INTRODUCTION

This is to be said from the very beginning - it was not a full day birding trip, it was combined with families and bathing, markets and spice plantation. This report is printed to show how to combine birding with family life and that birding just a few hours every morning and some afternoons can produce a trip list consisting of more than 215 species.

This was the first trip for LO outside the Western Palearctic, but HEP visited Thailand last winter and therefore had some experience of Asian birdlife. Birding was actually very easy, with a lot of easy seen species like Black Drongo, Jungle Mynah, Chestnut-tailed Starling and White-browed Wagtail to mention a few. We birded nearly every morning from dawn until breakfast around 9,30-10,00, we often walked to Fort Aguada or took a taxi some 20 minutes away to Arpora Woods, Baga Hill or Saligao Zur. We also made one boat trip on the Zuari River with our families and we did a full day birding tour to Bondla on our own, as well as an afternoon trip to two small lakes and some short late afternoon birding, mostly with our families.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This trip was booked instead of a visit to Krabi, Thailand that was abrubtly cancelled owing to the tsunami at Christmas. We therefore only got one month for some preparation like a new bird guide and trip reports. The latter easily found on internet homepages like Surfbirds, Birdtours, Club 300 and many more.

When booking a charter tour to Goa well in advance ask the tour operator (we bought our trips from Ving = My Travel) about the flight connections. It seems that there are two possibilities at the moment. The best is directly to Goa (7.5 hours) without any stopover. Novair do this trip every second week we were told. Our flight with Air Finlandica contained two stops, one hour in Copenhagen for more passengers and then a two hour stop in Dubai for filling fuel and change of the crew. We departed from Sundsvall on Thursday 28/1 18:11 and arrived at the hotel in Candolim some 26 hours later, feeling very weary.

A Visa is required and costs and information are available on www.indinaembassy.se

It took about ten days to get the passports back and the cost at the moment is 440 SKr for each visa.

As mentioned above we stayed in Candolim, at hotel Gloria-Anne. Less than a 15 minute walk to the T-junction up to Fort Aguada.  Less than 300 meters and not more than 5 calls from stall owners like - "caam look my shååp" - No thank You - tomorrååå, promiiiis, to a clean and quiet beach. Best way is to ignore these traders, just keep on walking, if You don´t love bartering. Give them a low starting offer and than raise it a little so the price is less than half of that asked; this way the traders don't lose their faces.

Food and drink was cheap and easy to get, even on the beach. There were "shacks" with juice, beer, coffee, omelettes, toast, spaghetti, prawns for a decent price. but we realized that it sometimes was cheaper with a steak and beer in the evening at a restaurant than lunch on the beach. In Candolim we recommend Stonehouse restaurant for an evening meal, excellent food and good portions for the money. About 40 SKr per person. There is great a variation of food from Indian, Chinese, Mongolian and Western. Beer by the way was Foster´s and for a birdwatcher the nice Kingfisher. A bottle of 650ml cost around 8 SKr. When you have seen 6 species of Kingfisher the name of the beer becomes an understatement.

No big health problems, but avoid brushing your teeth in anything else than tapped water from a bought bottle. Keep out of the sun on the beach in the early afternoon, because the mild breeze might fool you if staying in the sun for a whole day. Remember to drink a lot of water during the day. Mosquitoes were no problem. Avoid contact with dogs and other animals though there was actually no problem with dogs, we just have to look like throwing stones a few times. Most dogs didn´t give us any notice at all.

For vaccinations consult your doctor for protection against hepatitis A and for typhoid etc. If you intend to stay overnight in Backwoods it might be advisable to take malaria tablets, though we hardly noticed any mosquitoes on our visit to Bondla.

Transport is easy with huge numbers of taxi drivers, located outside every hotel. The strategy is to get one that knows some about birds and birdwatching. Therefore we went to hotel Beira Mar, Baga early in our stay, went to the terrace bought some coffee, beer and juice and started our birding. This hotel seems to be the main accommodation for English birders as well as drivers/birders that I read about in other trip reports. Talk to other birders on the terrace and share your information to get new. When our families wanted to go back to our hotel we were lucky to be caught by a taxi driver who actually was a very good birder and driver. He started the conversation about Spotted Wood-owl, Brown Hawk-owl and the Carambolim Lake. He sure gave us a reliable impression so we decided to try him to the lake one morning. Note that most taxi drivers shout Carambolim to you when they see a pair of bins.

After that morning he became more than a driver to us. Sharp-eyed and hardworking he was more like a birding guide than a driver and he knew his owls and was really up to date.  He was always on time as decided the day before. He also arranged our boat trip on the Zuari river; drove us to the market in Mapusa and to the spice plantation together with his brother. With a long way to go and six people in one of this small, narrow taxis was at least two more than comfortable, that's why we used two taxis. He gave us some advice before going into the hippie flea market at Anjuna.

Remember to negotiate prices before leaving. He charged 1200 rupees for a whole day to Bondla, about 400 rupees to go from Baga to Candolim and then the back to Arpora Woods and then once again back for a drop at our hotel.

His name is Chand and we can absolutely recommend him. He has no Email address or mobile phone but to get in contact try the mobile number to his boss or use his address. He speaks quite good English compared with other taxi drivers we used on some occasions.

Birding strategy

Our strategy was quite simple, look at birds you don´t recognize at first glimpse. Most of those are probably new ones. We didn´t waste any time in salt ponds or tidal mudflats to chase common Scandinavian waders. We did the same with white egrets. Once we had seen Intermediate satisfactorily, not much time was spent on those. The same rule for some other groups like flowerpeckers - tiny, green and fastmoving - and with prinias. Tick´em off and move. Because of that we don´t have a complete list.

As written in the introduction - this was a family holiday and to bore your wife/girlfriend with calidris waders in winter plumage when there´s a good shop around the corner is to push your luck.  

Sites

Most of the sites in Goa are described many times and very well recently by other authors. We just want to make some short updates to some of them.

