Foxy has a cunning plan onwards and upwards.

[PeterHG]

Agree on the Scoters, really excellent shots!

[Dave Williams]

Well I'm back, back from a 4 week trip to Goa,India. I don't tend to publicise our absence from home on the internet because you never know who might be watching although I hardly think the local villains will be ST readers. It didn't make any difference last summer when we went away on holiday and had the house broken in to so maybe I'm paranoid now. Curiously though, the fact we were burgled is why we ended up in Goa, the number one objective was to replace items previously purchased there that had been stolen. That meant our destination choice wasn't ideal from a birding prospective but good for shopping! I had stayed in the same hotel back in 2007 and stayed in another nearby as recently as 2010 and there were some good birding locations back then so I was hopeful they might still be there. Time would tell!

I'm not going to write a separate trip report as I haven't that much to share in the way of tips and advice but I have a few bird photos to share which probably don't have too much appeal to many STers and even less so, my choice of a package holiday with TUI is hardly the stuff of intrepid exploring and tales of daring do. 

Firstly let me say, India was off the menu until they granted UK citizens eVisa status, and that wasn't until the end of December last year so this trip was booked at fairly short notice. I considered going DIY but the cost of air fares has risen so high and the inconvenience of basically two alternative routes via air made the decision to settle for a package a bit of a no brainer. 4 weeks B&B in the 3* going on UK 2*  Lagoa Azul Hotel in Arpora came in at a reasonable £3800 considering all. We had a suite for that price!

Unlike the tales of woe from the likes of @Soukousand @Galanaour journey out was pretty straight forward. Flying from Manchester I am very aware of the problems you are likely to encounter since the airports re-opened after the lockdown days. I book fast track security which avoids the usual hour or so you spend waiting in line and takes you to the head of the queue. As it happened our flight was one of the last out in the evening and consequently the queues were very short and for me, none at all. That didn't mean I shot through of course, no, with little else to do the checking was even more rigorous than usual. I sometimes think it's just a matter of time before you tip all your belongings out of your luggage in to a tray, followed by stripping naked to go through the scanner machine.

This was Manchester's security and the picture is slightly blurred as I believe photography is banned so it was a hastily taken snap!

 

Our flight was further delayed by another 50 minutes until 21.00 hours by which time the terminal was virtually empty. What's not to like about a deserted free from crowds airport? 

The fact that all the shops, bars and eating places closed from about 19.30!

 

Oh well, we were on our way and on a direct flight to Goa which takes about 9 hours instead of the indirect ones which take at least an additional 4.

Overnight in Cattle Class isn't the best but in fairness TUI offer a decent amount of space per seat for someone of my average height.

I had already made contact with my bird guide of old and he told me that there were also 5 birders en route with us and all staying in the same hotel as Claire and I so I was pre informed.Sat at the back of the plane ( there's a tip, the safest place to be should the aircraft crash, if there is such a spot)we were last off and thus last in the tediously long immigration queue. Getting on to our hotel transfer mini bus we were greeted with a look of disdain having held up the onward departure but me being me, I firstly announced that there was no apology to be made, it wasn't our fault! My second move was to sit on the adjoining seats to the 5 birders and identify them as such. They were mystified as to how I knew they were birders so I told them of our mutual contact but didn't mention the fact that they gave themselves away by the fact three of them had binoculars hanging round their necks!! I did wonder if they might invite me to join their little group but that was not forthcoming and if truth be known almost not needed either.

On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by helpful staff who whisked us and our luggage off to our rooms immediately we were given the keys.

Our suite consisted of a bedroom.

 

A bathroom and shower , and a large living room .

 

Very handy when you are staying for 4 weeks so plenty of space to dump stuff. 

Better still it also had a second TV to the one in the bedroom so I could watch the football without disturbing Claire.

Just as well as the first game I watched was the Liverpool vs Real Madrid game with kicked off at 1.30am, India being 5.5 hours ahead of UK time!

 

For once I didn't stick it to the bitter end which would have been 3.20am as once we went behind 2-5 I gave up and headed off to bed, totally knackered!

All wasn't bad though, the next game had a very sociable 6.00pm kick off and I had the immense pleasure of watching my team hammer Manchester Untied 7-0. 

Needless to say I didn't bother to stay up for the return leg of the Madrid game!

TBC

Edited March 20, 2023 by Dave Williams

[xelas]

Lovely start, Dave! It looks we have shared at least half of the Reds once in a century game! I hope your birding went as good also!

[Dave Williams]

Hang on a minute, is this a Big Year or not? It's beginning to look like a trip report! Who cares, the intention is to amuse so that's all that matters.

So briefly back to birding, as previously mentioned, I had been in contact with my old friend and bird guide and asked him if possible to fit in a few trips with me over the next four weeks. The "Famous Five" birders had already got him monopolised during their 2 week stay and who could blame him for prioritising them. Much more lucrative than little old me on my own but they had also arranged to go to Backwoods Camp in a weeks time and he was free for a day then and we agreed a trip to Carambolim Lake ( as mentioned and reported by @xelasand @Soukousin their TR.  In the meantime I would explore locally.

