|
India: Goa - sun, sand, sea and lots of birds. Saturday 15 November to Sunday 30 November 2008 Saturday 14 November to Sunday 29 November 2009
Cost: £1330 plus about £660 for flights (2009) Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 12 with 1 leader. |
'I thought Paul was great, and would travel with him again' J. Sigsbee 2007 |
|
The restful haven of Goa with its balmy seas, cloudless blue skies, endless white sand beaches fringed with palms, and stunning sunsets is an increasingly popular holiday destination. Lying on the Arabian Sea, well within the Tropic of Cancer and approximately 250 miles south of Bombay, Goa boasts much more than an idyllic coastline and 'winter' temperatures of 80-90°F. A former Portuguese colony, it has a unique blend of European culture and Indian ambience that gives it a distinct Mediterranean feel. Although only 80 miles long and 50 miles wide, the state of Goa is a birdwatcher's paradise. There are many excellent habitats - wide river estuaries, mangrove swamps, marshes, scrub-covered hillsides, arid fields, rich forest reserves at the foot of the majestic Western Ghats and a spectacular bird-thronged lake at Carambolim. During this relaxed, bird-filled tour we’ll have ample time to explore most of Goa’s major birding sites and to familiarise ourselves with a wide selection of its birds. We’ll encounter many species endemic to Peninsular and South India, as well as a large selection of wintering Palearctic species and numerous other more exotic Asian birds. Combine this with the unique, delicious food and easy-going Goan lifestyle and you have the makings of a perfect birding holiday. The tropical setting, the beaches and the local culture also make this a great place for a non-birding partner to explore or just relax. Day 1: The tour begins with an overnight flight from London to Goa. Day 2: Arriving in Goa we’ll immediately drive north to our hotel in Baga, our base for the following two weeks. We’ll then have break and a late afternoon option to explore the fields and the marsh close to our hotel. Days 3-15: Spending every night at the same hotel gives us great flexibility and, while we’ll offer daily birdwatching trips, they are optional. Good birding starts within the hotel compound as numerous large trees at the rear attract a variety of birds. From the comfort of a pool-side deck-chair, cool drink in hand, you can also overlook a superb series of paddy fields and a small marsh – an area that on our previous tours has held Cinnamon and Black Bitterns, up to 15 Greater Painted-snipe, Small Pratincole, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Pacific Golden Plover, Pintail Snipe, Watercock, Slaty-breasted Rail, Ruddy-breasted and Baillon’s Crakes, Rosy Starling and a host of pipits including Blyth's, Richard's and Paddyfield. It should be possible to see well over 100 species within walking distance of our hotel! Blyth's Reed Warblers and striking Black-rumped Flamebacks are common throughout the state and weare sure to see them both. Goa boasts numerous other attractive species – bee-eaters and kingfishers are both common and conspicuous, as is Indian Roller. We’ll also aim to see one of Goa’s real avian specialities, Indian Pitta, a favourite bird seen on all our previous thirteen visits. We’ll explore a wide variety of habitats ranging from grasslands, where we’ll search for larks, pipits and chats, to marshland replete with numerous shorebirds and ducks. Away from the coastal plain we’ll visit several of Goa’s inland, forested reserves and we’ll stay out late at least one evening searching for night-birds such as Ceylon Frogmouth, Oriental Scops and Brown Fish-owls. These same inland reserves harbour three species of hornbill including the majestic Great Hornbill, as well as endemic Grey Junglefowls, numerous woodpeckers, such as the striking White-bellied and the vociferous Heart-spotted, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush and Goa’s state bird, the stunning Flame-throated Bulbul. Red Spurfowl is a widespread Goan species we’ve occasionally seen near the centre of the old Portuguese capital of Goa. Note, however, that it is normally skulking and typically difficult to see.
There is no fixed itinerary, instead the leader will use his knowledge of the area to decide each day how and where the day's excursions will run. At the same time he will ensure that all the main birding habitats in Goa are visited - some of them several times. All of the sites are within a comfortable two hour’s drive from our hotel and most are much less. The excursions are fun, with a relaxed pace and with the accent on obtaining good views of the birds. Sites that we'll visit will include the Baga fields; Fort Aguada (where we’ll look for Indian Peafowl, Sykes’s Warbler and Blue Rock Thrush); Fort Tiracol for the elusive Jungle Bush-quail; Candolim marsh, the Nerul bridge and the Santa Cruz pools and paddies for shorebirds galore; Dona Paula and Neura for arid grassland species such as Yellow-wattled Lapwing and Ashy-crowned Finch-lark; Mayem lake; Tikanem, Chorao and Divar Islands for Lesser Adjutants and Carambolim lake, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Baghwan Mahavir National Park and Tambdi Surla. We will also spend time sightseeing in Old Goa, and possibly at the Hindu temple of Mangueshi. And of course there are Goa’s famous white sand beaches. One in particular, Morjim at the mouth of the Chapora River, is relatively quiet and normally harbours thousands of gulls and terns. We’ll visit this beautiful site at least twice and would hope to see up to six species of gull including several impressive Great Black-headed Gulls and, if we are lucky, perhaps as many as nine or ten species of tern including both Lesser and Great Crested. Both Brahminy Starlings and Barred Buttonquail are occasionally seen here and the river mouth also holds a large gathering of shorebirds, which with luck might include an elusive Crab-plover. On one day we'll have a boat trip into the backwaters and creeks of one of the State's larger rivers, where we hope to encounter the endemic Goan subspecies of Collared Kingfisher as well as Woolly-necked Stork and the aptly named Mugger Crocodile. Raptors are particularly well represented in Goa with Black and Brahminy Kites everywhere and we should also see several spectacular White-bellied Sea-eagles. We’ll visit a harrier roost that contains good numbers of both Montagu’s and ghostly Pallid Harriers, while Booted Eagle and both Greater and Indian Spotted Eagles are also fairly common. We also have a couple of reasonably reliable sites for Black, Rufous-bellied and Crested Hawk-eagles. For non-birders Goa offers a great variety of activities and entertainments. This lively friendly resort has numerous shops, restaurants and bars as well as abundant sunshine, sandy beaches and varied sightseeing opportunities. A variety of optional sightseeing trips are included - one out to the former Portuguese capital at Old Goa, a city that in its fifteenth century heyday was the largest and richest city in the whole of Asia, and boasted a population that then exceeded that of London! Other excursions will include a back-water river trip in search of crocodiles and the endemic Goan subspecies of Collared Kingfisher. There is also the chance to go to local markets. Day 16: This morning we’ll catch the flight back to London where the tour concludes.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Updated August 2008. |
All photos taken by Steve Matherley on the 2007 tour. |
Bird List 
