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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Goa Winter 2017 - 2018 (1 Viewer)

Mark Newsome

Born to seawatch...
Although not quite into tourist season, it'll be good to get a new thread underway as a resource for people to share their sightings.

One good bird present in recent days is an immature Indian Skimmer at Agassim (on the Zuari river). This will prove rather popular if it stays for the winter.

The coming weekend sees two pelagics going back to back from Panjim. Recent years have proven the presence of birds like Masked Booby, Persian Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater and Swinhoe's Petrel, as well as the more expected Bridled and Sooty Terns and Wilson's Petrel. It will be interesting to see what is discovered this year.

Mark
 
The pelagics are organised by some of the locals with the necessary boat connections, and are advertised on the Facebook pages for Goa Bird Conservation Network and Birds of Goa. Both groups are well supported and have a wealth of excellent photos.
Not heard any results of the weekends pelagics as yet.

Mark
 
Although not quite into tourist season, it'll be good to get a new thread underway as a resource for people to share their sightings.

One good bird present in recent days is an immature Indian Skimmer at Agassim (on the Zuari river). This will prove rather popular if it stays for the winter.

The coming weekend sees two pelagics going back to back from Panjim. Recent years have proven the presence of birds like Masked Booby, Persian Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater and Swinhoe's Petrel, as well as the more expected Bridled and Sooty Terns and Wilson's Petrel. It will be interesting to see what is discovered this year.

Mark
After missing out this year, I'm heading back for a fortnight on 23rd January. I'll put up anything interesting.
 
Thanks for that Mark. I follow GBC on Facebook but haven't noticed anything. Must pay attention.

Hi Gordon. Had me doubting myself as I couldn't find the pelagic details on these Facebook pages either! However, did track it down on FB pages of a couple of Goa friends (details attached). Not heard results yet but will post once I do.

Edit- both trips were cancelled due to bad weather conditions.

Mark
 

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A pelagic at the weekend turned up Red-billed Tropicbird - a rare bird offshore and very occasionally storm driven at the coast. Great Hornbills have been seen at Socorro Plateau and Tamdi Surla in the last week, along with Grey-necked Bunting at Verna.
The best recent sighting is of 6 Greylag Geese at Vanelim, near Colva (photo on Birds of Goa Facebook group). This would be the first record for Goa that I know of.

Mark
 
An Asian Dowitcher at Carambolim Lake last week (def still present at the end of the week) is the first record for Goa. Photos on Birds of Goa Facebook page.

Mark
 
The Asian Dowitcher has remained at Carambolim Lake and has showed well for visiting birders. A Long-billed Pipit was photographed at Sucurro plateau on 26 Nov; although there are one or two historic reports, this would be the first documented record for Goa.

Mark
 
The Asian Dowitcher has remained at Carambolim Lake and has showed well for visiting birders. A Long-billed Pipit was photographed at Sucurro plateau on 26 Nov; although there are one or two historic reports, this would be the first documented record for Goa.

Mark

Let's hope they hang about for the winter. I just booked my trips with Lloyd yesterday and both those sites are on the itinerary
 
I just got back from Goa a few days ago.

It wasn't primarily a birding holiday but we did have 4 days at Backwoods again and visited a few other sites anyway. Nothing specific to report in terms of individual species (dipped the Dowitcher) or sites really.

It's been 10 years since we were last in Goa and some changes are very noticeable:
Birds are thinner on the ground (a point noted by a number of people who had been before and by local guides).
The east end of Baga Hill is slowly disappearing under development and birding is hard.
I didn't go but a number of people reported that access to Arpora Wood was nigh on impossible as all the paths were completely overgrown.
Reports from Morjim Beach were disappointing and the morning we were there the gulls and terns came in from the sea and landed on the sand banks upstream on the opposite side of the estuary and when the tide started to cover those sandbanks they headed straight back out to sea. The plovers were still on the beach along with 3 Small Pratincoles but not much else was about.

Overall, from a birding perspective, it was quite disappointing. We still had a really nice time and we had been warned before we went that, because we'd been several time before, there was a good chance we might be disappointed.
 
