Introducing two new sites and giving the highlights of two trips in the winter of 2000-2001. Finally I have 
added some seabirds seen by Heinz Lainer which should encourage a monsoon visit.

Arambol Shola
How to get there.
At Arambol beach head north around the point to the beach pool (with mud bath). Then walk up the stream 
which feeds this pool. There is a good path and walking up the stream bed is also good. 
David Stanton (a beginner birder) thought he had seen a shortwing at this forest patch at Arambol, so I went to 
check it out. There was no shortwing but he has discovered a very good site.

Best birds for Goa
15th Jan 2001 (half day).
Best birds:
Several Red Spurfowl
Several Tawny-bellied Babbler
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (common)
1 Brown Fish Owl (showing well) 
1 Indian Pitta (showing well)
1 Indian Scimitar Babbler (2 were seen on the 19th by David Stanton)
Many Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike
Tickell’s Flycatcher (common)
2 Nilgiri Wood Pigeon
1 Blue-faced Malkhoa.

22nd Jan 2001 (half day visit with David Stanton).
Best birds:
Rufous Woodpecker
3+ Eurasian Blackbirds
1 Malabar Whistling Thrush (superb views)
1 Brown Wood Owl (superb views)
1 Blue faced Malkhoa
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, superb views of an adult at the point where the stream forks (before the hippies 
banyan tree)
1 Tawny Pipit (on plateau)
Malabar Pied Hornbill was seen the previous day by others.

I also received an e-mail from Jörgen and Annica Bernsmo on 07 Feb 2001 who wrote "visited Arambol Forest 
a week ago and had 2-3 Brown Wood Owl, Crested Treeswift, Indian Pitta, Crested Goshawk, Short toed 
Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Yellow wattled Lapwing, Grey Junglefowl and Indian Swiftlet as best species I think. 
Not bad for such a small patch of forest! It was certainly a new and good site for us. No Oriental Dwarf 
Kingfisher however although we looked hard for it."

So in three visits some incredible birds have been seen at this site.

Pilar Marsh
Heinz Lainer showed me this new wetland on the road between Carambolim Lake and Goa Velha.
How to get there.
From the roundabout near the cathedral at Old Goa take the road to the railway station beside Carambolim 
Lake. Continue straight along beside the railway station until after about 5 km you come to an open marsh on 
the left. There is a good path which takes you to the railway embankment and you can continue birding on the 
marshes on the other side of the tracks. If you miss the marsh you will end up on the road to Agasaim which is 
good for waders. We saw 18+ Little Terns and 1 Great Knot on the 19th of Jan 2001. 

Best birds for Goa
On 19th Jan 2001at Pilar Marsh we saw the following birds: (but the site looks even more promising). 
1 Lesser Spotted Eagle
2 Pallid Harrier
1 + Sand Martin
4 Spotted Redshank
a few Indian Cormorants
1 Eurasian Spoonbill 
1 Wooly-necked Stork



Best birds (for Goa) from two trips in Dec 2000 and January 2001

Goa 3rd-7th December 2000 

Santa Cruz Paddyfields.
3rd  Dec
2 Greater Spotted Eagles, 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 1 Long-toed Stint. 

4th Dec
3 Dunlin, 6 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Common Ringed Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, about 6 Ruff, 1 Greater 
Spotted Eagle and a Bluethroat.

5th Dec
6 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and several Ruff.

Fort Aguada (at the dried up stream mentioned in main report)
5th Dec 
One unidentified Fish or Eagle Owl flew from low down near the steep bank of the stream by the large banyan 
where there was a pool with a crustacean inside. It flew out of my sight but when I peered round the trunk of 
the big banyan it looked at me for a split second and then flew down the gully. In that split second I thought I 
saw a facial disk with concentric circles and bars on the chest. It was massive. Mostly a dark brown overall 
colour when it flew and with very distinctive broad dark brown tail bands. I tried to get another view but it 
always managed to fly further away until it flew around me back to the original banyan. This went on a couple 
more times until I gave up. In my notes from 1997 I recorded another large owl which I flushed here. 
I also saw Crimson Sunbird, Tawny-bellied Babbler (which is common here) and several Eurasian Blackbirds.

6th Dec 
Grey-headed Bulbul (very regular at this site), more Tawny-belled Babblers and Eurasian Blackbird.

7th Dec 
On the ridge, 1 female Amur Falcon hawking and consorting with a female Kestrel species.

Morjim 
5th Dec
2 Ruddy Turnstones (one at the first set of rocks north of the estuary and another at the second).
In Dec 2000 the gulls were constantly being hassled by kites and it was hard to get a look at many birds, but 
the ones which stayed put, were mostly Hueglin's Gull with very few Yellow-legged Gulls (which I identify as 
Barabensis). This is the opposite of  March 2000 when the majority were Yellow-legged Gulls.

I also spent a fair amount of time looking for Crab-plovers but didn't see any.


Goa 8-22 Jan 2001

Indian Swiflet common throughout the coastal plain

Baga, Hotel Beira Mar.
Ruddy-breasted Crake (1-3 birds present for a few days), Night Herons (3+ seen on all visits), Bluethroat (on 
several evenings), 1 Lesser Spotted Eagle (present throughout, giving incredible views) and a Barn Owl was 
seen by others on a few evenings (I saw it once on 22nd Jan).
.
Fort Aguada.
9th Jan
2 Alpine Swifts and 1 Blue Rock Thrush at the fort. At the dried up stream: 1 Grey-headed Bulbul, a flock of 
Tawny-bellied Babblers (seen on other dates also but not recorded) and 1+ White-throated Fantail.

12th Jan
At the dried up stream: 1 Grey-headed Bulbul (almost guaranteed here, seen on other dates but not recorded), 
1+ White-throated Fantail and 1 Yellow-browed Bulbul (rare at the coast). 

Candolim Hill (behind Orda village) The hill is now a rubbish dump and attracts scavengers.
10th Jan
1 Lesser-spotted Eagle

17th Jan
2 Lesser/Greater Spotted Eagles
.
Carambolim Lake
11th Jan 
1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Pochard (rare) and 5+ Ruff.

Santa Cruz/Panchim Billboards
11th Jan
About 40 Curlew Sandpiper

16th Jan
1 Common Ringed Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and 30+ Curlew Sandpipers.

Santa Cruz Bridge
19th Jan (with Heinz Lainer)
2+ Sand Martins

Choroa Island
16th Jan
1 Bar-tailed Godwit

Morji Beach
13th Jan 
1 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling and 6 Ruddy Turnstones (on rocks).

15th Jan 
5 Ruddy Turnstone, 4 Dunlin and 1 Sanderling

22nd Jan
4 Ruddy Turnstone

I again spent a fair amount of time looking for Crab-plovers but didn't see any.



Seabird of Goa
From a report in BNHS Journal 96 (2 and 3) by Heinz Lainer.

Wilson’s Storm Petrel.
Mid August-early October (peak in mid September when 20 birds can be seen at the scan of a scope)

Masked Booby 
1 in August ’97

Brown Booby
1 in early June ’97

Brown Noddy
18 on Vengurla Rocks, S. Maharstra in September ’97

Parasitic Jaeger (Skua)
A few in September-January and even in March in Maharashtra.

Roseate Tern.
Scarce in August-September.

White-cheeked Tern.
Large numbers from end August-mid October.

Bridled (Brown-winged Tern).
Very large numbers end August-September.

Sooty Tern.
Uncommon but associating with the Bridled Terns.

In his report there are also a few un-identified shearwaters, frigatebirds etc. and he has seen even more since 
this report (should be in his forthcomlng book with Paul Holt.)