Backwoods and Tambdi Surla Area

 

Along with Paul and Pat & Judy we were picked up from the Marinha Dourada at 5.15 am for our two night/three day trip to Backwoods. The journey takes about 2½ hours and our first stop was the Mahadeva Temple at Tambdi Surla. After a short wait for Pramod and the rest of the party to arrive from Baga, we set off towards the Temple. Almost immediately we saw Grey-fronted (Pompadour) Green Pigeon feeding in a flowering tree, closely followed by an Asian Fairy Bluebird and Malabar (Crimson-fronted) Barbet. In fairly quick succession we saw numerous forest birds, some of which we had already seen at Bondla, including Vernal Hanging Parrot, Malabar Parakeet and a distant Mountain Imperial Pigeon. We also had excellent views of a Malabar Giant Squirrel, leaping through the treetops. We then continued to Backwoods for breakfast. Following a short break we were taken by mini-bus to a grassy area interspersed with trees and partially surrounded by a range of hills for a Raptor watch. We had good views of Crested Goshawk, Crested Serpent Eagle, Mountain Hawk Eagle and Black Eagle together with Swifts and Hirundines. We returned to Backwoods for lunch and a well earned rest. Later we again went by mini-bus to an area nearby were we were later to look for nightjars. One of the first birds we saw was a soaring Long-billed Vulture, making up for missing this bird at Velim Lake. Blue-winged Leafbird, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Black-necked Monarch and Black-crested Bulbul followed as we waited for dusk and a trek up a nearby rocky hillside to wait for Nightjars. We were not disappointed as first Savannah and then Indian Jungle (Grey) Nightjars performed well in Pramod’s spotlight. We returned to Backwoods for a very welcome cold beer and our evening meal.

Day two started pre-dawn with an early morning wake up call from Pramod. All birders assembled near the entrance to the camp whilst Pramod played a tape of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Frogmouth calls. The birds had allegedly been recently disturbed and moved from their usual roosting site. Very distant responses were heard and a number of disappointed birders returned to their tents to freshen up prior to tea and biscuits and a walk in the forest behind the camp with a fleeting glimpse for some of an Indian Pitta on the way. Numerous forest birds followed including Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Black-hooded Oriole and a small flock of stunning male and female Scarlet Minivets. Amanda then excelled herself finding a roosting Jungle Owlet which we were also able to show to Loven and his small group as they joined us from the opposite direction. After returning to the camp for breakfast Pramod then led us off briefly into the forest at the front of the camp to the roosting site of a pair of Oriental Scop’s Owls. We also had Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Western Crowned Warbler and a single Square-tailed Black Bulbul, before heading off to Tambdi Surla again to walk up a boulder strewn river bed looking for Blue-eared Kingfisher. Walking up to the Temple I found a female Malabar Trogon which everyone was able to get, whilst Amanda contented herself watching the resplendent male, with no one taking much notice of her discovery until it was too late and the bird flew. The walk up the river bed was eventful with many stumbles on uneven and unstable boulders and the discovery, in the middle of the river of a recently deceased water buffalo, covered in flies and being attacked by crabs whilst it rotted away nicely. The kingfisher was conspicuous by its absence but some of the party had fleeting glimpses of a Brown Fish Owl as it disappeared upstream. We returned to camp for lunch and whilst relaxing in our tents afterwards we were summoned by one of the group to their cabin where they had discovered two roosting Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Frogmouth in the middle of a clump of bamboo. The birds were difficult to see initially but we were all able to get good views in the scopes eventually. Later Loven said they knew the birds were roosting here! Why then the early morning tape luring session? After our rest we retuned to Tambdi Surla for some relatively slow birding as we awaited dusk and more nightjar potential. We had distant views of Mountain Hawk Eagle and Rufous-bellied Eagle plus Red-throated (Taiga) Flycatcher before heading of to the grassy area to the right of the temple. Here we seemed destined to see very little with Great Hornbill conspicuous by its absence. As dusk and numerous midges arrived Pramod heard a calling Jerdon’s Nightjar and we all had excellent views of a single bird as both he and Loven switched on spotlights and briefly followed the bird around the field. Cold beer and dinner were calling strongly as we returned to the camp once again.

On our third and final day at Backwoods we started the day well, pre tea and biscuits, with prolonged sightings of Indian Pitta, together with Nilgiri Blackbird, Orange-headed Thrush and Indian Blue Robin at the back of the camp kitchen. We then headed for the forest to find the woodpeckers we had missed the previous day. In fairly quick succession we added White-bellied, Indian (Brown-capped) Pygmy and Rufous to the Heart-spotted Woodpeckers quite common around the camp, together with Black-rumped Flameback. We also saw Large Woodshrike and a number of Common Rosefinch, including a pristine male. After breakfast we moved on by mini-bus down the road a couple of miles near one of the local “Jungle Experience” camps, to a sparsely forested area which led down to a partially dried up river with a temple nearby. We heard rather than saw Little Spiderhunter flashing by overhead, but were soon enjoying cracking views of Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters perched in the tree tops at the side of the river. Before lunch and our return to the Marinha Dourada we had final sightings of White-rumped Shama, female Malabar Trogon and a white male Asian Paradise Flycatcher to round off some spectacular birding at Backwoods. Before leaving we made one last visit to the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Frogmouth shrine to pay our last respects.

We saw 95 species at Backwoods and 50 at Tambdi Surla, giving a combined total of 110 species for the three days.

Although Backwoods was a not to be missed birding experience and added 31 new species to my Goa List, we were very glad to be returning to our air-conditioned hotel room, which by now had taken on all the appearance of luxury 5* status. Loven and Pramod are excellent birders and have a superb knowledge of songs and calls. We did however find that with a party of nine walking along a forest trail, birders behind the first 2/3 invariably missed several of the fast moving canopy dwellers being called out by the leaders. If at all possible try to get in a small group of say 4/5 for the forest walks, you will see much more.

 

 

Bird List - Tambdi Surla

 

Bird List - Backwoods

 

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