With Christmas out of the way it was finally time to start concentrating on my annual escape for some winter sun. This years destination was Goa. I decided to do some more research this time and read a few trip reports plus got a book to identify the birds with. Again, as with the others it was not a birding holiday but a trip with my wife where I had the opportunity to go birding for a couple of hours each morning around Candolim. Many people will say why not Baga, as this is where the well known Beira Mar is that a lot of birders stay. We did in fact buy a package holiday and Victor Exotica happened to be a recommended resort. Beside, the thoughts of discovering all my own birds and not chasing around after what others had found was a lot more appealing to me. My research was basically to find out where the best areas to bird are and then try them out for myself. Looking through the bird book, I decided that Indian Pitta and Asian Paradise Flycatcher (the one with the long tail) were my most wanted birds for the trip. My only other target was to come back with twenty or more quality shots of birds and some good shots of butterflies if indeed there were any.
Equipment
This year I took a whole range which I hoped would cover everything: A Nikon D200 with 300mm f2.8 for low light canopy photography, a much lighter Canon S3 IS for general use when out with my wife and a digiscoping setup that involved a mighty midget and the Samsung NV3. This trip turned out to be a photographers dream as many birds allowed close approach, even the skulkers were confiding at times. As the days went by I found myself using the Nikon and the Canon only with the digiscoping equipment left in the hotel room.
Bird Guides
I used a local bird guide called Raymond who took me out on three occasions for the Indian Pitta and Wood Owl, Maem (Mayem) Lake for the Nightjars and Batim Lake for the ducks.
Transport
I used a Honda Dio moped for getting around. It cost £3.00 a day and no paperwork was necessary. At 100+ miles per gallon they were certainly worth the money. There are no rules on the road, just beep to let someone know you are overtaking and flashing your lights is telling the oncoming traffic you are coming, the opposite of the UK meaning. It didn't take me long to build my confidence which was made all the easier as they drive on the same side of the road.
Day 1 in Candolim
We arrived at Dabolim Airport at 06:30. It was still dark when the first bird of the trip started calling from the darkness beside the transfer bus. It was a House Crow. Several were evetually seen as it started to get light they were quickly joined by a few Blue Rock Pigeons (Feral Pigeons). Enroute to the accomodation Cattle Egrets, White-browed Wagtail and a couple of Black Kites were all I could make out.
After breakfast it was time to explore. We ended up following a group from the resort to the beach via a more scenic route which turned out to be a series of footpaths behind the hotels running parallel to the beach. Along the path, Orange-headed Thrush, Black Drongo, Lesser Golden-backed Woopecker, Yellow-backed Sunbird, Magpie Robin were identified. A White-breasted Kingfisher perched on a house seemed unusual as there was no water around but this was mentioned in the bird book. My wife gripped me off with a Asian Paradise Flycatcher after we got separated. It was one with a long tail. We returned to the same tree twice but failed to relocate the bird. After eventually reaching the beach, Little Green Bee-eater, Rufous-backed Shrike, Jungle Mynah and Rose-coloured Starling got the list well into double figures. We got lost trying to retrace our steps but added Brahminy Kite and Oriental Honey Buzzard before getting back to the accomodation.
Still on foot I ventured out again in the afternoon and found a marshy area that held Indian Pond heron, Intermediate Egret and many Cattle Egrets. Marsh Harriers quatered the marsh whilst a Green sandpiper and Marsh Sandpiper occasionally showed. The Pond Herons I identified as Squacco Herons before realising that this species does not occur in Goa. Blyths Reed Warblers seemed to be quite a common bird. I saw and heard many throughout the holiday. The total for the day by dusk stood at 26.
Day2 - Candolim beach and Fort Aguada.
I headed for Candolim beach for my first dawn birding. It was barely getting light when I reached the dunes and already big numbers of hirundines were heading north presumably from their roost. Most of the ones I could make out were Red-rumped Swallows and Barn Swallows. Walking north I was able to walk adjacent to the dunes and it wasn't long before the list was on the up with Hoopoe, White-browed Bulbul and Spotted Dove. A flock of 200 Rose-coloured Starlings was impressive as they collected on palm trees before descending to feed on a patch of rubbish with some Jungle Mynahs. On the way back to the hotel, a Shikra landed in a tree briefly and my first Common Tailorbird flicked around the tree canopy in Victor Exotica.
