Custom Tour 21-27 November 2010
The amazing Ceylon Frogmouth on a day roost. This is definitely one of the great highlights of a birding trip to Goa.
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Tour Leader: Keith Barnes
Introduction: This was a quickfire seven-day junket through south India for a few participants that wanted to add to their time in India after joining our set departure tour to North India. Goa is a South Indian state that hosts a series of laidback coastal beach towns, offering a great introduction to Asian birds and the fascinating culture of the Indian subcontinent. The town of Baga is an excellent base from which to see a ton of birds in a relaxed atmosphere. It is littered with western-style resorts, and restaurants with delicious prawn and fish curries. However, before we spent time at our base in Baga, we headed into the cooler hills of the western Ghats, located near the eastern border of the province. Here we lapped up the many South Indian endemics and the fragile beauty of these sub-montane forests. Because this trip was customized, we were not chasing a big list, and we specifically ignored the many waterbird-rich sites in Goa, as we would be targeting these species on our main tour in North India. Instead, we chased the many forest-based lifebirds that were new for the participants. As a result we saw few ducks, waders and shorbirds, but were focused on the forest specialties at Backwoods and coastal specialties at Baga that would be new, and specifically those that would not be picked up in N. India.
Western Ghats endemics, and interior forest species, like this Malabar Grey Hornbill, were to be the focus of this custom tour.
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Some of the highlights included excellent views of Malabar Pied, Malabar Gray and Great Hornbills. Woodpeckers were a feature also, with Greater Flameback, Heart-spotted and White- bellied Woodpeckers all seen very well. Kingfishers are another family we feasted upon, with great looks at seven species including Stork-billed, Black-capped, Blue-eared and Black-backed Dwarf Kingfishers as well as the more common ones! We also maximized on the Ghats endemics scoring good views of Gray Junglefowl, the dainty and shy Malabar Trogon, elegant Malabar Parakeet, electric Crimson-fronted Barbet and Orange Minivets, subdued Malabar Lark, noisy Grey-headed, Flame-throated and Yellow-browed Bulbuls, and superb views of the strange Ceylon Frogmouth. Other southern specialties included Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Blue-faced Malkoha and a bevy of sunbirds. Some excellent mammals came in the form of the Red-and- white Indian Giant Squirrel and the Greater False Vampire Bat!
The final tally for the week of 202 bird species and seven mammal species was respectable. However, what was more impressive was the fact that we saw 106 species of bird and 5 species of mammal that would not be seen on our N.India trip in a little over 5 days of birding, giving a grand total of exactly 501 birds and 19 mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Indian Wild Dog (Dhole), Indian Elephant, and Ganges River Dolphin recorded on our four week India Megafari, a tidy little sum indeed.
Itinerary: Nov 21 Arrival in Baga, Goa, drive to Backwoods Nov 22-24 Full days Backwoods Nov 25 Backwoods, PM Carambolim Lake/Beira Mar Nov 26 Morjim Beach, Baga Hill Nov 27 Arpora Ridge + Carambolim, Fly to Delhi
Main Tour
21 Nov: Dabolim to Western Ghats (Backwoods). After a late arrival in Dabolim we only had time to drive straight up to Backwoods Camp. En-route we picked up the elegant Brahminy Kite soaring overhead. An unexpected roadside stop revealed a party of noisy Malabar Pied Hornbills, and we also saw some Indian Pond Heron’s on the wing and White-throated Kingfishers sitting sentinel on roadside poles. Upon our late arrival at the camp we fortuitously met with an amazing Grey Junglefowl male that was parading down the main road, a delightful start to our time at Backwoods. Other birds near the camp included Grey-headed Starling and the distinct Malabar White-headed Starling, Ashy Drongo and Nilgiri Blackbird. Unfortunately, all too soon our day was over and we retreated to our camp in the mountains.
