Goa is a bird watchers paradise

Goa is no wonder a popular destination for tourists from all over the world thanks to its enchanting beauty, cloudless blue skies and the sandy beaches dotted with towering palm trees which make the sunsets a gorgeous site to contain. In the warmth of the Arabian sea, Goa boasts more than just being an idyllic coastal destination and has more to it than any other state of India can put on offer. Its unique blend of Indian and Portuguese cultures certainly gives it the special Mediterranean touch.

Goa may only be around 210 odd kms in length and over 135 kms in its breadth, but it appears that this expanse is wide enough for the state of Goa to be a paradise for avid bird watchers.While the natural beauty of Goa is fully blooming all over the state, there are many excellent habitats for the proliferation of wildlife such as wide river estuaries, scrubby covered hilly sides and green coated fields, mangrove lined rivers, marshy lands, rich forest cover and a bird frequented historical lake in North Goa at Carambolim

For avid birdwatchers amongst tourists who flock to Goa the trip to Carambolim is seldom missed and Goa's other major birdy sites are often explored to take a good stock of the species of birds on view. You would surely find many species of birds which are common in the peninsular regions and specially in southern India. However a large selection of winterborne paleartic species and many other Asian bird species can be seen plying their trade in the Goan skies. If you blend this bird watching experience with the traditional Goan hospitality and the succeggaad( easy-going) lifestyle of Goa, you will realise that this birding trip was more than worth the while. Also if you have a partner who is not so much of a birdie, he or she will feel at home thanks to the local culture of Goa and the tropical setting of the place which makes it truly exciting to relax and unwind.

A good birding trip to Goa often begins at the boundary wall of the hotel you may be staying as the tall Goan trees often house a variety of bird species cooing in the morning to provide you the welcome alarm bells. A not so surprise pack of birds are the Blyth's Reed Warblers and striking Black-rumped Flamebacks which are pretty common in Goa and you can be certain to see both these birds .Among the other species, Goa has numerous other attractive birds such as bee-eaters and the littel blue kingfishers which are both common favourites here and are as much spotted, as is the Indian Roller. You could also turn lucky if you come across one of Goa’s real avian specialities, the Indian Pitta, a lovely bird seen very often in Goa

Among the other species you cannot miss out on the larks, the pipits and chats or the shorebirds and ducks. As night dawns in Goa you would look for night-birds such as the Ceylon Frogmouth, Brown Fish-owls and Oriental Scops.

Goa's internal inland reserve areas also harbour three different species of the hornbill including the beautiful sight of the majestic Great Hornbill, as well as the commonly seen Grey Junglefowls, plenty of woodpeckers, like the striking White-bellied and even the highly vociferous Heart-spotted, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush and Goa’s well loved state bird, the stunning Flame-throated Bulbul. Red Spurfowl is a popular Goan species that you would normally see around the city of Panjim in North Goa.

Near the beaches of North Goa at Morjim and such other places you would not fail to spot the gulls and terns. In fact over six different species of Gulls can be seen here including the stunning Great black headed gulls and many species of tern which include Lesser and Great crested terns. Also seen are the Brahminy Starlings and the Barred Buttonquail and the mouth of the Chapora river in north Goa often holds a large congregation of shorebirds which could even include a rare Crab-plover.
If you indulge in a boat trip in the backwaters of Goa in one of Goa's famous rivers you could be lucky to run in the common Goan subspecies of the collared Kingfisher as also the Wooly-necked stork and the suitably named Mugger Crocodile.

In Goa the Raptors are in good number with the Black and Brahminy Kites flying commonly and you could also sight plenty of the spectacular White-bellied Sea-eagle. The eagle recovers around a mark. Goa could also show you a few reliable places to spot the Black, Rufous-bellied and Crested Hawk-eagles.

Goa is indeed a wonderful place to adventure for the love of birdwatching and the cameras can come in handy should you need a few pics to decorate your albums or pin up on your facebook pages.