During the afternoon we hired a taxi to take us to Fort Aguada. Here we saw Purple Sunbird outside the entrance to the lighthouse. Watching the sun reflect off the birds glossy plumage was quite something. Inside the lighthouse walls Blue Rock Thrush was poised motionless and nearly escaped our attention. We returned to the taxi rank and gave the driver 300 rupees. It was here that we noticed mopeds for hire. At £3.00 a day it seemed an opportunity not to be missed. They were so much fun that I have now bought one back home.
Day 3 - Back to Aguada
With the moped I was now able to venture out on my own. I chose to ride along to Aquada and follow a path suggest in a trip report. Unfortunately it turned out to be too boggy so a change of plan had me exploring close to the road. There were still plenty of new birds for the trip with my first sighting of Asian Koel having previously only heard their destinctive call the day before, my only Blue-breasted Banded Rail which flew a short distance into cover and a Little Cormorant flew in and landed high up in a bare tree to dry off its wings. More familiar birds were many Greenish Warblers, and an impressive gathering of 11 Golden Orioles in the same fruit tree. Fruit trees turned out to be a very good way of finding birds as many different species gathered to feed on them. The path I had walked down was a dead end so I ventured back on to the road and walked in the direction of the coast alongside the track I had just walked. I stopped and looked down at the end of the dead end again from the road for about 10 minutes and found Tickells Blue Flycatcher, a rather shy White-breasted Waterhen and my first Asian Paradise Flycatcher but one with a short tail. By now the traffic was building up on the road so I made my way back to the bike and bumped into a confiding Greater Coucal. Back at the Victor, I showed the picture to my wife of the flycatcher and said is this what you saw? She said yes but the tail was much longer. I felt gripped off indeed.
Day 4 - Nerul
I decided to try another area mentioned in the Birders guide to Goa. This time it was an area not far from Candolim on the Panjim road called Nerul. The instructions were good but again I was unable to complete the route because the ground was again boggy. I made my way back and fortunately found an area on the other side of the road just as good. Looking out over the marsh I could make out my first Bronze-winged Jacana. Pictures were difficult to get because the bird was heavily backlit. After some record shots a calling warbler wouldn't show itself so I gave up and continued along the path. Good views were had of a Little Cormorant and a small group of birds flew across me and landed in a bush close by calling. They were very approachable and once sighted I could see that they were White-rumped Munias. By now it was getting late so I made my way back to the scooter. The warbler I had heard earlier showed this time and turned out to be a Clamorous Reed Warbler. A great bird to watch and given the time I'm sure I could have got some great pictures. On the journey back to the Victor my eyes were still scanning and caught sight of a large bird on the wires. It was an Indian Roller. After a small divert I was able to ride right up to the bird and it just stared at me whilst I took some photos. Frequenting the roadside wires it obviously had no fear of humans on mopeds or indeed any other traffic. Two more new birds came from scanning the wires, a Pied Bushchat and a Wire-tailed Swallow.
Late afternoon we decided to go for a ride on the scooter. Still around the Nerul area. I was delighted to find a partially dried out pool that contained a few waders. The first ones to catch my eye was a group of Red-wattled Lapwing. Amongst the others were Wood Sandpiper, Ruff and Redshank. Nearby overhead a very confiding immature Black-shouldered Kite scoured the ground below. I saw this bird regularly on evening visits in exactly the same place. Whilst having a drink on the resort it soon became apparent that a family of Barn Owls was living on site. A very noisy lot that screeched all night.