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The Brahminy Kite is a common, but elegant resident of coastal India. 22 – 24 Nov: Western Ghats. We spent three full days walking the many exciting trails on offer in the Backwoods area, finding many western Ghats endemics as well as other special forest birds occurring in the vicinity of the camp. The pattern was pretty similar most days. We started with a pre-dawn tea and coffee with biscuits and then birded hard for 3-4 hours before returning for a really nice Indian breakfast, with Masala eggs, and then we birded a little more around the camp before lunch, a short rest and then an afternoon of birding with a few short nocturnal forays looking for the great night birds that are found here. Over our three days we ended up netting a great selection of South Indian specialty birds. Starting before dawn, we were serenaded by the resident Malabar Whistling Thrush with its variety of melancholy calls. As first light approached we started working the network of forest trails seeking out the roaming flocks. The clicks and buzzy calls of a drongo gave away our first flock, and we locate the flock sentinels, Black, Ashy and White-bellied Drongos working the forest. Later on we also located the slightly more reclusive Bronzed, and Great Racket-tailed Drongos. With a flurry we began to encounter a bunch of other species including electric Small and Orange Minivets, stunning Rufous and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Large and Common Woodshrikes, Black-naped Monarch, Flame- throated, White-browed, and Yellow-browed Bulbuls. The understory flocks brought the dapper
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Dark-fronted Babbler and melancholic Brown-cheeked Fulvetta. Some residents needed more specific attention and during our stay we tracked down the elusive Malabar Trogon, skittish Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher and Blue-eared Kingfisher, as well as the vocal but shy White- rumped Shama and Indian Blue Robin. We were fortunate with the area supporting many flowering trees and we saw several nectar-loving species including Thick-billed, Pale-billed, and Nilgiri Flowerpeckers, and Purple-rumped, and Small Sunbirds. Some trees had already set fruit and staked these out for frugivores, seeing gems such as Asian Fairy Bluebird, Malabar Gray Hornbill, and a group of Great Pied Hornbills, White-cheeked, and Crimson-fronted Barbets, and Jerdon’s Leafbirds. As is typical of India, we had some luck seeing owls during the day, including the cute malabarica race of Jungle Owlet. The local and regularly staked-out Ceylon Frogmouth performed on que and we were able to sup up scopefuls of these birds. We were also lucky with raptors, encountering the staunch Crested (Changeable) Hawk Eagle, Indian Black Eagle and Shikra. We also spent one evening in an open area where we were lucky to find Malabar Lark, Green, Blue-tailed and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Vernal Hanging Parrot, and Malabar Parakeet. We also got lucky with a few rarities including a single Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, White-bellied Woodpecker and Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoo. A few late night forays revealed the stunning Jerdon’s Nightjar, Brown Hawk-Owl and Spotted Owlets and a calling Indian Pitta that frustratingly always became vocal only once it was too dark to see him!
Sunbirds, like this Purple-rumped Sunbird, and flowerpeckers, were common at the flowering trees and the Indian Giant Squirrel joined the hornbills in feasting on the amazing fruiting trees in the area.
25 Nov: Molem to Baga. After spending our final morning at Molem, where we added a few cool bids to our list including Blue-faced Malkoha and Golden-fronted Leafbird, we headed to the coast and straight for the marshes at Lake Carambolim where we saw many waterbirds including Asian Openbill, and a single Lesser Adjutant, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacana and hoardes of ducks. Some Whiskered Terns patrolled over the marshes. As it wended
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towards the evening we made for the Beira Mar Hotel. This was rather disappointing as the grasses and marshes have grown tall, obscuring any views of rails and crakes that may lurk there.
26 Nov: Morjim Beach / Arpora Hill and Carambolim Lake. The morning started fantastically with a bevy of sand plovers along the beach including great side-by-side views of Greater and Lesser Sandplover. The highlight though was several Small Pratincole that were scattered along the beach. There was some severe frustration however as the main gull flock wheeled around and wouldn’t settle for long. However, when they did, we were able to quickly identify Heuglin’s Gull, Great Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Common Black-headed Gull and eventually a single Slender-billed Gull. Some terns included Gull-billed Tern and Lesser Crested Tern. The afternoon was spent on Baga Hill. As we left the hotel we were surprised by a Black-capped Kingfisher that was foraging right next to the hotel. Baga was hot and activity low, but we managed to add a handful of birds and again heard a calling Pitta when it was too dark to find it.
The high-pitched screechy whistles of a Malabar Whistling-Thrush are a sure sign that they are around.
27 Dec: Lake Carambolim + Goa – Delhi. We started off on Arpora Ridge where one of the main targets was the nesting White-bellied Sea-Eagles which showed easily. Red Spurfowl
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remained skittish, but were seen very poorly scrambling through the brush. We moved onto Lake Carambolim where we were able to add Gray and Pacific Golden Plovers on the mudflats, as well as an eventually cooperative Malabar Jungle Owlet. With this whistle-stop tour over, we packed our bags and headed for Delhi where the next sector of our N. India tour started in earnest.
