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BIRDS AND BIRD WATCHING POTENTIAL IN GOA
Tourism being a major industry in the state, Goa with its diverse habitats in a small area of land is attracting many enthusiastic and serious bird lovers. With every nook, corner and places of ornithological interest easily
BIRD WATCHING IN GOA
accessible by road and within driving distance, Goa is becoming increasingly popular not only for its Sun, Sand and the Beaches but also for its Avian fauna.
Pic by Atul
Goa has 423 bird species reported by various workers. From the ornithological point of view, Goa can be divided into 3 zones:
1. The coastal belt with sandy beaches, bays and rocky headlands, broken by the wide estuaries of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers and interspersed with minor estuaries, the salt-pans, the tidal mudflats, submerged paddy fields, saline and freshwater marshes. Along the large rivers, this coastal habitat extends into the interior as far as the tidal influence reaches (over 40 km),
Pic by Atul
The representative species from this habitat primarily are from the Gulls, Terns, Wader, Egret and Waterfowl Group which includes sandpipers, plovers, ducks, egrets, herons, Sea-gulls and Terns. orming inland bays of brackish and saline marshes. Over 2,000 ha. of mangroves line Goa’s creeks and estuaries.
The mangroves forests of Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and the Cumbharjua canal are home to the stunning but elusive Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris).
2. The midland region having large lateritic table-lands with stony outcrops, thorny scrubland and cashew plantations, the plateau slopes with patches of moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests fed by perennial streams and a patchwork of “Kulaagars”.
Pic by Atul
The representative species of this habitat include the boisterous lapwings, the crepuscular nightjars, elegant peafowl, secretive quails, the flashy robins & chats.
3. The Sahyadris with maximum area covered by mixed moist deciduous forests; semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in patches, not to mention the bamboo and cane brakes
This habitat takes the cake in terms of bird diversity and richness. Some of the most handsome and melodious birds in the country are found in this habitat.
The representative species include the majestic hornbills, soaring raptors, gorgeous minivets and leafbirds, melodious thrushes, bulbuls flycatcher, woodpeckers & the aggressive drongos. This area also holds most of vulnerable and threatened birds of th region includin Endemic Birds of Western Ghats
Pic by Atul
4. Another important habitat of birds is the inland freshwater bodies and marshes which include the vast expanse of irrigated paddy fields. There are many such small but important sites in Goa like the Pilar Lake, Batim Lake, Carambolim Lake, Velim Lake, Neura wetlands etc. These water bodies & marshes support a wide variety of water fowl and also irrigate the surrounding paddy fields which in turn also provide an excellent habitat for waders. The representative species include various species of migratory ducks, agile jacanas, raucous moorhens, occasional harriers, restless pipits and wagtails and patient kingfishers.
Interestingly the State Bird of Goa, the Ruby-throated Yellow Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus gularis, which is a sub-species of the Black Headed Bulbul, has recently been proposed as a separate species, Flame-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus gularis) by Rasmussen & Anderton (2008). The duo has proposed various changes, which if accepted, would increase the tally of Endemic species in the State to 28
Threatened Birds recorded from Goa:
Pic by Atul
There is no such place where birds are not found. From the mountains and the forest and the lakes and the coastal belt to your own backyard, birds have become a part and parcel of the urban as well as the village setting. From point of view of the visiting birdwatchers few places can be recommended for sighting maximum number of birds in a relatively shorter time.
1. Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Ponda for most of the forest birds
2. Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhsagar Falls for some rare birds like the Mountain Imperial Pigeon and raptors.
3. Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Sattari for forest birds
4. Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Canacona for forest birds
5. Netravali Wildife Sanctuary, Sangeum for forest birds
6. Forest around the Mayem Lake, Bicholim
7. Carambolim Lake, Old-Goa for fresh water birds and migratory water fowls
Pic by Atul
8. St. Cruz Marshes for waders
9. Morjim beach especially for sea-gulls
10. Ribandar patto during low-tide for waders
11. Cumbharjua canal for all 5 species of Kingfishers
12. Batim Lake for fresh water birds
13. Pilar Lake for fresh water birds
14. Salt pans at Baga for waders
15. Baga Hills
16. Salaulim and Anjunem Dam areas
Keep an eye open for fruiting trees especially Ficus spp. and flowering Silk-Cotton (Salmalia spp.) or Pongara (Erythrina Spp.). But whichever area one chooses the best advantage is to be an ‘early-riser’, when bird activity is at its peak.