Day 5 - Into the Nerul Hills
With all the Candolim sites tried it was now down to me to find my own sites. This morning my attempt was to find a way up the hill to the north of Nerul. The idea was that different habitat would bring different birds. On the way to the hill I stopped off where the Red-wattled Lapwings were to get some better shots but could not find any. I did find a fruit tree that had attracted a good variety of birds. In the tree top, Both White-cheeked Barbet and Coppersmith Barbet could be made out along with a Plum-headed Parakeet. Along with these new birds, many Golden Orioles kept them company. On the way back to the scooter I disturbed a Spotted Owl. It flew to an exposed branch but was flushed by a House Crow before any chance of a photo. Back on the road it didn't take long to find the road that led to the hill. I parked and made my ascent. Plenty of Black Kites and Brahminy Kites were flying about and the reason turned out to be the local tip. The tip gave a great opportunity to get photos of the kites but I did not stay long as I was approached by friendly locals wanting to look through my binoculars. Yellow Wagtails and Cattle Egrets were the only other birds on the tip. Onward up the hill I bumped into a group of calling birds reluctant to show themselves. After a little perseverance they eventually turned out to be Jungle Babblers. Whilst attempting at least a record shot my attention was drawn to a male Indian Rbin hopping around on the ground. Keen to get to the summit I headed off and soon reached the top. The habitat looked good and I wanted to explore but time wouldn't allow. 3 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters sat on wires whilst some skylark sp flew over and a group of 17 yellow wagtails. On the descent an Indian Treepie flew past. This birds call and shape made me think it could be an ancestor of the magpie.
Now that my confidence had built up on the bike it was time for a big trip. We decided to take the scenic road to Panjim. The road signs weren't always present at every junction so it was with some luck that we turned up where we had set out for. The traffic seemed even more manic than Candolim which saw people driving as a first come first serve attitude. This meant driving infront of oncoming traffic which I felt very uncomfortable with. It was a relief to get the bike parked and wander around the capital for a bit. On the way, we saw a White-browed Fantail-Flycatcher seemingly displaying by flying around in lools and perching on the the same branch fanning its tail. Little other birds of note came from our visit but we did see some very nice butterflies in a small park. They were very restless and it proved frustratingly difficult to photograph them. On the way back I noticed a Western Reef Heron right next to the road. A few four letter words, a sharp turn and I was able to get some snaps of this rather nice bird.
Day 6 - The hunt for Indian Pitta.
Today I hired a local bird guide Raymond to show me Indian Pitta and Brown Wood Owl. He was very reliable and was waiting for me already at the front of the Victor Exotica. Our first stop was back at the Aguada lighthouse. On the way there we saw several Peacocks which were making use of the disturbance free early morning. My bird book said that this is a wild species in asia with a few small scattered semi-feral populations, so I assumed these were tickable. We then continued to the lighthouse and continued on foot towards the headland. Red-whiskered Bulbuls were common here along with the occasional sunbird and blyths reed warbler. Looking out over the sea, two White-bellied Sea Eagles had taken flight and were heading out to sea, a group of Gull-billed Terns flew past and a small group of dolphins were visible just offshore. Scanning the rocky shoreline, Raymond picked up a Black-capped Kingfisher but couldn't see the Osprey that was usually perched nearby. By now the sun was starting to rise and it was time to look for the Indian Pitta. We drove to the site nearby and stopped on the way to look at a Stork-billed Kingfisher on wires overlooking the Nerul river. Armed with a cd and speakers we made our way slowly along a dense footpath scanning all the while. Several birds were calling but the only ones we saw were Jungle Babblers. Part way up the path, Raymond point to a hole in the bushes that led to an overgrown dried up river bed. It was a bit of a squeeze but we slowly got the the bottom of the canopy. Raymond started playing the pitta tape and I setup my camera on a tripod. With such little light, the only way I could get reasonable photos was using a very low shutter speed on a tripod. During the initial tape playing a false alarm of a bird scuttling over the leaf litter turned out to be an Orange-headed Thrush. Later, 2 very shy Spurfowl came into view but soon dissappeared once we were spotted. After half an hour I started to lose hope. The view up the river bed was restricted and the tape did not seem to be working. After forty minutes I said to Raymond that the bird