Fort Aguada seems to be very little visited compared with Arpora Wood and Baga Hill. This site has a great potential and we didn´t discover a track up the north hillside until the end of our visit.  Mainly we walked up the hill along the main road to the Fort, went off the road into an area with scattered trees and scrub on the top of the hill (some 100 meters before the fort) where we had 6 Indian Peafowls one morning. We made a total of six visits with Indian Grey Hornbill as top bird and some other species not recorded in any other site. Others did sea a Cinnamon Bittern in the area along the river during our stay.

Baga Hills has recently been cleaned from bushes in some parts and is not the same any longer (Chand´s opinion). On the top of the hill there is now a fence of barbed wire. Someone bought the land Chand told us. We tried one afternoon and one morning and were very disappointed.

Carambolim Lake is more or less finished as a site for ducks and Pheasant-tailed Jacana, although there still are huge numbers of Purple Swamphen, Bronze-winged Jacana and herons as well as Little Cormorants. Best birds in the lake were undoubtedly 5 Darter. We were told that authorities dried the lake a few years ago just to clean it up from some fast growing grass. All the ducks have moved to other small lakes like Mersem and Batim Lake, the latter in Goa Velha.

Mayem Lake is some 35 km inland and we visited the lake just once, but if time is no problem I would recommend more than one trip. The morning after our visit an English birder scored with a Crested Goshawk beside the Changeable Hawk-eagle and 2 Malabar Pied Hornbills. He searched for Little Spiderhunter for a few hours without luck, Chand knew where to look for them and we got brief but satisfying views of this fast-moving bird.

Taxonomy

The species list at the end of this report follows the modern taxonomy from the Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp.

Contacts

Our taxi driver and guide can be reached by letter or phone. His full name and address is: 

Chand also arranged our boat trip via Crocodile Station and Mr. B. M. Kamat, 621, Thana Cortalim, Goa, 403 710 India Mobile number 9422440040 or GSM number 9822127936. E-mail crocstation@vsnl.net

We were charged 800 rupees each for a four hour boat trip.

Itinerary

Thursday 27/1. We left Sundsvall by train just after 18.00 for Arlanda airport. The journey took a little more than 3 hours. After some trouble with the change of aircraft we left for Copenhagen just after midnight, some 40 minutes delayed. Then a one hour flight and at Copenhagen a one hour wait while refuelling and boarding more passengers. Another stopover was made in Dubai (2 hours) for change of crew and refuelling. Finally we landed on Friday (28/1) in Goa, local time 18.15.  Another 2 hours by bus before reaching Candolim and our hotel Gloria-Anne. Left the luggage in our rooms and went across the street for dinner and then straight to bed after 26 hours of travelling.

Saturday 29/1. Had a lazy morning. Started with breakfast 9.30, went to Vings information in Calangute. Behind the hotel a nice male Asian Koel and on an electric wire along the road the first flowerpecker - a singing Pale-billed Flowerpecker. After that straight to the beach. Birded in the middle of the afternoon in a small dry area behind the beach where we saw our only Brahminy Starling (2) with some other new birds like Black Drongo, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Paddyfield Pipit, Plum-headed Parakeet and White-browed Wagtail. Late in the afternoon one hour of birding from Fort Aguada and some hundred meters downhill. Found our first Indian Peafowls (3 females), White-cheeked Barbet, Blue-winged Leafbird, Purple Sunbird, Common Babbler and the very common Red-whiskered Bulbul and some more new species.

Sunday 30/1. Went up well before dawn, took a taxi for a drop by the jetty just beneath Fort Aguada and birded our way back to the T-junction, walked to the Beach Resort and then back to the bridge. What a morning walk! Scored almost immediately with a pair of Indian Grey Hornbill sitting in a dead tree on the left side and very close to the main road.  Got excellent views of them in the scope. Other nice birds during the walk was Rufous Treepie, Ashy Drongo, Common Iora, Black-lored Tit, White-browed Bulbul to mention a few.  Paid 100 rupees to the jetty and 50 back. Back at our hotel for breakfast just before 10 o´clock. Then bathing, did some shopping and took a taxi to Baga Beach, found a nice "shack" called Lario´s just were the Baga River reaches the sea. When we had enough we walked to the well known hotel Beira Mar for a cup of coffee, a beer and some good birding. Here we met Chand when we were ready to go back to Candolim. Nice birding from the terrace with highlights such as Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Stork-billed- and Black-capped Kingfisher - with a cool kingfisher on the table - and a lot of munias and Baya Weaver.

Monday 31/1. Started birding around Fort Aguada again, the morning was cloudy and when we reached the jetty it began to rain a little. Kept on walking uphill and the raining abated for a while. We thought we had seen the last of the rain, but we were wrong. After some time it started to rain 'cats and dogs' and we tried to find shelter under the big trees by the picnic area just before the fort. The roof of leaves looked good at distance but was actually more like a bad shower. Taxis were few and far between and the few that drove up to the fort were full downhill also, except for one that we successfully stopped, which then drove us back. Down at the T-junction the driver, an elderly man, asked if HE could drives us back to our hotel. We didn´t walk back I can tell you. Did see the pair of Indian Grey Hornbill again, our first Small Minivet, Spot-breasted Fantail and Indian Robin, to mention some of today's new species. Back at the hotel wet as a new-bathed hairy dog we had a change of clothes and our only indoor breakfast. By midday the rain stopped and it cleared up quite quickly. Later we were told that this was the first day that it had rained in January during the last decade.  Decided to do a sight seeing trip to Old Goa. We asked for some "taxistation" to find a bigger one than the regular sized, and after a long walk we found a jeep taxi, negotiated the price and went off. The driver, a man in his early sixties (?), spoke bad and very little English but did understand what binoculars are made for. Instead of a direct trip to Old Goa we soon found ourselves by a lake, full of jacanas, swamphens and other wetland birds. Birded for half an hour and was very satisfied with that brief stop. While driving away we realized that we have been birding at Lake Carambolim, tomorrow morning's main site. Continued to our main goal - the cathedral in Old Goa - and visited both cathedrals - and then we ordered a trip back to our hotel. The driver took us through small villages on tiny roads and suddenly he stopped in the middle of nowhere - at least to my opinion. "Good birding", he said and we got out of the car. We were in the outskirts of a village called Parvari. Well, we birded and after just a few minutes Hans-Erik's wife had found a pair of Blue-faced Malkoha - what a stunning bird! We also ticked off Plain Flowerpecker.  Kept on to the other side of Parvari, to a small marsh where we saw our only Yellow-wattled Lapwing (a pair). Our driver certainly knew nothing about bird identification, but where to find them! The rest of the day at the beach in Candolim.

