible to provide adequate parking. Both these areas have toilets. Groups of up to 40 can be accommodated at the Steep Hill Group Area.
All Picnic Tables have shelters. All have fire grates and a sufficient quantity of wood.
A 1/2 km nature trails has been built. This one-way loop begins a short distance from the Upper Pool Parking Area and interprets many interesting facets of the natural environment. If you wish to stretch your legs, hike some of the over 6.5km of trails of the area.
Birdwatching is favourite here with tours from all over the world frequenting.
Fiji Birdwatching Blog: http://fijibirdwatching.blogspot.com/
Fiji Bird Watching website: fiji-bird-watching.com/
See birs list for Fiji at Pacific Birds: pacificbirds.com
Suva: Colo-I-Suva Forest Park - TripAdvisor
Jan 18, 2009
Pelagic Birding in Australia: SOSSA...
SOSSA (Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association Inc.) was founded by members of the New South Wales Albatross Study Group (NSWASG) in 1994. It was set up to be an umbrella organisation for many study groups concerned with studies of Southern Ocean biodiversity.
SOSSA is a wildlife research and conservation group which consists of dedicated people both professional and amateur. These people share a common interest and concern for the environment and the wildlife of the Southern Oceans.
History: The New South Wales Albatross Study Group grew from the work of J.D. (Doug) Gibson, A.R.(Allen) Sefton and others, who began catching and marking wandering albatrosses at Bellambi NSW in 1956. Following the passing of Doug Gibson in 1984, the NSWASG based in the Illawarra continued under the guidance of Harry Battam who started banding albatrosses as an assistant to Bill Lane at Malabar in 1958.
A wandering albatross banded in August 1958 at Bellambi was found breeding on Bird Island, South Georgia, a sub-antarctic island in the South Atlantic Ocean in November 1958. The NSW Albatross Study Group had made its first mark. This original recovery was followed by several more, on the Crozet Archipelago (French) Prince Edward Island (South African), island groups of the South Indian Ocean and the Auckland and Antipodes Islands, to the south of New Zealand.
The NSW Albatross research is the longest continuous study of albatrosses anywhere in the world today.
Harry Battam is the team leader and for the past 20 years has been assisted by Lindsay E. Smith another dedicated naturalist. Lindsay's wife Janice has been working with the team constantly for the past 11 years.
Aims: SOSSA is an organisation whose aims are to encourage naturalists both amateur and professional to research the biodiversity of the Southern Ocean. SOSSA also aims to promote the use standard methodologies and the publication of all findings. SOSSA will assist study groups or individuals
in the collection, preparation and presentation of data in a standard format. SOSSA is willing to assist other studies and has the resources and trained personnel that may be of benefit to small independent studies or organisations.
in the collection, preparation and presentation of data in a standard format. SOSSA is willing to assist other studies and has the resources and trained personnel that may be of benefit to small independent studies or organisations.Projects: The projects and studies currently being undertaken by members of SOSSA are many and varied, several are being undertaken in conjunction with other organisations and scientific bodies, which include both local and overseas institutions.
Outside Australia, SOSSA has affiliations with the British Antarctic Survey, the New Zealand Department of Conservation, The Centre National de la Researche Scientifique (CNRS France) and the Percy Institute of Ornithology (South Africa).
If you are interested in joining SOSSA then please complete the MEMBERSHIP FORM and return it to SOSSA.
Pelagic Birding in Australia: SOSSA
Jan 14, 2009
Birding Southern Queensland
Fiji Revisited - 2008
Read full trip report here: Birding Southern Queensland
Jan 9, 2009
Bird Watching : MyFijiGuide.com
Matava Adventure quotes that “Twenty-seven of Fiji’s birds are endemic to Fiji, found nowhere else in the world”. This makes bird watching of some interest to naturalists. However, bird watching in Fiji is a matter of location and weather.
Most of the places recommended for wild bird watching are in forests or far inland.