did not seem to be here but he insisted it was. After fifty minutes, Raymond left and went back onto the footpath leaving me with serious doubts whether I was going to see it at all, however, minutes later at the back of the view of the river bed I saw a dark shape that I was sure was not there before. Slowly lifting my binoculars to my eyes I could see to my amazement that it was the Indian Pitta. Again in slow motion I got into postion behind my camera and took the first photo. Checking the image on the back of the camera showed a reasonable replica albeit rather grain of what I saw in the view finder. Stood upright and perched motionless, the pitta looked a very charismatic bird and I was delighted when it proceeded to hop a little closer. Again it stood motionless perhaps scanning the leaf litter floor for food. I reeled off another few shots and this time had the camera setup a little better. Once again it hopped a little closer which was when Raymond returned who had by now caught sight of the bird. I feared that his arrival would push the bird back into cover but to my surprise continued hopping towards us and eventually was stood inbetween us at very close range. By now I had realised that pittas are tame birds and it was not going to scarper provided we made no sudden movements or loud noises. Eventually Raymond encouraged the bird closer to the footpath where it was lighter and I was able to get some nice shots of this excellant little bird. Eventually it went back into cover and we congratulated each other on a successful twitch concluding by favourite birding experience of all time. Ordinarily that would have been enough but there was still more to come. Saligao was the next destination for Brown Wood Owl. We stopped between Calangute and Saligao for a Greater Spotted Eagle that had a favourite perch on a telegraph post. Afternoons were the most likely times to see it but today mid morning was just as good. It didn't take long to get to to get to Saligao and a drive along a narrow road brought us to a dead end where there was a stream and man made pool used by the locals for laundry and washing. The area behind was well wooded and it was here that I saw other birders for the first time. They were english and too had come to look for the Brown Wood Owl. Once inside the wood we immediately scored new birds with a superb Malabar Whistling Thrush foraging on the ground. It was incredibly dark and frustratingly difficult to get shots of the bird but I did manage some improved shots before leaving. Alongside the thrush a Puff-throated Babbler also known as Spotted Babbler krept around on the floor reminding me very much of an asian version of Ovenbird. Litterally another 30 yard walk and Raymond was already looking up and pointing out to me a very large Brown Wood Owl that was looking down at us. Scrambling further up the slope gave me more of a height advantage and I was able to get some pleasing shots but was interrupted by Raymond shouting "Paradise Flycatcher". I looked to where he was pointing. My eyes mush have popped out on stalks as there in front of me was a stunning white male Asian Paradise Flychatcher. During the evening I felt compelled to return to Nerul to see if the evening produced anything different. A Wooly-necked Stork gave reasonable views as it searched for food in the marsh. A roosting group of Spotted Munias seemed restless in persuit of a suitable roosting site. In my attempt to get better views of the stork I put up a Malabar Crested Lark and a few Painted Snipe. The snipe gave a very different call to common snipe and would only fly a short distance before landing.
Day 7 - Back to Nerul.
I was now over 100 species of bird and things had to slow down eventually. Today was the day. Having visited an area of wetland between Candolim and Nerul twice already I was surprised to find some new birds for the trip. Walking into a field by the roadside I managed to find several Fan-tailed Warblers and about 6 Blyths Pipits. I must confess at identifying these birds afterwards from the pictures. From the call they were either Blyths or Richards and it was the pattern on the greater coverts that I made the initial id. Bill size and shape, tail length are other considerations but these features are better judged in the field or from a range of photos. The call seemded to fit Blyths more than Richards being shorter and less explosive. Overhead a group of Little Swifts worked their way up and down the field in search of insects with Red-rumped Swallows for company. Later a small Martin seen was likely to have been a Plain Martin. I ventured over the the next field and discovered a group of Red-wattled Lapwings giving me the chance to improve on my mediocre shots from the previous days. Back at the Victor, new trip ticks came whilst relaxing by the pool. The familiar sound of a Lesser Whitethroat came first, followed by a Tickells Flowerpecker that had joined a roving group of passerines. Also in the flock was a couple of sunbirds, common tailorbird and a greenish warbler.
