HEAT AND DUST 5 DAYS IN GOA

After the madness that is Mumbai,Goa was literally a breath of fresh air.The Kamat Hotel in Calangute was pretty good too,we stayed here three years ago but we had a much better apartment this time.We arrived about 7 in the morning and after breakfast went for a stroll along the beach.

BLACK RUMPED WOODPECKER In the pines on the fringes of the sand.

GREEN BEE EATER

LESSER SAND PLOVER

BRAHMINY KITE

KENTISH PLOVER

KENTISH PLOVER

ROSE COLOURED STARLING

JUNGLE MYNA

STARLINGS AND MYNA at the rubbish tip.

BRAHMINY KITE ; probably my favourite Indian bird.

GREEN BEE EATER doing what comes naturally!
That just about sums up the first day in Goa,not bad for starters.I had the name of a local guide and contacted him that evening to enquire if he was going out next day,our luck was in and we would be picked up at 0625,next morning so after a superb chicken tandoori dinner  and a couple of Kingfisher lagers it was an early night.
We were picked up by Lloyd Fernandes on the dot and were joined at the next pick up by John Clements,Richard Smith and Tony Greenland,small world these days.
Panjim Beach was our first destination where the highlights were in no particular order Heuglins gull,Pallas`s gull,Lesser crested tern,Small pratincole,Bay backed shrike,and Paddyfield pipit.

PALLAS`S GULL

SMALL PRATINCOLE

ASIAN KOEL

PADDYFIELD PIPIT

BAY BACKED SHRIKE

RED WATTLED LAPWING.

On the way back we stopped off at some paddy fields where we added Open Billed Stork,Great Spotted Eagle and Bonellis Eagle

ASIAN OPENBILL

GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE

BONELLIS EAGLE

GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE
Thats the day in a nutshell it just remains to say that it was an excellent day and not all hard work!

WHAT HAVE THEY SPOTTED NOW?

WHITE YOGA BIRD or

ORIENTAL SUNBIRD
I have now got blogger fatigue so you`ll have to wait for the rest ,bye for now.

HEAT AND DUST ,BIRDS OF MUMBAI.

Arrived at Heathrow on tuesday morning from the heat of Mumbai to the frozen wastes of the UK in just over 9 hours.It was a bit cool to say the least and it got colder as we got into Kent.
I have spent the last couple of days sorting through the 1500 or so photos,don`t worry most of them were rubbish so you won`t have to suffer too much.
This post covers the first week of the holiday in Mumbai itself and a couple of visits to nearby reserves.
From the terrace of our friends flat there were quite a few birds to be seen regularly including golden oriole and numerous black kites.

GOLDEN ORIOLE

BLACK KITE
A visit to Sanjay Ghandi National Park was like visiting an exotic Brockhill Country Park,where we saw various birds and butterflies.

COPPERSMITH BARBET

INDIAN POND HERON

LONG TAILED MINIVET

LONG TAILED MINIVET female

BLACK DRONGO

BLACK HOODED ORIOLE

PURPLE SUNBIRD

SOME BUTTERFLIES OF MUMBAI as yet unidentified.
Back at Mahim Bay there were egrets galore, Great ,Little ,Intermediate and Western Reef could all be seen feeding on the tide line.

WESTERN REEF EGRET.

INTERMEDIATE EGRET.
There were also Gull Billed ,Little and Common Terns here.
At the Hanging Gardens on Malabar Hill in the middle of the city another butterfly haven was found and a long tailed shrike,purple rumped sunbird common mynahs were all quite at home alongside the numerous crows and black kites.

COMMON MYNAH

LONG TAILED SHRIKE

PURPLE RUMPED SUNBIRD

PURPLE RUMPED SUNBIRD

This butterfly I christened the EMERALD TREMBLER because it never stayed still but eventually more by luck than judgement ,Igot it.

That just about finishes off the first part of the holiday, coming soon is 5 days in Goa.