INDIA Goa 11–26 January 2009 10–25 January 2010 Leaders: James P. Smith and Loven Pereira

Goa, a former Portuguese colony, is the smallest state in India, situated two-thirds of the way down India's west coast. It has a good infrastructure and a relatively high standard of living. There is a great diversity of habitats ranging from beautiful sandy beaches and mangrove-lined estuaries to the forested slopes of the Western Ghats. This is an excellent introduction to the Indian sub-continent with little travel involved, good facilities and a fine range of birds including a number of Indian endemics. The tour is organised with Backwoods, a highly respected local company. Expect around 270 species.

Day 1 We take a late afternoon overnight direct flight from London Gatwick to Goa.

Day 2 Once in Goa we transfer to our hotel, arriving about lunchtime. In the afternoon we will explore locally, seeing our first Indian birds of the tour. We might expect to see White-bellied Sea Eagle, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-breasted Kingfisher, Asian Koel, Black Drongo, Green Bee-eater, Malabar and Greater Short-toed Larks, Pied Bushchat, Coppersmith Barbet, Black-lored Tit, Blyth's, Paddyfield and Richard's Pipits, Purple and Purple-rumped Sunbirds, Scaly-breasted and White-rumped Munias and Baya Weaver. In the late afternoon, we will look for Cinnamon Bittern, White-breasted Waterhen, Pintail Snipe and Greater Painted-snipe from a nearby hotel swimming pool patio and, at dusk, we may see Spotted Owlet. We will spend the first five nights at our coastal hotel in the Baga area.

Day 3 Today we will explore a little further afield, stopping first at the excellent Carambolin Lake. By visiting various vantage points around the lake we should see Indian Pond Heron, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Lesser Whistling-duck, Comb Duck, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas, Purple Swamphen, Great Spotted, Indian Spotted and Steppe Eagles, Little Pratincole, Rufous Woodpecker, Ashy Woodswallow and Grey-breasted Prinia. Nearby, in a small area of woodland, Brown Hawk Owl can be found roosting and, in the open fields, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Streak-throated Swallow, Siberian Stonechat and Rufous-tailed Lark may be found. After lunch, during the heat of the day, we will visit the picturesque old Portuguese town of Old Goa. In the late afternoon we will go to a nature reserve within the Ciba Geigy factory. This outstanding man-made site is the breeding and roosting site for many uncommon species including Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Indian Shag, Black-headed Ibis, Asian Openbill, Woolly-necked Stork and Lesser Adjutant. Although access is no longer allowed, we can view from outside.

Day 4 We will have to leave at 06.00 today to catch the 06.30 ferry to Charao Island, where the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is situated. Unfortunately, the sanctuary itself cannot be accessed by foot, but the ferry journey and the entire island can still be productive. Waders can be seen on the sandbanks, and these may include Terek and Broad-billed Sandpipers and Temminck's Stint, while Western Reef-egret and Black-capped Kingfisher fish here. Leaving the island via the bridge on the other side we will next visit Maem Lake, where the surrounding forested slopes are excellent for birds. By walking around the footpaths we will see a fine selection of forest birds, which may include Brown Fish Owl, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Indian Scimitar-babbler, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Bronzed and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Puff-throated Babbler, Common (Nilgiri) Blackbird, Loten's Sunbird and Little Spiderhunter. Overhead, Crested Serpent Eagle and Changeable Hawk-eagle patrol the skies. After lunch we will return to Charao Island to explore the area, looking for Ashy Prinia and Blyth's Reed, Clamorous Reed and Paddyfield Warblers.

Day 5 In the morning we will visit a mixture of mature woodland and open areas with a stream running through a deep ravine at Saligao. The variety of birds here is excellent and species we will look for include White-bellied Drongo, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Tawny-bellied Babbler and White-throated Fantail. The star bird here, however, is Brown Wood Owl, which can be found at its roost site. When the forest starts to go quiet, we will return to the Baga area for a rest/swim before working the Baga fields, hill and marshes again in the afternoon and evening.

Day 6 We will drive to Morjim Beach on the Chaporni Estuary where large numbers of gulls and terns congregate. Here we may see Caspian, Heuglin's, Great Black-headed and Brown-headed Gulls and Great Crested, Lesser Crested, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns. Waders are also present in large numbers: most will be familiar European species but there will also be Greater and Lesser Sandplovers. There is also a roost site for Black-crowned Night-heron here and nearby is a reliable site for the difficult Brahminy Starling. We will lunch at a beach restaurant and there will be the opportunity to swim. In the afternoon we will visit the Fort Aguada area to look for the Indian Pittas that regularly winter and look for Common Peafowl which roost in trees at dusk.