Week 2
Day 8 - Maem Lake
Today was an early start as it was time for another trip, this time inland to Maem Lake. It was so early that the gates of the Victor Exotica were still locked and the security guard had lost the key. Itching to go, I hopped over the gate and we were soon on our way. The drive didn't seem that long and after about 45 minutes of travelling we rolled up to Maem Lake. Once here we set on foot along a footpath by the waters edge. Rather quiet at first we eventually bumped into a group of Golden Orioles feeding on a fruit tree. Amongst them I was delighted to spot a Black-hooded Oriole. A fine male gave excellant views but had gone by the time my camera was in place. A few yards further along the track a small group of Blackbirds showed briefly. The males looked different to their eurasian cousins by having a two toned appearance. At the top of the lake we looked for roosting Nightjars without success but flushed a Nilgiri Wood Pigeon. We decided to try later for the Nightjars and continued round the lake to a vantage point looking up the valley that the lake was in. Here we saw Pomadour Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Large Cuckoo-shrike and a flyover Racket-tailed Drongo. I was surprised to find monkeys there. Unfortunately, I cannot rememer what species they were but a trawl through the internet should clinch it. Making our way back we again had a look at the Nightjar tree which was again birdless. Whilst there a guide was showing a group of birders the birdless tree and twice exclaimed that he had never dipped showing anyone these birds in twenty years. The cold snap of the last few days was blamed for their dissappearance. On the way back the footpath was decidedly busy with birds which was now basking in early morning sun. First a Tickells Blue Flycatcher was spotted by Raymond followed by a Yellow-crowned Woodpecker. I spent some time creeping up on this bird which was intently pecking around the fork of a tree during my stalking exercise. A Small Minivet was the next bird we bumped into reminding me of a Redstart but by now I could be bothered to go back up the slope to get better shots. With just 150 yards to go before reaching the car a small clearing gave us both White-bellied Drongo and Bronzed Drongo, my only ones of the trip. We bumped into a group of birders on a led tour who happened to be watching a brown male Asian Paradise Flycatcher with the long tail and whilst watching this Raymond heard the call of a Malabar Grey Hornbill. It landed in a tree calling and took some finding but eventually we caught sight of its head and neck. Raymond said to go up the slope as these birds were not shy so I set off reluctantly not wanting to flush the bird in front of a crowd of birders. The bird flew to a lower tree and was indeed rather approachable although always in cover. After some time I decided to give up and walked back to the track by which time the crowd had moved on and knew nothing of the hornbill. The flycatcher must have been mesmerising. We went back via a different route which had more interesting birdlife. Our first stop had both Glossy Ibis and Black-necked Ibis. Further up the road scanning a football pitch had a few Paddyfield Pipits and an Asian Brown Flycatcher perched on the perimeter fence. Our next stop was an area of scrub. Here a Bluethroat hopped around in low cover giving teasing views. On the other side of the road an Osprey flew over a distant river and a Pied Bushchat was on the roadside wires with a Long-tailed Shrike. By now I had realised that Rufous-backed Shrike and Long-tailed Shrike were the same species. The end of the road came at the ferry terminal along the Mandovi River. Opposite was Chorao Island. The tide was out but we managed to pick out Curlew, Whimbrel and hundreds of Lesser Whistling Duck. Whilst on the ferry, Lesser Adjutant Stork flew over as did a Wooly-necked Stork. Once on the other side we drove around Panjim and came to some salt pans that held 60 Small Pratincole. Just 2 weeks ago there was 3,000 and next week Raymond said that there would only be a few left. Whilst there a Purple Heron flew in and posed for some photographs. Despite seeing hundreds already, an Indian Pond Heron gave crippling views. Our last stop was just 50 yards up the road where a Pacific Golden Plover fed in the distance.
Day 9 - Back to Aguada
I decided to return to Aquada this morning as the area looked quite good for birds. My first new discovery was a Red-vented Bulbul, a common bird but the only one I saw. Two Grey-breasted Prinia attracted my attention as I made my way towards the headland. A rather non descript bird that I thought was a Lesser Whitethroat at first glance. On the slopes of the Aguada headland, a flock of 200 Baya Weavers actively fed on the ground flying up into the bushes regularly. Most were in winter plumage with one or two starting to show some of their yellow summer plumage. Two male Indian Robins and a Hoopoe also graced the slopes as I ventured out to the headland. Once at the headland, many hirundines had now taken to the wing. Several Little Swifts and Red-rumped Swallows hawked over head with a couple of Alpine Swifts that were at a much higher altitude. On the way back to the bike I flushed an Indian Nightjar. It flew a short distance to the other side of a small group of trees. I slowly edged my way round scanning the ground all the time with my binoculars but could not see it. Eventually I had to move in fearing that it had given me the slip and up it flew deep into cover. Other highlights of the day included a Grey-headed Starling in a fruit tree with Golden Orioles on the back roads to Panjim, A Yellow-cheeked Tit during an afternoon visit to Aguada where a Tawny Pipit was heard amongst a group of Paddyfield Pipits but flew off before I could pin it down.