Tuesday 1/2. Early start (06.30) for our first trip with Chand. He picked us up on time and drove directly towards the fields just before reaching Carambolim Wood. Here we were stopped abruptly by Woolly-necked Stork (25) and Black-headed Ibis (1) flying over the road, also our only Brown Shrike. Then into the wood and after less than two minutes we found our selves in the garden of a small house, or rather more a hovel, and in the middle of the inhabitants' morning ablutions- starring at a pair of Brown Hawk-owl - with the people brushing their teeth and washing their faces around our feet. Walked trough the wood out into an open area with tidal mudflats on the right. Huge numbers of waders were present. Scoped and found out that most of them actually were Small Pratincole - must have been at least 600 of them. Back the same way through the wood and in a palm Chand showed us a Spotted Owlet - which he must have been planted while going back for the car. He had definitely kept his promises about owls and we felt relieved to have found a reliable driver and birding guide. Drove then to the lake and saw the same birds as yesterday and adding Pied Kingfisher, our first Wire-tailed Swallow (2), often seen in pairs and also a small flock of Whistling Duck (15) to our trip list. Back home for family life, bathing and suddenly we found ourselves ending the day at Beira Mar with a Kingfisher on the table and a Ruddy-breasted Crake in the scope. From the terrace also a beautiful adult male Pallid Harrier and our first Pied Bushchat.

Wednesday 2/2. Chand picked us up at 06.45 for a morning trip to Arpora Woods, some 20 minutes driving to the north. Once again we felt that we were more or less interrupting the locals in their morning wash. Chand certainly knew where we could go birding or not. During our first half an hour we had seen more than 10 new species, like Orange-headed Thrush, White-bellied- and Bronzed Drongo, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-rumped Flameback, our first woodpecker, and Golden-fronted Leafbird  to mention but a few.  Birded around until 09.30 and ended the morning with satisfying views of an Indian Pitta. After breakfast we took a local taxi to Morjim Beach for some birding and a lot of bathing. While watching the gulls roost on the beach we met Chand with another group of birders.

Thursday 3/2. The morning was cloudy before sunrise. We had decided to go to Saligao Zur with Chand. Another site where we found ourselves in the locals' morning ablutions again, standing in the middle of a small road when the breadboy came on his bicycle, tooting with an old rubber horn for business. As a birder You certainly see lot more of local life than the normal charter tourist. Some is fun and other things maybe embarrassing. We birded to the spring (Zur), climbed uphill a bit and was shown a stunning Brown Wood-owl. Other good birds were both Tickell´s  and Verditer Flycatcher, Tawny-bellied- and Puff-throated Babbler and our first Black-naped Monarch.  Not that many birds and species as in Arpora the day before, but good enough for us.

The rest of the day was spent on Baga Beach with a late afternoon walk up on Baga Hill and a short walk out on Baga Fields. Baga Hill was disappointing with very little seen. On our way back we got stunning views of a Stork-billed Kingfisher  sitting on a wire over Baga River, just some 50 meters away. Out on the fields we got stuck on almost the first dry cultivated part, we flushed three snipes and several pipits, which we had to relocate. After some hard work and comparision with field guides and other pipits we had very good views of a Blyth´s Pipit and some Paddyfield Pipits, as well as Pintail Snipe and our first Common Mynah.

Friday 4/2. Another morning walk to Fort Aguada. We noticed the same species as on previous walks and the only new species was a singing male Loténs Sunbird. We also saw our only really full plumage male Indian Peafowl and our only Baya Weavers outside Baga. Back for breakfast by 10,00 and then Chand picked us up for the Mapusa (pronounced Mapsa) market, where we spent some hours looking at a genuine Indian market. Of course one or another kingfisher T-shirt was bought as well as other more or less necessary stuff. The smell of dried fish is unforgettable as well as the varied offer of vegetables, spices, fruit and meat mixed with the common stuff sold on the beach. The rest of the day was again spent on Baga Beach for bathing. Late afternoon another short walk on Baga Fields. Today's best bird was a Barred Button-quail chased and flushed by a dog. We managed to find the quail in a stand of cacti and we were also lucky enough to get good views of it when it ran out of its prickly hide.

Saturday 5/2. Early morning visit once again to Arpora Woods, where we stayed until 9,30. Best and new species this morning was a Western Crowned Warbler and a single Grey-headed Bulbul, which is not too common near the coast. That afternoon we had decided to do some birding around two small lakes where we should have had a fair chance of some ducks and the missing jacana. Therefore most of the mid day was spent on the beach in Candolim. Chand picked us up by 3 pm and we drove directly to the first little lake, called Batim Lake in Goa Velha. The open water was dotted with a multitude of ducks. Mainly Lesser Whistling Duck, but also some familiar species like Shoveler and Garganey. We also found one single Pheasant-tailed Jacana among all the Bronze-winged. Despite the huge number of birds the lake was somehow a bit disappointing. Went on to the other lake, called Mersem. There were fewer birds but a better diversity of species, especially around and above the lake itself. Here we were lucky to find Cotton Pygmy-goose and also Streak-breasted Swallow. When we had enough of whistling ducks we drove back against Candolim. Chand suggested that we should try a part of the wood around the village Saligao, not the same area as we visited the other morning. This was in the outskirts a more open forest with bushy hillsides, probably well worth a visit early in the morning. We scored with a female Yellow-crowned Woodpecker and 2 Spotted Eagles soaring above the hill to mention a few. It was rather late in the afternoon and we didn´t have time to explore the area as much as we had wanted.

