Goa Update
(March 94, December 94, December 95, December 96, Feb/March 99).
Anand Prasad (swanandprasad@hotmail.com) 

These notes are to update the report of Paul Willoughby and to give the more 
scarce sightings.

Santa Cruz.
   This new site is worth mentioning and can be found in the report by Pete 
Harris. This is the area around Santa Cruz and here John and Jane Martin saw 
two Great Knot in 12/94.
   The detailed map (6) in Harris is wrong in that the road illustrated as 
NH17 is actually another road which runs south from Panjim after running 
along the south of the town by the canal (see general map 5 in Harris which 
is good). If you come via the NH17 you need to turn right (west) at some 
pools by a crossroad about 3km from Panjim. These pools are good for birds 
and worth stopping for as P.M. Hill saw Broad-billed Sandpiper here in Jan 
98. There is a risk if you continue along this turning to Santa Cruz that 
the gates at the market will be closed on market days (if you are on a 
motorbike you can get by).
   Whichever way you come you head west in Santa Cruz, fork left after the 
church and after about 1km turn right until you come to a small bridge. This 
is the area, and the Great Knot were seen from here. You can walk back about 
100m until you come to a good path which runs along the south of the "river" 
heading north-east. From along here you can view the mudbanks, I saw Curlew 
Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Zitting Cisticola, Rufous-tailed Shrike and 
Small Pratincole. I found out this area is controlled by a sluice gate so 
there is not much tide, it should be best during full and new moon, at low 
tide when the tide is lowest and most mud shows.

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher sighting.
   I also discovered a new site for Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher on Feb. 24th 
1999. From Molem you take the road to Templa Surla and when you turn right 
at the village to turn off for Templa Surla you continue uphill past the 
school on the right. Continue up hill until you come to a small building 
with a plaque "Govt. Goa Forest Lodge Anti Poaching Wing Patrolling 
Station", continue up hill for another 300m until you come to a small new 
house on the right with a boundary wall. Here the road starts to dip down 
slightly to cross a small stream after about 300m (where the road starts to 
climb slightly again). Stop before this stream and there is a path to your 
left (uphill) by some bamboo, take this path into the forest and where this 
path crosses an even smaller dried up tributary there is a small pool, this 
is the spot. I also saw a pair of Malabar Trogon here.

Templa Surla
   At Templa Surla there is also a tented camp which specialises in bird 
tours. They know a nesting site for Spot-bellied Eagle Owl and have Ceylon 
Frogmouth in the compound. When I booked they didn't pass on my booking to 
each other so I didn't stay but I only wanted to see the S.B. Eagle Owl 
anyway and with great effort managed to persuade them to take me next day. 
As I arrived the first time, I saw White-bellied Woodpecker a difficult bird 
outside of Cotigao!
   They also know some more sites for Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher although we 
failed to see any more. Jerdon's Nightjar was also seen by other birders who 
spent time at the tented camp and also Mountain Imperial Pigeon. The 
Telephone #  436109 and Fax # 272341 it's called Backwoods.They charged 
2,800rps for 2 days (3 nights), this includes a pickup from your hotel.

Morji Beach.
   This is THE place for roosting gulls but there are also turtles nesting 
here. If you ask the tea shack people here they can tell you the possible 
hatching times. My girlfriend and I spent three beautiful nights here but 
they didn't hatch as expected. No one could tell me what species they were 
but I think they are Oliver Ridley's.

Fort Aguada.
   On the road from the Taj to the fort after the cross (a good place to 
climb down to the river for Terek's) you come to the place where the road 
divides. The left fork continues along the river the right fork continues up 
to the fort. At this spot there is a house on the right with some oil drums, 
here is a productive path into an otherwise impenetrable jungle. The path 
starts from  behind the house itself just to the right. The path after only 
a few hundred metres runs just beside a dry stream bed. You can continue up 
the path or the stream bed for only a few hundred metres more until you come 
to a large Banyan? tree which has lots of green bangles hung on it. You 
can't get much further but along this path and the stream I've regularly 
seen Crested Goshawk. It was very wary but with patience I was rewarded with 
good views. You can only do this with one or two people as it's a small 
path. The stream is dry in winter but good birds come to drink and I have 
unfailingly seen Grey-headed Bulbul here on many occasions. Other birds here 
include, Lesser Cuckoo, Emerald Dove, Blackbird, Tickell's Thrush, Crimson 
Sunbird, Indian Pitta, Puff-throated and Tawny-bellied Babbler, Rufous 
Woodpecker, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Grey-headed 
Myna, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Booted Eagle and Honey Buzzard. Beware of 
snakes in the streambed.

