Bird watching in Goa

The delights of birding

Imagine discovering the delights of birding at the ripe age of sixty. Imagine seeing even some of the common birds of Goa for the first time so late in life despite making trips there almost every year.

In all these years I had never seen so many varieties of birds in Goa, but am I glad I finally did!

It happened like this. In the December of 2011, my US-based sons Kaustubh and Nikhil, Kaustubh’s American wife Laurel, and Laurel’s parents Ginny and Larry decided to come to India for a few weeks.

After all, a holiday in India would be a great opportunity for enjoying some quality family time together.  Of course, there were also minor benefits like guaranteed sunshine, and freedom from shovelling snow for some days.

And since all of them were keen birdwatchers, they were aware that this was the best time to visit Goa, a known birding destination. Plus, we have close relatives there. And so they were happy to add Goa to their India itinerary. 

On our first day of birding, we set off around daybreak. It was slightly chilly (by our standards) and the early morning mist had not yet cleared when we piled into the 7-seater we had hired. This was going to be our mode of transport for three consecutive days of birding in Goa.

Here’s the program we had drawn up:

1^st Day: Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

2^nd Day: Morning – The stretch from Mobor beach to Varca beach; after lunch – River Sal (the almost dried up river bed in Cavelossim)

3^rd Day: Old Goa, Panjim, and the area around Fort Aguada

Before this, the only bird watching type of activity I had experienced was in my school days.  During the summer holidays in Goa my Dad would take my siblings and me to the large village pond in Chinchinim to watch how the villagers collectively drained it in May. We would sit with him near the edge of the pond and watch wide-eyed as fish eagles and kites swooped down to snatch their prey out of the shallow water. Those days we didn’t have any optical aids to watch the birds more closely. And so we could only appreciate what we saw with the naked eye.  

Now we had binoculars slung around our necks. We were armed with a spotting scope, a tripod for supporting the scope, and a clutch of birding guides with pictures of thousands of bird species for instantly identifying the birds we saw.

A few of the birds we captured on film

Brahminy Kite: I couldn’t believe this distinguished looking bird with a snow-white head and chest, and a rich, chestnut plumage was a scavenger. We saw lots of these kites circling gracefully in the sky or nesting in the coconut groves on Varca beach.

We also got good views of a couple of Brahminy Kites building their nest on a palm tree on the bank of the River Sal. The pair took turns flying off and returning with a twig or two clutched in their claws. As you can see in this picture, the nest of Brahminy Kites is no architectural marvel. The untidy tangle of sticks and twigs to the left of the bird is the nest it is building along with its mate.

Black Kite: We saw this magnificent bird at Cavelossim beach gliding effortlessly on air currents overhead like an expert acrobat with barely a flap of its beautifully patterned wings.

The red-legged one on the left is a Common Redshank and the one on the right with green legs is the… yes, the Common Greenshank. Dozens of these cute, stick-legged birds scampered across the shore line as we approached them at Cavelossim beach.

This picture of colourful Eurasian Oystercatchers at Cavelossim beach was taken soon after they fluttered down to the water. They seemed unperturbed by the waves rolling up to the shore.

Kentish Plover (At Cavelossim beach): When I viewed this tiny wader through my binoculars, I was startled by the size and intensity of its eyes. They looked like shiny black buttons because of the magnification.

Lesser Sand Plovers (Also at Cavelossim beach): We came across scattered flocks of these foraging for food along the shore.

Black-headed Ibis and Egrets (River Sal): The large bird behind with the long, downward curved, black bill is a Black-headed Ibis. Soon after this picture was clicked, it soared gracefully into the sky flapping its big wings and flew out of view. I can assure you, the sight of this big bird in flight is mesmerising.

Lesser whistling ducks (At a water body in Betalbatim): We could hear the ‘whistling’ calls of this little flock as it settled on the marsh. Other birds that had also flocked to this pond were Purple Moorhens, Bronze-winged Jacanas, a Common Kingfisher, and a Little Cormorant.

Paddyfield Pipit (Near Panjim): Had it not been scurrying around on the grassy patch at the side of a road, it would have been difficult to spot this bird.

Shikra (Near Panjim): We saw this gorgeous male Shikra (a common hawk species) perched patiently and as still as a statue in the mangroves. The stripes on its chest were very distinct.

Indian Roller (near Fort Aguada): This colourful bird is the state bird of nearby Karnataka. Its wings have iridescent shades of blue mainly sky blue and indigo. Other sightings here included the White-cheeked Barbet, and the Red-throated Flycatcher.

A short video for enjoying the brilliant colours of the Indian Roller’s plumage.

White-bellied Blue Flycatcher (In the jungle outside Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary): Here, in addition to this beautiful bird, we also saw a Green Bee-eater, a Malabar Grey Hornbill, Scarlet Minivets, a Common Iora, and Chestnut-tailed Starlings, among several others.

The other beautiful Goa

It’s such a shame. Foreign birdwatchers flock here for the joy of bird watching in Goa, but most Indians have yet to realize what these folks have known for decades.

Many of us seem to have a blinkered vision when it comes to Goa. We just don’t want to look beyond the state’s famed beaches. Which, by the way, are excellent locations for watching birds. Of the feathered kind, I mean.

This post is an attempt to persuade you to throw off those blinkers, discover the other beautiful Goa and the birding paradise that’s right at your doorstep.

Discovering a fun outdoor activity

I never knew that bird watching could be such fun. Made me wish I had discovered the delights of birding much earlier.

In just three days, even as a fledgling birder, my ‘haul’ of newly discovered birds was almost fifty. That’s when I understood why Goa is a hit with birdwatchers and a top birding destination in India. It’s because of the incredible variety of bird species (around 425), and also, the prevalence of birds everywhere that makes bird watching here so easy.

But an enjoyable activity like this can be addictive too.

One day while we were driving past the Our Lady of Pilar Church in Seraulim, Kaustubh suddenly urged the driver to stop. Scrambling out of the car, he quickly clicked a few pictures. I wondered what he had found distinctive about this church.

Well, he had photographed the church alright, but what had actually drawn his attention from the window of the moving car was a lone eagle perched on the church belfry. What I’ve concluded after umpteen such experiences with my sons: Die-hard birdwatchers are birdwatchers 24x7x365. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing or where they are. They keep their birdwatcher hats on all the time.

Cheers!