The wild-life of Goa in December

This was my sixth trip to Goa and the first one where I spent less than 2 hours on the beach. Goa in  December is generally known for the wild life rather than the wildlife and trips there have always been about the parties. However there is a different side to Goa which is far less crowded and a lot more alive. Stayed close to the Bhagwan Mahaveer sanctuary at Nature's Nest and traveled by car on most days to different places.

We trekked and drove through multiple sanctuaries during the trip. The first few days were spent around Bhagwan Mahaveer sanctuary and Bondla. Although mammals were few and difficult to spot, we did manage to see a few jackals, giant squirrels, macaques and mongoose. The highlight of the trip was the bird life. A fruiting fig tree near the Tambdi Surla area in the sanctuary brought in different barbets, pigeons and hornbills while treks in between gave us glimpses of flycatchers, babblers, warblers, woodpeckers and multiple species of bulbuls. Kingfishers were there in the plenty with a blue eared kingfisher quite visible under the bridge in Tambdi Surla but the oriental dwarf kingfisher eluded us. One of the treks to spot it also brought in a pair of Malabar trogons.

 

A couple of vine snakes and crocodiles were the reptiles seen. The night treks were the highlight though with Jerdon's and grey nightjars as well as oriental and collared Scopps owls. Spent one night shooting stars with the party lights as well on the plateau near the lodge. A lone crested serpent eagle eating a bamboo pit viper was one of the many birds we saw catching or finishing a meal. The Bondla sanctuary also has a zoo inside but we kept to the sanctuary. The return to the lodge coincided with the hornbills returning to their roost for the evening a few times and made for some very interesting sunsets.

Our guide, Pankaj who also ran the Nature's Nest made the trip all the more memorable. His spotting and identification on the calls alone was unbelievable. The fact that we spotted over 200 species in less than 10 days was a result of his skills and dedication. At one point of time, while we had given up looking for a trogon, he kept us going. Other interesting sights were the frogmouth at Cotigao, a rufous bellied eagle in Mhadei and scimiter babblers en route to Castle Rock. Mhadei was a complete surprise as while the other sanctuaries have villages and people traveling through, this had a muddy road with no movement at all. The forest was beautiful and the lack of traffic made spotting much easier. While returning, the gears on the car were damaged, but we made it back.

Outside of the forests, Pilerne plateau was another trip where we were able to spot a blue faced malkoha, buzzards, larks and pipits. The lakes around Goa had a few migratory ducks and pratincoles along with a variety of waders and other water birds. The only time we spent on the beaches were at Morjim and Galgibaga watching gulls, terns and plovers. The sheer number of gulls at the Morjim beach was incredible. Being December the places were quite crowded but since we got there early Christmas morning, it was still not packed. One of the best parts of the trip I would say was still the boat ride on Zuari river. A couple of rides on it resulted in some fantastic views of ospreys, white bellied sea eagles and peregrine falcons hunting. Other interesting spots were black capped and collared kingfishers, striated herons,a slaty breasted rail, whimbrels, eurasian curlew and other waders.

Overall a fantastic trip, with every day providing a different view of the place and the birds. Have not seen this side of Goa but would most likely return in the monsoon for the snakes and the oriental dwarf kingfisher.