Marshy Areas
  Just for an experiment I tried waiting till almost dark at wet areas other 
than Hotel Beira Mar and found out everywhere could turn up great birds. At 
the wet area near the large church at Candolim for example, it wasn't until 
very late but Watercock, Cinnamon Bittern and Slaty-breasted Rail appeared.

Motorbike
   100cc bikes can still be rented for 100rps per day if you are lucky (Try 
Hotel Ronil Beach, Baga). I find them great especially for short trips. If 
you do go to Bondla or Molem it's best early morning because of traffic 
POLLUTION but then it is surprisingly cold! You can also try back roads but 
some of these are mining roads with trucks, so ask first.
   I tried to go to Dudhsagar in 1994 but the spark-plugs got wet in the 
river and I ended up pushing it back to Colem in the dark. Luckily there 
were still locals about to give me directions. The next year people told me 
there was a new good track from Colem to Dudhsagar so off I went again only 
to find out it was the same track. As I watched other motorbikes crossing 
the river and them assuring me there was only one more stream and it was 
easy to cross, I decided to try again. Four more stream crossings later I 
decided to walk the rest of the way and finally made it, AND BACK.
   You can also enquire about the train.

Most unusual sightings.

   On some trips to Goa I didn't go near the forest and other years I 
concentrated on waders which might explain the gaps. I was also usually 
spending some time on the beach.