Sunday 6/2. No birding in the morning though Chand should pick us up by 8,45 for a drive to Crocodile station along the Zuari river for a boat trip. The boat owner, Mr. Kamat owned both a very good pair of bins and the Field Guide to the Indian Subcontinent. It has to be said at once, he knew his birds and his crocodiles. During our 4 hour trip we did see 6 species of kingfishers, included Collared Kingfisher and one tiny 50 cm, about 2 years old, crocodile and 2 huge 4-4.5 meter, about 65 years old crocodiles. They were quite easy to see when it was low tide, if you know where to look! We did also see our first Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, a lot of herons, included Mangrove Heron and Black-crowned Night-heron and a dozen Black-headed Ibis.  Back at Candolim we spent the rest of the day at the beach, except the two hours between 4 and 6 pm, when we were birdwatching around Fort Aguada. No new species was seen but we found a male Orange-breasted Green Pigeon perched in a dead tree just some 50 m away. Much better observation than earlier that day, which were a bit to distant to be perfect in our opinion.

Monday 7/2. Today was our only full day of birding on our own. Left Candolim before 6 o´clock in the morning for Bondla, of course with Chand as our driver and guide. Arrived at the entrance just after 7, went out of the car and the first to be heard or seen was a calling male Grey Junglefowl, we tried to see it but failed. We walked around on the road down to the small lake/pond, back up to the entrance, down to the zoo and back to the car through the botanical garden. Ended up with half an hour around the lake/pond. There were new species all the time and actually an over night stay is preferred because time doesn´t go fast, it runs away.  Among all the new species the best were Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Crested Treeswift, Blue-capped Rock Thrush, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher and of course Malabar Grey Hornbill. Drove back during the hot hours in the afternoon and made a quick trip out on Divar Island for larks and pipits. Just after we had left the "ferry" we found larks on the wires along the road, stopped and birded. We found Ashy-crowned Finchlark, Rufous-tailed Lark, Ashy Woodswallow and Indian Spotted Eagle to mention the new species. Travelled further on and explored a dry area of cultivated land, some parts were burned, others with old dry grass. Chand had told us that we should try for Rain Quail and after 10 minutes we had flushed 1 male and 3 females. In the neighbourhood also Oriental Skylark.

Tuesday 8/2. Two hours of morning birding around Fort Aguada without any new birds. We just had time for walking between the jetty and the T-junction. After breakfast we were picked up by Chand and his brother for a visit to a tropical spice Plantation between Ponda and Savoi Verem. The journey took a little bit more than one hour each way. The entry fee included a guided walk to see different spices and a lunch of local food served on a banana leaf. Chand had of course already asked around about birds. We were told that Malabar Pied Hornbills usually turned up late afternoon, but we couldn´t wait. We were shown Malabar Grey Hornbill  inside the plantation and while watching them 3 Greater Flameback turned up and showed very well. Stayed around until 2 am when we moved on to a nearby Hindu temple, where we were guided around for about 45 minutes.  Back home again we had a late afternoon bath before dinner.

Wednesday 9/2. Chand picked us up by 6.30 pm for our only visit to Lake Mayem. After 45 minutes we reached the small lake and then we had a walk around the shore for about 3 hours. The first bird we saw was a immature Changeable Hawk-eagle perched in a dead tree and while watching this amazing raptor we heard a strange dove.  When we asked Chand what dove it was he just disappeared. After five minutes he came back, grabbed one scope and guess what - a calling Jungle Owlet in broad daylight less than 50 meters away. At the end of the lake we were also shown a roosting Grey Nightjar and after some hard work we had at least seen a Little Spiderhunter well enough to tick it off.

Late afternoon Chand drove us to Anjuna for a visit to the hippie flee market. That was indeed an experience. We met Chand's mother and sister having a little coffee "shop" at the market. On the way back to our hotel we had two different Stork-billed Kingfishers on wires along the road.

Thursday 10/2. Our last full day in Goa for this time. Had an early morning walk around Baga Hills and were again disappointed.  Best bird must have been Loten´s Sunbird, then a former Goa visitor can understand how we felt from that trip. Our birding mode should later on the same day turn into something totally different! Well, Chand waited for us while we had breakfast and then drove all of us to Baga Beach for recreation from this mornings disaster. We had decided with our excellent driver to pick us up for a late afternoon visit to Arpora, maybe our favourite spot. Birding was very quiet the first hour, though it was still very hot. We walked slowly away on the main track, past the little quarry and further on some hundred meters to a small clearing. Here we waited, suddenly H-EP whispered - "Blue-bearded Bee-eater" - and less than half a minute later one of these stunning birds flew off right in front of our faces. Unfortunately disturbed from its roost by a noisy Black-faced Langur and was not seen again. Close to Club Cubana we once again had unforgettable views of a male Indian Pitta, not more than 2-3 meters away, feeding on the ground.

Friday 11/2. Birded once again in Arpora Forest from dawn until breakfast. One new species was noticed, Rufous Woodpecker, we heard one calling at the same spot yesterday while waiting for the bee-eater, so we decided to wait here. That was a good decision. Back for breakfast by 9.30 pm and then the rest of day at the beach in Candolim where we added a very pale female type Desert Wheatear to our trip list. Had lunch on the beach before we were picked up by the transfer bus to the airport for another night in the air with another boring wait in Dubai and an hour in Copenhagen later on. Saturday morning by 5 o´clock we were back on Arlanda airport, had to wait 3 hours for the train back to the winter in Sundsvall.

Species checklist Goa, India 29/1 - 11/2 2005

Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica)
1 male and 3 female Divar Island 7/2. 

Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator)
1 female seen very well Baga Fields 4/2.
The bird was discovered when it was chased and flushed by a dog.     

Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii)
1 male heard Bondla 7/2.  

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
3 female Fort Aguada 29/1, 1 male Baga Hill 3/2 and 2 male and 4 female Fort Aguada 4/2.

Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica)
1 Parvari Marsh 31/1, 15 Carambolim Lake 1/2, more than 1000 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2 and 200 Mersem Lake 5/2.

Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus)
25 Mersem Lake 5/2.    

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
10 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and 1 male Mersem Lake 5/2.    

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
At least 80 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2.   

Garganey (Anas querquedula)
10 Carambolim Lake 31/1, more than 200 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and at least 100 Mersem Lake 5/2.  

Common Teal (Anas crecca)
At least 100 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2.    

Yellow-crowned Woodpecker (Dendrocopos mahrattensis)
1 female Saligao 5/2 and a pair Arpora Woods 11/2. 

Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus)
1 heard Arpora Woods 10/2 and 1 seen Arpora Woods 11/2.

Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
1 female Arpora Woods 2/2, 1 Mayem Lake 9/2, 1 male Baga Hill 10/2 and 1 pair Arpora Woods 11/2.  

Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus)
3 (1 pair and 1 younger) Tropical spice plantation, Ponda 8/2.    

Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente)
1 pair in the garden opposite the Zoo, Bondla 7/2.    

White-cheeked Barbet (Megalaima viridis)
Common and widespread. 

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
Common. Highest count 10 Saligao Zur 3/2.

Malabar Grey-hornbill (Ocyceros griseus)
2 behind the Zoo and 1 at the entrance, Bondla 7/2 and 2 (a pair) Tropical spice plantation, Ponda 8/2. 

Indian Grey-hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
1 pair seen very well at dawn, close to the jetty, Fort Aguada 30/1 and 31/1.    

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Scarce. Only seen twice. 1 near the jetty, Fort Aguada 30/1 and 2 Baga Fields 3/2.   

Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
Uncommon. Seen 8 days with 4 along the roads around Batim and Mershem Lakes 5/2 as the highest count on a single day.

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Common around rivers and wetlands. Highest count was at least 30 on the boat trip Zuari River 6/2.

Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)
1 seen around Baga Fields and River on several dates from 30/1, except 10/2 when 2 were seen. A minimum of 3 was seen during the boat trip on Zuari River 6/2 and 1 was seen close to Anjuna 9/2.   

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Common and widespread. Highest number was at least 10 Zuari River 6/2.

Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
1 Baga Fields 30/1 and 10 seen on the boat trip Zuari River 6/2.    

Collared Kingfisher (Todirhamphus chloris)
At least 5 seen Zuari River 6/2.    

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
4 Carambolim Lake and 1 Carambolim Mudflats 1/2, 1 Mersem Lake 5/2, at least 8 Zuari River 6/2 and 1 Baga River 10/2.

Blue-bearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis athertoni)
2 Arpora Woods 10/2.
A real surprise, and the rarity of the trip, this elusive and hard to get species.     

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
Common and widespread.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus)
Up to 4 seen together Baga Fields on every visit, with 4 logged 30/1 and 1/2.
3 Fort Aguada 4/2 and 4 Mersem Lake 5/2 were the only other sightings of this beautiful bird.  

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti)
2 were seen roosting in a dead tree behind the small lake/pond near the entrance to Bondla 7/2.    

Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
Common and widespread. Logged every day. Very easy to see at dawn around the jetty on the way to Fort Aguada.

Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
2 Parvari Woods 31/1, 2 Arpora Woods 2/2 and 1 ad + 1 younger bird seen Arpora Woods 11/2.
Both observations at Arpora around the small quarry, and both times they disappeared rather quickly, while the birds at Parvari were seen at close range during a 5 minute period.      

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
Common. Logged 12 out of 14 days. Highest count was at least 5 Saligao Zur 3/2.

Vernal Hanging-parrot (Loriculus vernalis)
1 pair in the garden opposite the Zoo, Bondla 7/2.    

Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
Fairly common. Seen in small numbers at Baga Beach and Fields, Candolim, Fort Aguada and Arpora Woods. Highest number was 5 seen together Fort Aguada 8/2.    

Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
Fairly common and a little more numerous than previous species. Seen on the same sites as Rose-ringed. Highest count was 6 together Fort Aguada 4/2.

Indian Swiftlet (Aerodramus unicolor)
2 Fort Aguada 31/1, 1 Saligao Zur 3/2, 50 Arpora Woods 5/2 and 10 Bondla 7/2.     

Asian Palm-swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis)
Uncommon. 2 Baga Fields 30/1 and 1/2, 4 Old Goa 31/1, 1 Candolim 9/2 and 2 Baga Hill 10/2.             

Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
1 over Arpora Woods, together with Little Swifts 5/2 was our only observation.    

Little Swift (Apus affinis)
5 Baga Beach 30/1, 10 Old Goa 31/1, 30 Arpora Woods 5/2, 50 Baga Hill 10/2. Probably much overlooked.    

Crested Treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata)
6 flying around and drinking from the little lake/pond near the entrance, Bondla 7/2.    

Brown Wood-owl (Strix leptogrammica)
1 sitting in roosting tree Saligao Zur 3/2.    

Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)
1 calling and seen very well in a palm tree early morning Mayem Lake 9/2.

Spotted Owlet (Athene brama)
1 roosting in a palm tree Carambolim Wood 1/2, 2 birds at dusk hotel Beira Mar, Baga 1/2 and 2 seen at dawn opposite Baga River just were the "main" track leads up on Baga Hill 10/2.     

Brown (Boobook) Hawk-owl (Ninox scutulata)
1 pair roosting Carambolim Wood 1/2.     

Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus)
1 at day time roost Mayem Lake 9/2.

Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestic)
Common.    

Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
Common and widespread, highest number noted on Baga Fields, were a minimum of 20 were seen 4/2.     

Orange-breasted Green-pigeon (Treron bicincta)
5 were seen on the boat trip Zuari River 6/2, and the same day 1 male was seen in the afternoon at very close range near Fort Aguada. Another 5 seen at Mayem Lake 9/2.    

Pompadour Green-pigeon (Treron pompadora)
1 at the small lake/pond Bondla 7/2.    

White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Seen on several sites in small numbers. At the most 7 were seen Beira Mar, Baga 1/2.     

Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla)
1 seen at close range Beira Mar, Baga 30/1 and 1/2. On the last occasion walking around in the open just down the terrace, only a few meters away.     

Ruddy-breasted Crake (Porzana fusca)
1 seen from the terrace Beira Mar, Baga 1/2, was a real surprice.    

Indian Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus)
More than 200 Carambolim Lake 31/2, and at least 300 there 1/2, at least 130 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and 50 Mersem Lake 5/2.
No count was done at Carambolim Lake, others has estimated or counted the number to something like 500-550 individuals.

Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Uncommon. 1 Baga Fields 30/1, 3 Carambolim Lake 1/2, 2 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2.   

Common Coot (Fulica atra)
2 Carambolim Lake 1/2, 100 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and 50 Mersem Lake 5/2. 

Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura)
3 flushed and seen well Baga Fields 3/2.    

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
1 seen on mudflats from Nerul Bridge, Candolim 1/2.     

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
3 seen on mudflats from Nerul Bridge, Candolim 1/2 and a minimum of 20 were seen on the boat trip Zuari River 6/2.    

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
1 Zuari River 6/2.    

Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
1 at the jetty, Fort Aguada 30/1, common Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and at least 100 Zuari River 6/2.   

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
4 Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and one in a pond near Baga 9/2.   

Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
1 Baga Fields 30/1, 2 seen Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and at least 10 Zuari River 6/2.

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
1 Baga Fields 1/2.   

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Common Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and 1 Zuari River 6/2.

Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)
2 at the jetty Fort Aguada 30/1, 2 Baga Beach 30/1 and at least 30 Zuari River 6/2.

Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii)
1 Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and 1 Zuari River 6/2.  

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
1 Morjim Beach 2/2.    

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
1 in a pond near Baga 9/2.    

Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
1 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and 1 Mersem Lake 5/2 were our only observations.
Much rarer than expected.  

Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)
At least 50 Carambolim Lake 31/1 and 1/2, 10 seen Parvari Marsh 31/1, 50 Batim Lake, Goa Velha and 30 Mersem Lake 5/2.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
4 in a small pond just outside Panjim 31/1 and at the same site 8 were seen 5/2.     

Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
1 seen on mudflats from Nerul Bridge, Candolim 1/2.     

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
4 Baga Fields 3/2 and 2 at the same site 4/2.   

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Common.    

Mongolian Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
4 on the beach Candolim 29/1 and at least 50 Morjim Beach 2/2.  
Probably much overlooked.  

Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)
5 Morjim Beach 2/2.    

Yellow-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus)
2 Parvari Marsh 31/1.    

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
Common and widespread. Highest count was 35 near the jetty, Fort Aguada 30/1.    

Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea)
At least 600 were roosting Carambolim Mudflats 1/2.     

Heuglin's Gull (Larus (argentatus/fuscus) heuglini)
At least 100 Morjim Beach 2/2.
Referring to Prasad Anand´s newsletter at www.worldtwitch.com it seems that this species/race is in some years rather scarce, with just a few seen and in other years more common.   

Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)
At least 200 Morjim Beach 2/2.
Referring to the same source as above this species/race should mainly be of the race barabensis (Steppe Gull).

Great Black-headed Gull (Larus ichthyaetus)
85 adult or subadult counted Morjim Beach 2/2.
The total of individuals roosting on the beach probably much higher though no first winter birds were counted.

Brown-headed Gull (Larus brunnicephalus)
Common. Seen from the beach Candolim, at the jetty Fort Aguada and at least 100 were seen Morjim Beach 2/2.    

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
At least 100 Morjim Beach 2/2 and 2 at the jetty Fort Aguada 6/2.   

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)
10 Morjim Beach 2/2.    

Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)
Common. Seen around Carambolim Lake, Morjim Beach, from the beach Candolim and on the boat trip 6/2.    

Lesser Crested-tern (Sterna bengalensis)
15 Morjim Beach 2/2.    

Saunder´sTern (Sterna saundersi)
40 Morjim Beach 2/2.
Showed prominent dark markings on the secondaries, unlike Little Tern. This character was very obvious on flying birds at close range.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
1 Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 and 1 on the same day from Nerul Bridge, Carambolim, 1 Baga Beach 3/2 and 2 Zuari River 6/2.  

Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus)
1 soaring over Baga Beach and Fields 30/1, 1 seen Nagoa 4/2, 2 Bondla 7/2 and 1 Mayem Lake 9/2.    

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
1 Nagoa 4/2, 1 along the road between Batim and Mersem Lakes 5/2 and 2 (1 adult and 1 second year) Baga Hill 10/2.  

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Very common and widespread.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
Very common and widespread.

White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
1 adult Fort Aguada 29/1, 1 subadult Carambolim Lake 31/1, 1 adult Arpora Woods 2/2, 1 adult Saligao 5/2, 1 adult Fort Aguada 6/2, 1 adult Baga Hill 10/2, 2 (1 adult and 1 subadult) Arpora Woods 10/2 and 3 (1 adult + 2 juveniles) at the nest Arpora Woods 11/2.

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
1 adult soaring over Baga Beach and Fields 30/1.

Western Marsh-harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
1 Baga Fields 30/1 and 1/2, 1 Carambolim Fields 1/2, 1 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2, 3 Zuari River 6/2 and 1 Divar Island 7/2.    

Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)
1 adult male Baga Fields 1/2 and 1 (second winter female) Zuari River 6/2.

Shikra (Accipiter badius)
1 (first winter) male Baga Fields 30/1, 1 Carambolim Fields 1/2, 1 Arpora Woods 2/2, 1 Zuari River 6/2 and one pair Fort Aguada 11/2.    

Besra (Accipiter virgatus)
1 femle type Baga Fields 3/2.    

Indian Spotted Eagle (Aquila hastata)
1 adult Divar Island 7/2.    

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
1 adult and 1 subad Saligao 5/2, 1 adult Zuari River 6/2 and 1 Divar Island 7/2.

Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)
1 soaring over Baga Beach and Fields 30/1, 2 Baga Fields 3/2, 1 Bondla and 1 Divar Island 7/2.    

Changeable Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus)
1 subadult Mayem Lake 9/2.  

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
1 female Divar Island 7/2 was our only observation.   

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
1 adult Zuari River 6/2    

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
1 Carambolim Lake 31/1? and 1 Mersem Lake 5/2.    

Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
5 Carambolim Lake 31/1 and 3 seen at the same site 1/2.    

Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
Common around wetlands and marshes.

Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)
1 seen from Nerul Bridge, Candolim 31/1 and 10 on the same site 1/2, at least 50 Zuari River 6/2 and 2 Mayem Lake 9/2.            

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
1 Carambolim Lake and 1 Carambolim Mudflats 1/2 also 6+1 Zuari River 6/2.

Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
10 Zuari River 6/2.   

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Common. Highest count was at least 100 Zuari River 6/2.   

Western Reef-egret (Egretta gularis)
5 (dark morph) at low tide Mandovi River 1/2, 1 (dark) Baga Beach 3/2 and 5 (dark morph) Zuari River 6/2. 

