Hi Fellow Creeps!
Things are going crazy these days. Life is hectic (in a good way that is). I have been busy with my latest business venture – birding trips!
With my trusty guide and comrade Nitin Naik I have been conducting a number of birding trips both in North and South Goa. Together with another guy called Melford from the Radissons White Sands Resort Nitin and I have formed a company called The Bushmasters.
For you to get to know more about The Bushmasters I am including in this newsletter the promo note that I wrote for our company.
If you’ve been craving some birding or trekking outdoors you simply must join us on one of our trips. Our rates are variable and vary from the amount charged at regular public urinals to outrageously exorbitant!
As usual the affixation of the rates will depend on the stain of urine…sorry, the condition of your clothes. If you look the part of a regular Sulabh Toilet user then of course a coin or two as payment will suffice!
Secondly I am including information (as well as my personal review) on the latest, largest, and probably costliest Bombay Natural History Society publication namely the IBCN. For those of you who know me, as well as those who don’t, know this – I have a reputation for quality. I honestly won’t make you buy something without making sure 1] that the book is good 2] that I have given you the pros and cons along with a honest review of mine. Look below for the review.
My Contact Information:
Rahul Alvares, Almeida Vaddo, Parra, Bardez, Goa - 403510
Email: [email protected] [email protected] / [email protected]
Phone: Res: 91-832-2278740
Mob: 9326115883 (rarely used)
Also, visit my Website: www.geocities.com/rahulsnakesite
THE BUSHMASTERS
(Wildlife Tour Organizers)
Are you fed up with seeing only beaches and churches in Goa? Do you or your family need to get away from the everyday maddening traffic, crowd and chaos? Come escape with us into the best wildlife areas of Goa.
Be it bird-watching, nature treks, biking trips, or ‘commando style’ camping in the forest; if it’s out there only the Bushmasters can help you find it for sure!
We understand you don’t want the regular tours, with the regular guides, the regular company and the same old sites! The best part about us is that we tailor fit all trips according to your needs.
That means if you are as lazy and slow as an eighteen hour a day upside down hanging sloth, then so be it; we’ll take you to a place where you can float in an undisturbed jungle stream where ‘bird watching’ means gazing lazily at all the birds coming to you!
But if you’re the ‘lone panther’ on the prowl always looking for adventure and vigorous exercise, then let the Bushmasters select the toughest jungle trail for burning all that excess adrenaline!
Our trips for the moment;
Birding Trips; the birding trips though primarily for spotting birds also provide recreation as an early morning/ evening walk in the beautiful green areas of Goa. Birds are amazing creatures, and besides just identifying or noting down names in a note book you get the pleasure of observing them as they feed, preen, sing, and warm themselves in the morning sun. Goa has an amazing variety of birds and tourists come from all over the world to see them.
Equipment; We own at present five pairs of binoculars and one field scope.
1 North Goa Birding trip;
1 Start; 7 a.m. Porvorim.
Observing of Land birds. Time taken 1- 1 ½ hrs ; The following are some of the birds observed here; Red Whiskered Bulbuls, Chloropsis, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, Rufus Tree Pie, Golden Oriole, Black Hooded Oriole, Munia, Warblers, Ashy Drongo, Racket Tailed Drongo, Green Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Plum Headed Parakeet, Rose Ringed Parakeets ,Red Vented Bulbuls, White Vented Bulbuls, Prinia, Common Tailor Bird, Common Hoopoe, Indian Rollers, Asian Koels, Cuckoo, Jungle Babblers, Pea Fowls, Black Shouldered Kite, Bee Eaters, , Brahminy Kite, Shikra, Common Kestrel, Black kites, Flame backed Woodpeckers, Spotted Doves, Paradise flycatchers, Scarlet Minivets, Common Iora, Purple Sunbird, Flower peckers, Little Pied flycatcher, Chestnut Starlings, Brahminy Starling, Common Myna, etc. etc.
2 Merces Lake (10-15 minutes travel from Porvorim). Time taken 45 minutes – 1 hrs. Water birds – see notes below
3 Grassland Birds (Merces area) Time taken 30- 40 minutes. White breasted King fisher, Pied King fisher, Stork billed Kingfisher Long Tailed Shrike, Pied Bushchats, Wire Tailed Swallows, Larks, Zitting Cisticolas, Egrets, Herons, Rosy Starlings, Yellow Wattle Lapwings, Red Wattle Lapwings.
