Goa album

Goa and Karnataka - November 2012

Paul has just got back from leading a group in the Western Ghats of India. Here is a selection of the birds they saw.

Little Green Bee-eater at Fort Aguada

Lesser Adjutant and Indian Shag

Jungle Nightjar and Blue Mormon butterfly

This Striated Heron was disputing fishing rights with a neighbour

Blue-tailed (left) and Little Green Bee-eaters

Dark morph Western Reef Heron

Purple Swamphen at Carambolim Lake

Common Kingfisher at Siolim

Asian Openbill Storks specialise in eating apple snails

This smart female Bluethroat showed at close quarters

A White-bellied Sea Eagle taking advantage of the early morning sun at Dandeli, Karnataka

Malabar Giant Squirrel

Juvenile Crested Hawk-eagle

We saw eight species of woodpecker in Karnataka. This Rufous Woodpecker was very obliging.

Greater Flameback at Dandeli showing all it's features

White-bellied Woodpecker is huge compared to the other woodpeckers in the forest here.

Two very different predators. Crested Serpent Eagle and Jungle Owlet

female Savanna Nightjar - we saw at least four, including two singing males (videograb thanks to Keith Youngs)

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Goa and Karnataka - November 2011

Paul has just returned from two weeks on the west coast of India and the hills of the Western Ghats. Here is a selection of his photographs.

The beautiful Malabar Parakeet is scarce but reliable in the Ghats.

Green Imperial Pigeon

This Malabar Grey Hornbill was doing a spring clean on its nest hole in preparation for the breeding season.

A flying lizard

Crested Serpent Eagle

Crimson-backed Sunbird is common inland

Once the call is learnt, Little Spiderhunter is easy to find

Vernal Hanging Parrot living up to its name!

Malabar Pied Hornbills are common in the grounds of Bison River Lodge.

Blue-capped Rock Thrush

The endemic Malabar Whistling Thrush is a shy inhabitant of forest streams. This bird displayed at point blank range at a spice farm we visited.

Blue-eared Kingfisher is always scarce and elusive.

Little Cormorant

Hoopoes were far more common than normal this year.

This juvenile Amur Falcon was watched hunting dragonflies with two other birds at Fort Aguada. They feed up in preparation for the long flight across the Indian Ocean to their wintering grounds in East Africa!

Male Indian Robin

Oriental Skylark

Eastern Stonechat

Little Green Bee-eater

Collared Kingfishers are only found in old growth mangroves.

White-eyed Buzzard is scarce in Goa.

Indian Rollers are common in the lowlands.

A boat trip at the Chapora river mouth.

This White-breasted Kingfisher was sat on a lamp at our hotel.

Jungle Owlet

Oriental Darter

Brown Hawk-owl

Common Kingfisher

Indian Pond Heron

Stork-billed Kingfisher

Asian Openbill Stork

Intermediate Egret

Indian Jungle Nightjar

Malabar Banded Peacock

A pair of displaying Blue-bearded Bee-eater

Grey Count

A male Vigors's Sunbird, a Western Ghats endemic.

Tour participant David Lingard took lots of great photographs on our 2011 trip. Here is a small selection. To see more of David's photographs, please click on the following link.

www.dragnil.co.uk

Malabar Whistling Thrush

Small Cormorant

Crested Goshawk

Blue-capped Rock Thrush

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GOA NOVEMBER 2009

photographs by Paul Willoughby

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is seen in small numbers in forested areas. This was one of a group of 12 birds that were feeding on bees that were nesting on a bridge over the Kali River, Karnataka.

Lesser Adjutant is seen in small numbers in Goa and at Dandeli.

We found a pair of Ceylon Frogmouths roosting together near our lodge at Dandeli. This is the male.

We saw another male when out spotlighting one evening.

Orange-headed Ground Thrush is fairly common in forested areas throughout.

It is always surprising to come across a European Cuckoo in the forests of the Western Ghats.

Collared Kingfisher is a rare and local breeder in mature mangrove areas.

Wire-tailed Swallows are common in wetlands throughout. Here, the thin wire tail is clearly visible.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater at Carambolim.

Striped Tiger was one of many species of butterfly we saw. With the recent publication of 'The Butterflies of Goa' we were able to identify almost 50 species.

Oriental Darter and Fulvous Whistling-duck.

Fulvous Whistling-duck

Great Knot was unknown in western India until recently. We found our first in Goa back in 1995 and have seen them on four or five subsequent occasions. They are still very scarce and we were thrilled to find three this year on Choroa Island. Here two birds are seen alongside a Redshank.