Day 7 We will leave early to drive inland to Backwoods Camp for a four-night stay. Our first stop will be at the forest reserve of Bondla. This is the smallest of the three main reserves in the Western Ghats but the birding is excellent and, by covering a variety of habitats, we will see a good cross-section of birds. Specialities can include Common Hawk-cuckoo, Malabar Grey and Malabar Pied Hornbills, Indian Swiftlet, Crested Treeswift, Speckled Piculet, Brown-capped Pygmy and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Black-rumped, Common and Greater Flamebacks, six species of drongo, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black-crested (Ruby-throated) Bulbul, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch-flycatcher, Jungle Babbler, Indian Scimitar-babbler, Blue-faced Malkoha and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch. When it gets hot we will drive to the camp for lunch and, in the afternoon, take a walk around the forest which surrounds the camp. In the evening we will visit the beautiful Tamdi Surla Temple to look for Brown-breasted Flycatcher, White-rumped Needletail and Mountain Imperial Pigeon. As the light fades we will search for Grey Nightjars.

Days 8–10 These days will be spent walking around the forests of the beautiful Western Ghats that surround the camp. Around our camp, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Forest Wagtail and Orange-headed Thrush can be found, while in the surrounding forest Red Spurfowl, Spot-bellied Eagle-owl, Jungle Owlet, White-bellied Woodpecker, Blue-capped Rock-thrush, Indian Blue Robin and White-bellied Blue Flycatcher are all specialities. At a nearby viewpoint raptors are particularly impresive with Crested Goshawk, Besra, Black and Rufous-bellied Eagles, Oriental Honey-buzzard and Peregrine (Shaheen) Falcon all possible. Other birds which we will look for during these three days include Malabar Trogon, Black-hooded and Black-naped Orioles, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Verditer Flycatcher, Western Crowned Warbler and Thick-billed Flowerpecker, to name but a few. Each day, in the heat of the day, we will take a break for lunch and to freshen up at the camp (we can even bathe in the river; there are no crocodiles!) before resuming birding in the afternoon. In the evenings we will search for nightbirds including Brown Hawk Owl, Collared and Oriental Scops-owls, Jerdon's Nightjar and the amazing Sri-Lanka Frogmouth. We will also visit the Molem Forest Reserve looking for Grey Junglefowl, Brown-headed and White-cheeked Barbets and Dusky Crag-martin en-route. At the Devil's Canyon Trail we may see Malabar Parakeet, Vernal Hanging-parrot, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Large Woodshrike, Large Cuckooshrike, Scarlet and Small Minivets, White-rumped Shama, Blue-winged and Golden-fronted Leafbirds, Black and Grey-headed Bulbuls and Crimson-backed Sunbird.

Day 11 We will bird the areas around the camp in the morning. After lunch we will drive back to the coast, stopping at a couple of birding sites en-route to look for any species we may have missed. The last five nights will be spent at the original coastal hotel.

Day 12 As we will have been away from the Baga area for five days we will spend today locally, reworking the Baga fields, hill and marshes.

Day 13 Today we will visit the Dona Paula Plateau area, close to Panjim, the capital of Goa. Yellow-wattled Lapwing is easy to see here and Indian Robin seems more confiding here than elsewhere. Other birds we may see include Tawny Pipit, Oriental Lark, Ashy-crowned Finch-lark, Rose-coloured Starling and Jungle Myna. At the nearby Cita de Goa we will look for Greenish Warbler, Plain Prinia, Greater Coucal, Banded Bay Cuckoo and Rufous Treepie. After lunch at a nearby hotel we will visit the Panjim saltpans which are excellent for waders.

Day 14 Today we will take an extended cruise along the coast, up a river, and then into a smaller canal. This will be a leisurely day and our main target will be the rare White-collared Kingfisher. Other species we may see include other kingfishers, herons, waders, gulls and terns.

Day 15 As this is our last day the itinerary will be left flexible to allow sites to be revisited in case we have missed any particular species. We may visit Velim Lake, however, where the last of Goa's Long-billed and White-rumped Vultures can sometimes be found.

Day 16 We have to leave our hotel early for the return journey to the airport and our flight back to London Gatwick, where the tour ends.

General Information Goa is quite hot at this time of year but rain is unlikely. The pace is easy but the heat can be tiring at times. On most days we will split the birding into two sessions, with a break in the middle of the day so we can take time off to relax. There are a number of health requirements and you must consult your GP in this respect. Insects are not a major problem but you must take precautions to avoid other health risks. Visas are required. Accommodation is in medium-standard hotels at the coast and in tents inland, all with private facilities (even the tents, which have flushing WC, hand basin and shower!). Single accomodation is available in hotels but cannot be guaranteed in camp.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 11 with 2 leaders.

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