Day 10 - Batim Lake
Today was my last guided tour and I was looking forward to it. Raymond had informed me that all the ducks had gone from Carambolim Lake and were now at Batim Lake, Goa Velha. I had never heard this lake mentioned before in any trip reports or in the guides that I had brought along. This trip was an afternoon trip as the sun would have been a problem in the morning. On the way we stopped to look at a an impressive flock of Temmincks Stints and Little Stints with single Curlew Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper. The road we took from Panjim took us SSE and it was not too long before we were turning off and heading towards the lake. Once there I was stunned to see the number of ducks. 5,000+ ducks mostly Lesser Whistiling Duck frequented the exposed water whilst many others were amongst the lily covered areas. Scanning through the ducks we could see many Garganey, Cotton Teal, Common Teal, Little Grebe and Shoveler. Raymond picked out a Darter roosting on the edge of the back of the lack on an overhanging tree. On the wires a Lesser Pied Kingfisher circled the lake before landing in exactly the same place. The heads of Purple Swamphens could be made out in the vegetation along with several Bronze-winged Jacanas. Both Coot and Moorhen were present. After ten minutes of scanning Raymond caught site of a Comb Duck but the views were distant and all too brief. Just as we were packing up I saw a rather striking bird flying over the lake in the distance. Having no idea what it was I eventually got Raymond on to it who id'd the bird as a Pheasant-tailed Jacana, a rather fine looking bird which turned out to be close to 50 on the lake. Our next plan was to try out a different vantage point to the roadside and one closer to where the Comb Duck was. We soon found the spot but couldn't avoid flushing some of the birds despite a slow and carefull approach. Unable to relocate the Comb Duck or the Darter which would have been a lot closer we continued scanning the duck flock and found 2 Spot-billed Ducks, a Pintail and a single drake Mallard.
Day 11 - Last chance a Aguada.
Today was my last opportunity to track down an Indian Nightjar for photos. With two failures, I was keen to add this bird to my photo list for the trip. Soon after parking up I could see a communal group of birds working their way through the undergrowth. They were Rufous-bellied Babblers. Later I saw three huddled together on a branch and also observed one preening another. I explored a different area of Aguada this morning and bumped into both Large Cuckoo-shrike and Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike. On the way back to the moped an extensive area similar to where I flushed the nightjar looked like it was worth a go. I walked through it and immediately flushed an Indian Nightjar. Again the bird flew round the corner but instead of walking round I walked straight and then looked behind me. There, just a few metres was the bird superbly camoflaged. These birds obviously prefer the areas of flattened grass amongst sparse scatterings of small trees. I reeled off some photos and was well pleased at finally getting a decent shot at last of a nightjar. Just before reaching the bike, 2 Spotted Babblers foraged on the path edge. They looked just like asian versions of Ovenbird.
Day 12 - Morjim Beach
Morjim Beach is a tide dependant location which is recommended during an early morning high tide. With high tide in the afternoon this was our only option. We set off at lunch time on the moped and found Morjim easy to get to and in pretty good time of 50 minutes with a few stops on the way. On our approach along to the beach we rode alongside the Chapora River which held a sandbar with hundreds of gulls and terns. With only binoculars it was impossible to make out what species any of them were. Once on the beach, good numbers of Lesser Sandplover were present along with a Greater Sandplover and a few Kentish Plovers. At the mouth of the Chapora River we could see birds commuting from the sandbar to the open sea and were able to pick these off. Brown-headed Gulls were common with smaller numbers of Black-headed Gulls and a Slender-billed Gull put in a brief appearance as did a Heuglins Gull and Yellow-legged Gull. Gull-billed Terns, Sandwich Terns and Lesser Crested Terns also flew backwards and forwards but there was no sign of my most wanted bird Pallas's Gull know to me as Great Black-headed Gull. I remember seeing this bird in my first ever bird book and wanted to see one. The tide was rising all the time and in the distance it was evident that many of the terns and gulls were being pushed off. To my delight some of them were flying to Morjim Beach and landing on the shoreline just 30 yards away. It was then that I spotted my first Pallas's Gull stood on the beach next to a small group of Brown-headed Gulls. Then another and another flew in. Some were immatures and others were partial summer plumaged adults. I counted over 25 before we had to leave.
I recorded around 170 species in total, well short of the 200-250 expected on an organised birding tour. With so many left unseen and no visit to Backwoods camp I have the perfect excuse to go back.