Go Goa XIX: Walking with Birds in Maina, Curtorim

One fine morning while Goa was still waiting for the rains we walked through the narrow streets of quaint Maina village close to better know Raia and Curtorim. It is a typical Goan village with narrow roads passing through the paddy fields. While the fields look like a green carpet on earth, the blue sky provides the contrast and the clouds here and there move around to provide the eternal change. Hills Stand on the horizon as if guarding the fields. Coconut trees loom on here and there. Water forms natural ponds and attracts many birds.

There is an absolute quite except some one off villager passing by on foot or on cycle. We spotted many birds with the help of Goa's bird expert Pankaj Lad of Canopy Tours, but could catch only a few with the camera and here are they for you:

Baya Weaver

Little Cormorant

Indian Pond Heron in Flight

Little Green Bee Eater

Purple Swamp Hen

Rose Ringed Parakeet

White Breasted Water Hen

White Browed Wagtail

List of some other birds spotted at Maina include:

Lesser Whistling-Duck     
Cotton Pygmy-Goose    male in breeding plumage 
Indian Spot-billed Duck     
Indian Cormorant     
White-eyed Buzzard     
White-breasted Waterhen     
Purple Swamphen     
Bronze-winged Jacana     
Asian Koel     
Greater Coucal     
Common Kingfisher     
Stork-billed Kingfisher     
White-throated Kingfisher     
Pied Kingfisher     
Green Bee-eater       

Black-rumped Flameback     
Rose-ringed Parakeet    nesting in coconut trees 
Common Iora     
Common Tailorbird     
Ashy Prinia     
Baya Weaver    several nesting 
White-rumped Munia    

Thank you Pankaj for this lovely walk.