Our hotel was in Arpora, just off the banks of the River Baga which reaches the sea about a mile or so away. It's a quiet backwater compared to the rather manic Baga-Calangute-Candolim strip but it's also been an area of fairly intense development since our last visit. Hotels,Villas and apartments continue to be built at the expense of the birding environment that once was there. The first morning I set off without my camera to see what the locations might be like.What I found was not exactly pleasing.

The footpath alongside the river was in parts encroached and even claimed by the adjoining new builds.

 

In other places it was overgrown.

 

and rubbish simply thrown over the wall from above.

 

The last stretch was far more pleasant though and gave better views of potential birding targets.

 

I walked this route several times during the first week or so but I soon got a bit fed up with it and especially as it was so hot, retreated to the sunbed by the pool. 

 

Sunbathing is fairly alien to me (note I forgot the Factor 50 on my feet!), I haven't done so in many years but believe it or not I really enjoyed the downtime and actually read two or three books over the course of the four weeks we were there.I might do it more often in the future.

Anyway, I'll return to my local Big Years additions now and I won't be cheating by adding any bottles. I did imbibe many Kingfishers but my beer of choice was this one which enjoyed a launch in a nearby bar on a BOGOF (buy one get one free).

It was really good but once the BOGOF ended no one bought it. Neither did I until they re-introduced the BOGOF just for me until their stock all ran out, neatly on the last night of our visit!

For the eagle eyed, spot the difference between the poster and the beer!

 

TBC

[Galana]

37 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

spot the difference between the poster and the beer!

Well what do expect from a knock off Indian Beer but knock off Indian spelling.

[Dave Williams]

53 minutes ago, Galana said:

Well what do expect from a knock off Indian Beer but knock off Indian spelling.

The name has changed to Wheat Lager on the tins. Not a good idea in my opinion.

[Dave Williams]

So, on with the Big Years and some species seen on my riverside walks.

505)Black Kite

Black Kite.  505 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

506)Asian Koel

Asian Koel  506 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

507)Ashy Drongo

Ashy Drone 507 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

508)Asian Brown Flycatcher

Asian Brown Flycatcher  508 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

509)Ashy Prinia

Ashy Prinia. 509 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

510)Blyth's Reed Warbler

Blyth's Reed Warbler 510 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

511)Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Blue-tailed Bee-eater  511 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

512)Asian Openbill

Asian Openbill 512 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Galana]

5 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Not a good idea in my opinion.

Well misspelling ingredients as Ingridients sets the whole tone.

Nice BeeEater.

[PeterHG]

An entertaining mix of TR and BY with, of course, excellent photos! You are certainly getting all the ingridients right :)!

[Zim Girl]

Never seen Manchester security so empty!!

Lovely set of Indian birds, I like the Asian Openbill, much more attractive than the African version.

[Kitsafari]

Just enjoying a leisurely journey through your BY and admiring all those birds in your super shots. 

[Dave Williams]

It was 10 days since our arrival before I had my first outing with Lloyd Fernandes, my bird guide of old and one of the best too. We have been Facebook friends for well over a decade so it was a delight to meet up and catch up as well as doing some birding. Got me off my sun bed for most of the day too. 

 

Lloyd sells his trips as "Birds and Breakfast" and fair do's that's what he provides, a delightful picnic which is welcome after a 6.30am pick up at the hotel.

 

Fresh bread rolls, boiled eggs, homemade mango jam or honey, the best bananas you'll taste and all washed down with a tea or coffee. No need to leave your birding location either. I'm amazed he prepares all this before picking up his clients every morning. He's great company, incredibly knowledgeable and the eyesight of a hawk! Dave Gosney in his Guide to Goa Birds stated that Lloyd charged more than other guides so when I bumped in to him in The Gambia a few months later I put him straight. Fair do's Gosney issued an apology for his misinformation in his revised editions. Lloyd 's fees are very, very competitive and as one of the very best he could charge more.

Anyway, today we were off to Carambolim Lake, a favourite  spot of mine from years gone by. I have to say I was a tad disappointed to find the lake was not what it once was. Whereas there used to be areas of Lilly pads teeming with Jacanas , Kingfishers, Cormorants etc now it was just water. Apparently instead of clearing the weed that was clogging up the lake they took everything away and so the birds had nowhere to go. There are areas around the lake were reasonable views can be had, some where the subjects are quite distant.

First thing in the morning the light was still challenging so birds in flight were not so easy because of the shutter speeds involved but the Fulvous Whistling Duck is exceedingly boring when it's sat down, later in the day the light is so bright white birds are a problem as is the heat haze which is a constant problem in hot countries. We were averaging 32°C during our stay in Goa, and for two days they issued a heat wave warning! That was hot.

Anyway, a good trip was had and a few nice extra additions for my BY's. which will follow.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Dave Williams

[Dave Williams]

513)Black-hooded Oriole

Black-hooded Oriole. 513 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

186)  Golden Oriole

Golden Oriole.   514 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited March 23, 2023 by Dave Williams

[Dave Williams]

515) Pheasant -tailed Jacana

The only one of the trip and very distant. I had been hoping they might be in breeding plumage too but sadly not.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana.  515 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

516) Purple Heron

Purple Heron 516 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

517)Fulvous Whistling Duck

Fulvous Whistling Duck  517 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

and a flight shot to show the lovely feather colours better

 

Fulvous Whistling Duck  517 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

518)Intermediate Egret

Intermediate Egret 518 by Dave Williams, on Flickr