One of the most well known birds of the islands is the Kadavu mask parrot its native habitat is on the island of Kadavu and it is now a protected species. The Kadavu mask parrot is found privately in other parts of Fiji though it is against the law to own them.
In Viti Levu the Colo-i-Suva forest park is recommended as it has a bushwalking trail. However, it is advisable to ensure that the forest park provides guides for such walks or that tourists go with local tour groups.
Bird Watching : MyFijiGuide.comJan 8, 2009
WORLD WETLANDS DAY: FEBRUARY 2ND 2008 22/12/08
Upstream-Downstream: Wetlands connect us all
The theme for this year's World Wetlands Day is: "Upstream-Downstream: Wetlands connect us all". This will be internationally and nationally celebrated on February 2nd, 2008.
Fiji became a signatory to the Convention on Wetlands (the RAMSAR Convention) on 11th August 2006. We have one Ramsar site: a site that has been designated as a Wetland of International Importance: The Upper Navua Conservation Area, located in the Serua province, within the Upper Navua Gorge.
Under the Ramsar Convention, wetlands have a very broad definition.
For Fiji, wetlands would include everything from seagrass and coral communities, intertidal mangrove and saltmarsh, communities, and freshwater swamps and lakes as wetlands. Ramsar also recognises a range of purpose built wetlands such as impoundments like the Monasavu and Vaturu dams.
As a member of the Ramsar Convention, it is our duty as a nation to care for, protect and monitor our wetlands.
Recent research have revealed high endemism and important ecological roles that Fiji's wetlands have. Unwise use of our wetlands can cause high incidences of flooding, extinction of endemic species, skin diseases, and the disappearance of our coral reefs.
Exciting facts about our wetlands and updates on what we can do as a school, community, village, family or as an individual to contribute to saving our wetlands will be posted on the NatureFiji-MareqetiViti website in the coming weeks.
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti News
Jan 4, 2009
BirdQuest | Tour Reports | NEW CALEDONIA & FIJI
NEW CALEDONIA & FIJI
Friday 5th October - Sunday 21st October 2007Richard Thomas
The October 2007 tour to the island archipelagos of New Caledonia and Fiji was hugely successful and recorded more species in the region than any previous Birdquest visit.
Highlights on New Caledonia included all the main island and Lifou extant endemics, stunning views by all participants of the notoriously skulking and elusive New Caledonian Grassbird, superb views of male Cloven-feathered Doves, two Crow Honeyeaters, and all topped off with a staggering eight individuals of the incomparable Kagu.
Our visit to Fiji recorded 21 endemics. Highlights of this tropical island nation paradise included a stunning array of fruit-doves: Many-coloured, Velvet, Golden, and of course the incredible Orange Dove, plus an unknown “Yellow Dove” that first appeared on Taveuni following a typhoon and which may prove be a species as yet unknown to science. Once again we recorded several of the increasingly scarce and elusive Black-throated Shrikebills, including a pair at Colo-i-Suva.
The tour recorded 125 species, 40 of them endemic to either New Caledonia or Fiji, plus around 20 regional specialities.
Download full report here: BirdQuest | Tour Reports | NEW CALEDONIA & FIJI
Jan 3, 2009
WorldTwitch - Fiji Birding Trip Report by Jeff Skevington & Michael Mathieson, January-February 2006
WorldTwitch - Fiji Birding Trip Report by Jeff Skevington & Michael Mathieson, January-February 2006:
"FIJI BIRDING
January-February 2006
By Jeff Skevington (JHS) and Michael Mathieson (MM)"
This was primarily a research trip for me so birding was secondary. Nonetheless, I managed to see most of the expected species. I met MM after the bulk of my research was conducted, and we swung back through the better sites that I had visited with more of a bird focus.
WorldTwitch - Fiji Birding Trip Report by Jeff Skevington & Michael Mathieson, January-February 2006:
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