We spent the last two weeks of November at the Taj Exotica hotel in Benaulim, the weather was hot and sunny for the fortnight and the hotel one of the best in the world with a price tag to match !!!
Not a birding holiday but a gentle taste of India (we'll be back), I gave my binoculars an airing for an hour every morning after breakfast around the hotel grounds and local vicinity, and kept my eyes open whilst lazing by the pool or on the beach !!
The hotel grounds were kept immaculately with extensive lawns, flowerbeds and shrubbery, outside the grounds were areas of arable, paddyfields, scrub, and semi-jungle.
I ended up with a list of 85 including over 70 lifers.
Cattle egret and House Crow were the most obvious birds in the grounds with White Throated Kingfisher, Tailorbird and Black Rumped Flameback the noisiest. Black and Brahminy Kites were in the air most of the time, and there was a hirundine passage every afternoon at about 4, one day accompanied by an Amur falcon. Coucal and Koel were in the gardens with a few species of warbler, bulbul and Green beeeater. I also had Paradise Flycatcher, Magpie Robin, White Browed and Coppersmith Barbet.
The flowerbeds had Ashy Prinia and Blyths reed warbler.
Outside the hotel the paddyfields were good for waders, pipits, herons, and egrets. The best here were Openbill, Wooly necked Stork, Pintail Snipe and Black headed Ibis. The cattle were always accompanied by egrets, Black Drono and Mynas. I also had Bushchat, Stonechat and Red Wattled Lapwing.
On the beach in the morning were Sand and Kentish Plovers in small flocks and the occasional Blue Reef Heron. Kites and one or two White Bellies Sea Eagle seemed to be piicking fish from the sea surface. Not many 'sea birds' but a few Gull billed Terns, Brown headed gulls and Crested Terns.
The scrub always had Indian Roller, Beeeaters and Drongos, I found Long Tailed Shrike as well.
A good gentle intro to India, I'm sure I could have had half as many again if I'd spent longer looking and learned a few calls.
Stlll, plenty to go at next time !!!!
Not a birding holiday but a gentle taste of India (we'll be back), I gave my binoculars an airing for an hour every morning after breakfast around the hotel grounds and local vicinity, and kept my eyes open whilst lazing by the pool or on the beach !!
The hotel grounds were kept immaculately with extensive lawns, flowerbeds and shrubbery, outside the grounds were areas of arable, paddyfields, scrub, and semi-jungle.
I ended up with a list of 85 including over 70 lifers.
Cattle egret and House Crow were the most obvious birds in the grounds with White Throated Kingfisher, Tailorbird and Black Rumped Flameback the noisiest. Black and Brahminy Kites were in the air most of the time, and there was a hirundine passage every afternoon at about 4, one day accompanied by an Amur falcon. Coucal and Koel were in the gardens with a few species of warbler, bulbul and Green beeeater. I also had Paradise Flycatcher, Magpie Robin, White Browed and Coppersmith Barbet.
The flowerbeds had Ashy Prinia and Blyths reed warbler.
Outside the hotel the paddyfields were good for waders, pipits, herons, and egrets. The best here were Openbill, Wooly necked Stork, Pintail Snipe and Black headed Ibis. The cattle were always accompanied by egrets, Black Drono and Mynas. I also had Bushchat, Stonechat and Red Wattled Lapwing.
On the beach in the morning were Sand and Kentish Plovers in small flocks and the occasional Blue Reef Heron. Kites and one or two White Bellies Sea Eagle seemed to be piicking fish from the sea surface. Not many 'sea birds' but a few Gull billed Terns, Brown headed gulls and Crested Terns.
The scrub always had Indian Roller, Beeeaters and Drongos, I found Long Tailed Shrike as well.
A good gentle intro to India, I'm sure I could have had half as many again if I'd spent longer looking and learned a few calls.
Stlll, plenty to go at next time !!!!