4 Carambolim Lake ( 15 – 20 minutes travel from porvorim); Time taken on site 30-45 minutes. Water Birds – see notes below.
In case of Merces and Carambolim (water birds), the following are some of the common birds seen. Darters, Cormorants, Common Coots, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Cotton teals, Purple Herons, Pond herons, Grey Herons, Pied Kingfisher, White Breasted Kingfisher, Purple Swamp hens, Common Moorhens, Bronze wing Jacanas, Common Sandpipers, Common Green Shanks, comb ducks, spot billed ducks, etc. etc.
End of trip - 10.30 – 11 am. The total trip takes around 3-4 hrs, visiting 2-4 birding sites in the process.
For any queries contact
Rahul Alvares [email protected]
Phone; 2278740 /5621724/ 9326115883
The best time for birding is morning. The same trip however can be repeated in the evening (starting 4.30 and ending at 7 p.m.) for all you lazy birds. We don’t guarantee you the late bird gets the worm though!
A joint publication of the BNHS, Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN), BirdLife International, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Oxford University Press
The new publication is the result of five years’ exhaustive work by the IBA team and a large number of people. The data, which form the core of the book, have been collected by more than 1000 contributors, including amateur and professional ornithologists, birdwatchers, conservationists, forest officials and others interested in birds.
This 1,150 page book is the first ever attempt to list all the possible sites in India that are internationally recognized as important sites for birds and biodiversity conservation.
Highlights
Overview of Indian IBA sites, giving clear understanding of the conservation status of the most significant sites for birds in India.
465 IBA sites identified throughout the country, covering almost all threatened species, restricted range species, biome-assemblages and congregatory species (mainly wetland birds) of India.
525 maps, including each site altitudinal maps, 32 states vegetation maps, national IBA protection maps and biome related maps.
Site accounts for each IBA, detailing general characteristics (location, size, altitude, co-ordinates and biogeographic zones), habitats, IBA criteria, protection status, bird species for which the site is significant, other key fauna, threats and specific conservation issues.
Graphs showing number of IBAs in each state, their criteria and threats to IBAs.
450 colour photographs of the birds and habitat
Forewords by eminent persons.
Price Rs. 3000/- (plus postage extra). Payment in advance. Cheque should be in favour of "Bombay Natural History Society".
An ideal gift for schools, colleges, universities, forest department and conservation organizations.
Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai – 400 023, India
Tel: (91-22) 2282 1811 Fax: (91-22) 2283 7615 Email: [email protected], [email protected]
IBCN weighs about four to five kilograms. That means if you never manage to read it you could exercise your bicep muscles with it at least!The paper quality is excellent and the information in it is vast.
Make no mistake however this isn’t a birding book. That means you can’t carry it around on a trip to identify birds, neither can you expect to use it to find regular birding sites around where you live. Let me explain with an example – the birding sites mentioned for Goa in this book are Mollem, Cotigao, Bondla, Carambolim and maybe one or two sites more. Don’t think you can find Porvorim or Saligoa birding sites in it. For that contact The Bushmasters!
As a faithful subscriber to the Creepy Times I will let you in on a little secret. BNHS offers a 25% discount on all publications if you are a member of theirs.
Now the membership per year is Rupees 500.
25% of Rs 3000 (the cost of IBCN) is Rupees 750.
That means if you become a member of BNHS and you then buy the book, you get the membership for free plus 250 extra rupees to blow! Bonus features with the membership include four issues of the Hornbill magazine and regular updates on all activities carried out by the BNHS for a year.
Of course the book is available with me. I can give it to you at a discount (though not 25%) as well.
Tour Guides;
Nitin Naik; An experienced bird-watcher Nitin has the eye of an Eagle when it comes to spotting birds! He has visited many places of Goa in his birding excursions including all of Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries namely Molem, Bondla, Cotigao, and Chorao
Rahul Alvares; Incase of any snakes encountered we have no reason to panic!
Pictures of Guests from Radissons White Sands Resort enjoying Birdwatching!
