Just returned to freezing conditions after two weeks of very hot weather in Goa.
Fantastic birding, we managed c200 species. Photos will be on our blog in a few days.
Most of the birding was done either in Dona Paula or Carambolim Lake with a two day stay at "Backwoods" thrown in for good measure and a day in Bondla.
We did well also with stunning butterflies and a good list of mammals including endemic Malabar Giant Squirrel (this has taken 3 visits to acheive close up views of them
), Spotted Deer, WIld Boar, Humpback and Bottlenose Dolphin (including one individual large male who surprised us by appearing from nowhere by the side of our boat and leapt clean out of the water higher than our boat - wow!! )The birds were awesome, lots of new ones for us and some familiar ones too. Bondla proved very productive, there is a small "zoo" which we didnt like so we spent our time roaming through the adjoining forest admiring the many many birds and mammals.
Photography proved quite a challenge at times as the bright sunlight and the fact a lot of the birds were high in the canopy made it sometimes difficult to get good shots. However we are pleased with a lot of our captures and chuffed with the amount of birds we encountered. Favourites included Heart Spotted Woodpecker, Verditer Flycatcher, Grey Headed Pigmy Woodpecker, Sri Lankan Frogmouth, Long Tailed Shrike, Black Lored Tit, Velvet Fronted Nuthatch, Tickells Blue Flycatcher, Rufous Treepie, Orioles, Barbets etc etc.
A fantastic two weeks
Yes we wish we were still there too, we had contemplated sneaking another week in before our visas expire at the end of March but due to work commitments and saving hard for our next holiday in May we have resisted the temptation!!