It is also worthy to note that four areas in Goa have been classified as Important Bird Areas (IBA) under the Important Bird Areas Programme of Birdlife International, U.K. and Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. This programme running all over the World has recognized the ornithological importance
of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Carambolim Lake by according these areas the status of IBA’s.
The Endemic Birds of the Western Ghats found in Goa are:
1. Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii
2. Small Sunbird, Nectarinia minima
3. Blue-winged Parakeet, Psitacula columboides
4. Malabar Grey Hornbill, Ocyres griseus
5. Grey-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus priocephalus
6. Rufous Babbler, Turdoides subrufus
7. White-bellied Blue-flycatcher, Cyornis pallipes
8. Wynaad Laughingthrush, Garrulax delessarti
9. White-bellied Treepie, Dendrocitta leucogastra
10. Nilgiri Flycatcher, Eumyias albicaudatus
ALL PICS (C) Atul Pratap.
Bird Watching
Goa's equitable climate and rich vegetation support an abundance of birds. This large and diverse population can survive because of its varied habitat that ranges from open forests to shrubs, tracks and dense forests which are ideal for breeding. Goa is a bird watcher's paradise and keen bird-watchers will be in seventh heaven, and even those who previously had little interest in birds will wonder at the richness of the birdlife. A keen bird-watcher will find much to get excited and a trip to one of the nearby sanctuaries or along a river early in the morning will be particularly rewarding.
Common varieties of birds to be seen in Goa include four different species of eagles, as well as other birds of prey such as kites, buzzards, kestrels and ospreys. There are five types of pigeons, six types of doves, five varieties of cuckoos, six of kingfishers and another six of woodpeckers. An early morning or evening spent beside one of the rivers, or in the boat of a local ramponkar, drifting along the waterways will reveal amazing numbers of unusual species.
The famous bird watching place in Goa is the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary on Chorao Island. Other places are the wetlands at Carambolim, 12 kms. east of Panaji and at Shiroda, 40 kms. south-east of Panaji, in Ponda. A wonderful variety of birds can also be seen in Bondla and the other wildlife sanctuaries near the Western Ghats. For sea birds, Morjim beach is recommended.
Crocodile Watching
Most of the crocodiles that live in the Cumbarjua canal spend their days sunbathing on the muddy banks of the canal, watching visitors pass by in their canoes. The canal is a 15 km long stretch of water located about 20 minutes drive away from Panaji. It links the two biggest rivers in Goa - the Zuari and Mandovi. The Cumbarjua canal is the only place in Goa where crocodiles can actually be seen in the wild. Some stray crocodiles are sometimes also found in places like Chorao, Tivim and Quepem. The population of crocodiles in the Cumbarjua canal is currently estimated to be between 40-50. On the canal, there is a thriving and vibrant mangrove habitat which serves as spawning ground for fish, prawns, and mollusks. This marine-life-rich ecosystem also sustains a healthy population of birdlife and crocodiles. The most well known crocodile spotting outfit in Goa is operated by Harvey and Neil Alvares. They arrange boat tours for the visiting tourists.
Interestingly, the crocodiles found in Goa (Crocodylus palustris) are actually freshwater crocodiles, called 'freshies' and they have actually adapted themselves to survive in the saline waters of the Canal. This extremely rare phenomenon does not occur anywhere else on the Indian subcontinent. Most of the Cumbarjua crocodiles are used to human presence so much so that the local children even swim in the canal with the crocodiles nearby. There has been no case of human killing by the crocodiles here. If anybody comes too close, they just jump into water and move away. In the village of Durbhatwadi on the canal, the crocodiles are even worshipped on the new moon day in January as the guardian spirit of the community. Being cold-blooded, crocodiles need to spend a lot of time in the sun to keep themselves warm. Hence you can see them sunbathing on the muddy shores of the Cumbarjua canal. The greyish-brown skin of the crocodiles ensures they are extremely well camouflaged on the mud banks.
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