Definitely seems to be the case Gordon, certainly in northern Goa. Baga is a different world to what it used to be, for both tourism and birding. I'm seriously considering southern Goa for my next visit, within striking distance of Verna/Ambulor lake and Cotigao further south. I've seen past photos of gulls, terns and waders in the Colva area (incl Caspian Plover and Brown Noddy), and there is certainly lots of potential. Lots of nice quieter beaches for the Mrs, and perhaps undiscovered birding nearby.

Mark
 
One place worth investigation is Netraveli Wildlife Sanctuary in south Goa. We spent a morning there partly birding and being tourists. The forest was alive with birds but a failure to get to grips with bird calls let us down badly.

I believe home-stay is a possibility in the village of Verlem in the heart of the Sanctuary.

If we return to Goa I think it would be to the south and do a bit of exploring.
 
After several visits to Goa in th 90's, I was shocked at the development on my last visit in 2007 and the £ was in the toilet to boot!

Any Spot-bellied Eagle Owls at Backwoods these days, what do they charge for a weekend now?


A
 
You'd be totally shocked now!!!!

No mention of the Eagle Owl at Backwoods. But, I think the walks through the forest have been abandoned - trails overgrown or no birds? I don't know!

Cost for 3 nights, 4 days for two people was 29,000 rupees, including transport from Arpora. There have been big changes - no tents or huts now.
 
You'd be totally shocked now!!!!

No mention of the Eagle Owl at Backwoods. But, I think the walks through the forest have been abandoned - trails overgrown or no birds? I don't know!

Cost for 3 nights, 4 days for two people was 29,000 rupees, including transport from Arpora. There have been big changes - no tents or huts now.

So where do people sleep?

29000 Ruppes, about 400quid (?) still pretty good I think if that's all in? It was about £50 per person for a weekend (exclusive of bar tab).

The camping experience although not particularly basic when I first went in 99 I think (?) and subsequent low cost, was a big draw.

I fondly remember one of the guys saying to me, 'wanna see something'?. For some reason, I was alone (was someone with me, Pat Dwyer?) in camp,at night, by the camp fire with a rum and coke in hand and they called a Sri Lanka Frogmouth in to the tree, right above where we sat, wonderful memories of that camp.,



A
 
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Everybody accommodated in the farmhouse.

It worked out at £172 per person at an exchange rate of 84 rupees to the pound.

Agreed - people who'd been before commented that they missed being in a tent.

The Frogmouth doesn't seem to be guaranteed in the camp anymore. We eventually got great views right at the door of the farmhouse but those who only stayed 2 nights/3 days missed it and a couple who went after us didn't get it in the camp but did see it at an alternative site (where we missed it!).
 
Everybody accommodated in the farmhouse.

It worked out at £172 per person at an exchange rate of 84 rupees to the pound.

Agreed - people who'd been before commented that they missed being in a tent.

The Frogmouth doesn't seem to be guaranteed in the camp anymore. We eventually got great views right at the door of the farmhouse but those who only stayed 2 nights/3 days missed it and a couple who went after us didn't get it in the camp but did see it at an alternative site (where we missed it!).

Farmhouse, is it the same place?

R84 to the £.......I was getting less than 50 in 07


A
 
I was at Backwoods for two-night stays in early 2015 and 2016. The forest walks were still there to be had and the frogmouths were showing well, although in 2016 they had to be relocated because they'd changed their roost from the day before. When we went out at dusk for nightjars in the field near the entrance we had an Indian pitta on the road right in front of our vehicle in the headlights and another was showing at midday in a nearby garden on the day we left. A flypast great hornbill on the entrance road also, wing-beats sounding like a swan. I was staking out the kitchen soakaway with my camera (excellent close views of Malabar whistling thrush, orange-headed thrush, Tickell's blue flycatcher, Indian blackbird, spangled drongo in nearby bushes, grey wagtail etc, etc) when a black eagle came from over the trees and put on a display over the field behind the kitchen in 2016. Excellent stays both times.

The cost for a 2 night stay in Jan 2016 was 8,500 rupees per person and three nights 12,000 rupees.

Because of low bookings at the time we were put into the main building on both occasions. The chalets were in use (occupied by a group-booking as we were leaving in 2015) but all the tents had gone. One of the tent toilets was still there to mark their passing.
 

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