The dainty Small Pratincole is really best appreciated in flight, where the sleek and elegant pattern of its flight feathers are displayed to best effect.
Western Ghats endemics and near-endemics (including species found on Sri Lanka) are marked in bold. Taxonomy follows Clements, but all potential splits as designated by Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) or other authorities are listed in [square brackets]. LO designates Leader only, HO designates heard only.
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger Indian Shag Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster Little Egret Egretta garzetta Western Reef-heron Egretta gularis
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Great Egret Egretta alba Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna javanica Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Cotton Teal Nettapus coromandelianus Black Kite Milvus migrans [migrans/govinda] Black [-eared] Kite Milvus migrans [lineatus] Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Crested Serpent-eagle Spilornis cheela Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus Shikra Accipiter badius Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus Crested Hawk-eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus Osprey Pandion haliaetus Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii Red Spurfowl Galloperdix spadicea (HO) Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Purple Swamphen Porphyrio [porphyrio] poliocephalus Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
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Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Common Redshank Tringa totanus Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Sanderling Calidris canutus Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Small Pratincole Glareola lactea Heuglin's Gull Larus heuglini Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus Common Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Slender-billed Gull Larus genei Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida Rock Pigeon Columba livia Nilgiri Woodpigeon Columba elphinstonii Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica Grey-fronted Green-pigeon Treron affinis Mountain Imperial-pigeon Ducula badia Vernal Hanging-parrot Loriculus vernalis Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala Malabar Parakeet Psittacula columboides "Southern" Coucal Centropus [sinensis] parroti Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris [dicruroides] Oriental Scops-Owl Otus sunia (HO) Malabar Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum [malabaricum] Spotted Owlet Athene brama Brown Hawk-owl Ninox scutulata Ceylon Frogmouth Batrachostomus moniliger
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Jerdon's Nightjar Caprimulgus atripennis Indian Swiftlet Aerodramus unicolor Indian W-rumped Spinetail Zoonavena syvatica Little Swift Apus affinis Crested Treeswift Hemiprocne coronata Malabar Trogon Harpactes fasciatus Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx erithica Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata Lesser Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica White-cheeked Barbet Megalaima viridis Crimson-fronted Barbet Megalaima rubricapilla Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala Indian Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos nanus Rufous Woodpecker Micropternus brachyurus White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura (HO) Malabar Lark Galerida malabarica Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Forest Wagtail Dendroanthus indicus White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba White-browed Wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
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Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus Black-headed Cuckooshrike Coracina melanoptera Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus Orange [Scarlet] Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus Pied Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus Malabar Woodshrike Tephrodornis sylvicola (HO) Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus (LO) Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea White-spotted Fantail Rhipidura albogularis Grey-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus priocephalus Flame-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus gularis Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus Yellow-browed Bulbul Iole indica Square-tailed Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucoides [ganeesa] Common Iora Aegithina tiphia Gold-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons Jerdon's Leafbird Chloropsis cochinchinensis [jerdoni] Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina Tickell’s Thrush Turdus unicolor Nilgiri Blackbird Turdus merula [simillimus] Malabar Whistling-thrush Myophonus horsfieldii Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus Common Stonechat Saxicola torquatus Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps Indian Scimitar-babbler Pomatorhinus [schisticeps] horsfieldii (HO) Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra
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Dark-fronted Babbler Rhopocichla atriceps Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata Brown-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe poioicephala Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis Plain Prinia Prinia inornata Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius Blyth's Reed-warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides Bright-green Warbler Phylloscopus nitidus Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile Pale-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Nilgiri (Plain) Flowerpecker Dicaeum minullum [concolor ] Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica Small Sunbird Leptocoma minima Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus Long-billed (Loten’s) Sunbird Cinnyris lotenius Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata Black-throated Munia Lonchura kelaarti Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata House Sparrow Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Petronia Petronia xanthocollis Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus Grey-headed Starling Sturnia malabarica Malabar White-headed Starling Sturnia malabarica [blythii] Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
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Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda House Crow Corvus splendens Indian Jungle Crow Corvus [macrorhynchus] culminatus
Mammal List
Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica Three-striped Palm Squirrel Fanambulus palmarum Hanuman Langur Semnopithecus entellus Bonnet Macaque Macaca radiate Greater False Vampire Bat Maegaderma lyra Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus
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