Yellow Bittern (Marsh 200m behind Hotel Beira Mar 12/96, also 1 present 2/99 
which I didn't see)
Cinnamon Bittern (nightly behind Hotel Beira Mar, Baga, Candolim)
Crested Goshawk (Aguada, see above, 6-10/12/96, also feather  3/99)
Besra (several sightings Molem, 1 Bondla 22/2/99 calling Ftseeooo)
Black Eagle (hill behind large church Candolim is a nearby site)
Long-legged Buzzard (1 adult and 1 immature 16th Feb-9th March 99, at the 
edge of palms between Candolim and Nerul bridge. Description available)
Common Buzzard (The odd sighting, Candolim 1 on 7th and 11th 12/96)
Osprey (regular by river near fish ponds behind Candolim)
Common or Rain Quail (Morji beach 3/99)
Little Crake (2 at Beira Mar 12/95)
Baillon's Crake (paddies a few hundred metres behind Beira Mar, 9/12/96)
Spotted Crake (Beira Mar, 12/96)
Brown Crake (Beira Mar,9/12/96)
Slaty-breasted Rail (Beira Mar, 12/96, Candolim 3/99)
Watercock (nightly Beira Mar, Candolim 3/99 see above)
Terek Sandpiper (Aguada river, down by cross is good also Agasaim and Santa 
Cruz, all depend on tide)
Curlew Sandpiper (3 singles at Candolim fish ponds 12/95 and Santa Cruz 
3/99)
Broad-billed Sandpiper (1 at Candolim fish ponds 12/95)
Sanderling (singles Candolim beach 3/94, Choroa Is. 12/94)
Ruddy Turnstone (Morjim, at the first and second rocky outcrops north, 1 on 
4th and 2 on 7th March 99)
Whimbrel (Aguada river from cross and Nerul bridge 3/94,12/95,12/96)
Heuglin's Gull (at least one ssp.Heuglini 34/3/99 but also one possible 
Tamyrensis 8/3/99 Morji)
Yellow-legged Gull (most common gull at Morji ssp. Barabensis)
Slender-billed Gull (12/95, now regular at Morji)
Common Tern (Morji 12/95)
Green Imperial Pigeon (Bondla and Molem 12/95)
Emerald Dove (Bondla 12/94, Molem common on NH4A up to Ghat 12/95 also 
Aguada 12/95,12/96, see above)
Alexandrine Parakeet (2 above Baga 3/99)
Malabar Parakeet (Dudhsagar 12/95)
Eurasian/Indian Cuckoo (Cicade de Goa, Dona Paula 3/99)
Lesser Cuckoo (Aguada see above 12/96)
Blue-faced Malkoha (Candolim hill beyond church 12/94, Baga hill 12/95)
Collared Scops (heard behind hotel Dona Alcina, Candolim 12/96, heard Bondla 
22/2/99)
Jungle Owlet (behind Dona Alcina, Candolim 12/96)
Barn Owl (Agasaim 3/96, Baga Beira Mar 3/99)
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl (Templa Surla 2/3/99 see above)
Brown Fish Owl (Bondla reservoir 12/95,Bondla deer park 12/94, several 
sightings along Devil's Canyon track Molem 12/95)
Indian Swiftlet (Baga 12/95, Molem 12/95)
Fork-tailed Swift (Baga 3/99)
Malabar Trogon (1km past river Devil's Canyon track Molem 12/94, a pair to 
the left of the entrance to Molem loop track 23/2/99, pair on road to Templa 
Surla 24/2/99 see above)
Blue-eared Kingfisher (Molem loop pond see Harris 23/3/99)
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (24/2/99 see above)
Collared Kingfisher (boat trip Chorao Mangroves 3/94)
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Devil's canyon common)
Blue-bearded Bee-eater (Bondla 1km from Zoo on Molem backroad)
Hoopoe (Candolim fish ponds 12/96)
Malabar Pied Hornbill (Bondla 12/94, Molem pair 12/95 1km from ford)
Great Hornbill (2 sightings of 2, possibly the same pair, 12/95. 1km past 
first ford on Dudhsagar track, and on fruiting tree about 1/2 way from Molem 
to the ford, same site as previous species)
White-bellied Woodpecker (Templa Surla 3/99 see above)
Speckled Piculet (Bondla 12/95)
Indian Pitta (Aguada "stake out" 12/95, also site described above 12/95, 
12/96)
Greater Short-toed Lark (common at Baga but there is some doubt whether this 
is not in fact Hume's Short-toed, if anyone has the latest on this  -as the 
call has been taped - I'd like to hear about it)
Plain Martin (1 at Molem at Great Hornbill site 1km past ford 12/95)
Crag Martin (Dudhsagar 12/95)
Dusky Crag Martin (Dudhsagar 12/95)
Brown Shrike (Behind Candolim 12/95, a pair 12/96)
Rufous-tailed Shrike (Santa Cruz 3/99)
Black-naped Oriole (at Blue-eared Kingfisher site 23/2/99)
Spangled Drongo (1 in flight and 1 1km past ford Dudhsagar track Molem 
12/94,about 4km from Molem on backroad to Bondla 12/95)
Ashy Woodswallow (Baga and  front of Molem tourist complex are good
Large Cuckooshrike (Bondla 12/95)
Grey-headed Bulbul (Aguada see above)
Black Bulbul (Willoughby lists it as scarce but around fruiting trees there 
can be large flocks in Molem)
Stoliczka's Bush Chat (The bird present near Carambolim from 10/12/99 was 
still present in 3/99 but is now thought not to be this species but what an 
interesting bird. It has a pronounced white supercilium and an absence of 
black on the throat except a small black chin. If anyone has any news of 
this bird I'd be very interested!
Rusty-tailed Flycatcher (Molem 6/12/94)
Brown-breasted Flycatcher (Bondla dorm. 12/95, Molem 12/95, 23/2/99)
Zitting Cisticola (Common Santa Cruz 3/99)
Tickell's Thrush (Aguada see above 12/95, Bondla 12/94)
Blyth's Pipit (Baga 3 in 3/99)
Forest Wagtail (good first 1km from Molem on Devil's Canyon track also try 
Bondla reservoir)
Crimson Sunbird (Aguada see above 12/95, Candolim hill 12/94)
Little Spiderhunter (Bondla 22/2/99)
Red-headed Bunting (Baga 2/99)
Grey-necked Bunting (Baga 2/99)

Other birders saw Rosy Minivet at Bondla gate in 2/99.

  Anand Prasad swanandprasad@hotmail.com