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
2 Baga Fields 30/1, 2 Carambolim Lake 31/1 and 1/2, at least 30 Zuari River 6/2.      

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
2 Carambolim Lake 31/2 and 1/2, 1 Batim Lake, Goa Velha 5/2 and 2 Zuari River 6/2. 

Great Egret (Ardea alba)
1 at the jetty Fort Aguada 31/1 and common (at least 100) Zuari River 6/2. 
Much overlooked.    

Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
Seen at most wetlands and marshes. Common along Zuari River 6/2.
Much overlooked, as with other white herons. Once positively identified we didn´t waste time counting whether it was 10 or 15 present at the site.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Very common.

Indian Pond-heron (Ardeola grayii)
Very common. Along Zuari River 6/2 we estimated the number to at least 500.     

Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)
A minimum of 50, most seen along the smaller canals Zuari River 6/2.    

Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
1 passing by Carambolim Fields 1/2 and 12 Zuari River 6/2. 

Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)
25 flying over Carambolim Fields and 1 soaring Nagoa 1/2, 4 at Nagoa 4/2, 1 Zuari River 6/2 and 1 Nerul Bridge, Candolim 9/2.    

Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura)
1 male seen well Arpora Woods 2/2 and the same male seen in the afternoon 10/2 giving unforgetable views down to a range of 2-3 meters while feeding.       

Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis cochinchinensis)
2 (1 pair) Fort Aguada 29/1 and 5 at the same site 4/2, 2 (1 pair) Fort Aguada 4/2.    

Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)
2 Arpora Woods 2/2, 5/2, 7/2 and 11/2 (always in pairs) and 1 Saligao Zur 3/2.    

Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
1 Carambolim Fields 1/2.   

Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
Common and widespread, even seen inside Arpora Woods. Mainly seen on wires along roadsides.    

Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)
Common and seen at most sites with a little piece of wood. Always 2-4 present along the road from the T-junction to the jetty Fort Aguada.

House Crow (Corvus splendens)
Very common and widespread, except Bondla where it was absent.

Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos levaillantii)
Seen in small numbers on most sites except Bondla were it was common.

Ashy Woodswallow (Artamus fuscus)
2 Divar Island 7/2 was our only observation.   

Eurasian Golden-oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
Very common. At least 50 were seen along the road from the jetty up to Fort Aguada before the rain shower 31/1.

Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
2 Fort Aguada 31/1, 1 Arpora Woods 2/2, 1 there 5/2 and 2 seen 11/2, 2 Saligao Zur 3/2, at least 5 Bondla 7/2 and 2 Mayem Lake 9/2.   

Large Cuckooshrike (Coracina macei)
1 female Arpora Woods 2/2 and 1 male at the same site 11/2.    

Black-headed Cuckooshrike (Coracina melanoptera)
Fairly common, seen in all "woodland sites" we visited. Highest number was 4 Arpora Woods 5/2.    

Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus)
Common, seen in all "wood sites" with 10 Fort Aguada 8/2 as highest count.   

Spot-breasted Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis albogularis)
Uncommon. 1 Fort Aguada 31/1 and 4/2, 3 seen 6/2. In Arpora Woods 1 was seen 2/2 and 10/2, 2 seen 11/2, 1 Baga Hill 3/2 and 10/2 and also 1 along Zuari River 6/2.     

Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
Very common in cultivated areas.

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)
Fairly common, replacing the previous species in wooded areas. Up to 10 seen both at Fort Aguada and Arpora Woods.

White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens)
Uncommon. Seen in small numbers at every visit Arpora Woods, with 5 2/2 as highest number. Also seen Baga Hill and Mayem Lake.     

Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus)
Uncommon. Present at the same sites as previous specie in low numbers. Highest count was 10 Arpora Woods 5/2. Also seen at Saligao Zur, Bondla and Mayem Lake.   

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)
Only one male seen Bondla 7/2.    

Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)
1 seen Saligao Zur 3/2 and 2 Bondla 7/2.

Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)
2 (1 male and 1 female) Arpora Woods 2/2 and 1 female there 5/2 and 11/2, 2 (1 pair with the male of white morph) Saligao Zur 3/2 and 5 (both morphs of males) Bondla 7/2.  The white morph must be one of the most beautiful birds of the trip.

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
Common and seen in all wooded areas. 10 Arpora Woods 2/2 was the highest number on a single trip.

Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)
2 Mayem Lake 9/2.    

Blue-capped Rock-thrush (Monticola cinclorhynchus)
1 male and 1 female seen Bondla 7/2.    

Malabar Whistling-thrush (Myiophonus horsfieldii)
2 males Bondla 7/2.    

Orange-headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina)
1 or 2 seen Arpora Woods 2/2, 5/2 and 10-11/2, 1 Fort Aguada 4/2 and 4 Bondla 7/2.    

Eurasian (Nilgiri) Blackbird (Turdus merula simillimus)
1 Fort Aguada 31/1.

Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
1 Fort Aguada 30/1 and 4/2, 1 Arpora Woods 2/2 and 1 Saligao Zur 3/2.  
Probably overlooked.

Rusty-tailed Flycatcher (Muscicapa ruficauda)
1 seen very well Bondla 7/2.    

Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina)
1 male Saligao Zur 3/2, 2 (1 male and 1 female) Bondla 7/2, 1 male Mayem Lake 9/2.

Tickell's Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae)
1 adult male Saligao Zur 3/2, 3 males and 1 female Bondla 7/2.    

Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis)
Fairly common, a high number on a single trip was 8 Fort Aguada 4/2.  

White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
5 Bondla 7/2.

Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata)
Fairly common in drier areas. Up to 8 (4 pairs) Fort Aguada 4/2 as the highest number on a single trip.    

Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola t. maura)
2 Carambolim Fields 1/2, at least 5 Divar Island 7/2.  

Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)
Uncommon, often seen on wires along roads.          

Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
1 female type at the beach Candolim 11/2.    

Chestnut-tailed Starling (Sturnus malabaricus)
Fairly common. Seen with up to 20 on every visit to Fort Aguada, 10 Candolim 29/1, 25 Baga Hill 5/2 and 10 Bondla 7/2.    

Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum)
2 (1 adult and one younger) Candolim 29/1.    

Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus)
Common. A minimum of 100 Baga Fields 4/2 was the highest number on a single trip.

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Only recorded on Baga Fields where 4 were seen 3/2 and 10 counted 4/2.   

Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus)
Very common.

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)
3 feeding on a dead tree at very close range Bondla 7/2.    

Black-lored Tit (Parus xanthogenys)
Fairly common. Seen at all "wood sites", usually with 2-5 ind.

Eurasian Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Common. 

Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)
2 Carambolim Lake 1/2, 2 Fort Aguada 4/2 and 1 seen 8/2, 10 Mersem Lake 5/2 and 2 Bondla 7/2.   

Lesser Striated Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
Fairly common.    

Streak-throated Swallow (Hirundo fluvicola)
6 Mersem Lake 5/2.    

Grey-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus)
1 Arpora Woods 5/2 and 2 11/2, 2 Bondla 7/2.    

Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)
10 Bondla 7/2.    

Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
Very common.      

Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Common. Highest counts were 10 Arpora Woods 2/2 and 10 Fort Aguada 4/2. 

White-browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus)
Fairly common, 8 Arpora Woods 2/2 was our highest number a single day.    

Yellow-browed Bulbul (Iole indica)
2 Bondla 7/2.    

Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)
2 Fort Aguada 31/1, 2 Parvari Woods 4/2 and 5 Saligao 5/2.  
All prinias much overlooked.  

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis)
2 Carambolim Fields 1/2 and 1 Baga Fields 4/2. 

Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
4 Carambolim Fields 1/2.    

Blyth's Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)
Fairly common and probably much overlooked.

Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
2 Baga Fields 30/1, 2  Fort Aguada 30/1 and 4/2, 1 Parvari Woods 31/1, 1 Saligao Zur 3/2 and 2 Bondla 7/2.             

Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
Common, especially inland like Bondla were at least 20 were logged 7/2.       
Along the coast probably much overlooked.

Western Crowned Warbler (Phylloscopus occipitalis)
1 Arpora Wood 5/2 and 2 Bondla 7/2.

Puff-throated Babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps)
2 Saligao Zur 3/2 and 2 Bondla 7/2.       

Tawny-bellied Babbler (Dumetia hyperythra)
2 Saligao Zur 3/2 and 2 Baga Hill 3/2.     

Dark-fronted Babbler (Rhopocichla atriceps)
4 Bondla 7/2.    

Common Babbler (Turdoides caudatus)
5 Fort Aguada 29/1.    

Rufous Babbler (Turdoides subrufus)
2 Fort Aguada 31/1.    

Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striatus)
5 Arpora Woods 2/2, 2 Saligao 5/2 and at least 10 Bondla 7/2.      

Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe poioicephala)
1 Fort Aguada 31/1, 2 Arpora Woods 2/2 and 5 there 10/2, 2 Saligao Zur 3/2 and 3 Bondla 7/2.      

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
1 Fort Aguada 30/1.    

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark (Eremopterix grisea)
1 Divar Island 7/2.    

Rufous-tailed Lark (Ammomanes phoenicurus)
2 Divar Island 7/2    

Malabar Lark (Galerida malabarica)
Fairly common in the drier areas and along roadsides.

Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula)
4 Divar Island 7/2.    

Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile)
Only one positively indentified Fort Aguada 31/1. This bird searched for shelter just before the rain shower and sat motionless giving, excellent views.   

Pale-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos)
1 sitting on a wire and singing for a long time in Calangute 29/1, affording an excellent opportunitiy for a positive identification.    

Plain Flowerpecker (Dicaeum concolor)
2 Parvari Woods 31/1, 1 Arpora Woods 2/2, 1 Saligao Zur 3/2, 2 Fort Aguada 4/2 and 2 Saligao 5/2.   

Purple-rumped Sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica)
Common. Highest count was 10 Arpora Woods 10/2.   

Crimson-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia minima)
Uncommon except Bondla where at least 20 was logged 7/2. Along the coast 1 male Fort Aguada 30/1, 2 Baga Hill 3/2 and 1-2 Arpora Woods 2/2 and 10/2.     

Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica)
Fairly common, for example 3 Fort Aguada 29/1. Also seen in Arpora Woods, Carambolim, Baga Hill and Bondla.      

Long-billed (Loténs) Sunbird (Nectarinia lotenia)
1 singing male Fort Aguada 4/2, 1 singing male Arpora Woods 5/2 and 1 female 11/2 and 1 pair Baga Hill 10/2.          

Western Crimson-sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja vigorsii)
1 singing male Fort Aguada 30/1, 1 singing male Arpora Woods 5/2 and 2 males Fort Aguada 8/2.   

Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra)
2 seen briefly Mayem Lake 9/2.    

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Fairly common in villages.   

Chestnut-shouldered Petronia (Petronia xanthocollis)
2 Carambolim Wood 1/2.    

White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla madaraspatensis)
Fairly common. For example 3-4 seen between our hotel and the beach Candolim 29/1.     

Yellow-browed Wagtail (Motacilla flava lutea)
1 Carambolim Lake 1/2, 1 Mersem Lake 5/2 and 1 Bondla 7/2.   

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
1 Bondla 7/2.   

Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi)
3 Divar Island 7/2.    

Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus)
1 Candolim 29/1 and 11/2, 1 Carambolim Fields 1/2, 3 Baga Fields 3/2 and 10 Baga Fields 4/2.         

Blyth's Pipit (Anthus godlewskii)
1 seen very well Baga Fields 3/2.    

Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus)
A flock of at least 200 seen Baga Fields 30/1, 1/2 and 4/2, also 10 seen Fort Aguada 4/2.   

White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata)
Common. Highest count was 50 Baga Beach Fields 2/2.    

Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
Only seen Baga Fields where it was common. Highest count was 100 4/2.       

This report was compiled by:                        

Lars Olausson                                                Hans-Erik Persson
Slottsvägen 21                                               Piteåvägen 31
861 34 Timrå                                                 857 31 Sundsvall
tel. 060-574280 el                                          060-500750 el. 070-3213685
070-6500592
E-mail:larnen@yahoo.se