Snakes, Frogs & Macro.. in Goa!

Since the day I had planned for this trip, I was scared as well as super-excited; and finally the day was here. I had always been wary of snakes.. hence did take me sometime to convince myself that I have to do this trip. So how was the trip..? All I can say is that it is the closest I have been to nature till date.. As soon as I entered Goa, the fresh air, the green landscapes and cloudy weather greeted me; something I have experienced all my life being a Goan and still cant have enough of it.

Our destination was Nature’s Nest @ Tambdi Surla and as soon as we reached there, our breakfast was ready. We quickly had our breakfast and were ready to explore the place. Nature’s Nest is housed in 5 acre farm; of Coconut, Banana, Beetle-nut trees along with various type of flowering plants and a small clear stream. We spent next 2-3 hours exploring the property; clicking small grasshoppers, spiders and common toads.

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As soon as we finished lunch, it was time for the typical Goa rains… pouring continuously with no signs of stopping. Finally it reduced a bit by 5 PM or so.. and we were off to our 1st trail with the in-house expert; Ramesh. We walked across the road and soon reached more of an open plateau. We could see a lot of purple and red coloured crabs, Scorpions and various other insects. It was around 30 minutes and Ramesh called all of us to a point where he had spotted the Saw-scaled Viper. Observing this venomous snake was indeed a superb experience. Exploring further, we came across the Saw-scaled Viper again.. and this time it was a pair..!

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We returned back to the resort for some rest and dinner. Post dinner; it was night trail time. I had done night trails before, but doing it on foot into the jungle was a 1st timer for me. Just as we started the trail, Ramesh spotted couple of Ornate narrow-mouthed Frog. Just as with snakes, the frogs are also beautiful in their own way.. especially their body patterns and eyes. Going ahead, we also encountered couple of Indian Burrowing frogs and an Amboli Bush frog.

What we saw next was nothing but magic. Ramesh told all of us to turn off our torches; and soon as we did it; we could see the Bio-luminous Fungi.. spread over the short plants, fallen branches, lighting up the jungle with its florescence. Moving ahead; we walked to quiet an extent through the jungle thickets and soon came to place with a small pond. We got to see huge caterpillar (almost 12-15 cms long), a Checkered Keelback (Asiatic water snake) and the beautiful Malabar Gliding frogs. It was a superb Day 1 and we could only be excited and wonder about what was coming for the next couple of days..!

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Day two started with a early breakfast; and we were off to Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. Its a good 1.5 hours journey from Tambdi Surla as we need to go via Chorla, cross Kankumbi checkpost and enter back into Goa and arrive at Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. Just as we got down on the vehicle we were greeted by Indian Burrowing frogs and a Common Wolf Snake. What came next was a steep descend to a stream and trek through the thick jungle filled with leeches. I did wear the leech socks still got a leech bite; another 1st timer for me :D. We also visited a view point from were we could see a magnificent waterfall right across the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Returning back to resort and ensuring we were leech free; we had lunch and rested for a while. It was evening time again and we were off for another night trail; this time in the jungle next to the Mahadev temple @ Tambdi Surla. As soon as this trail started; we could hear monkey’s giving alarm calls :D. We encountered snails, other insects and also a Burrowing frog (Red coloured) this time.

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Soon we reached a point were we had to cross a Knee-deep flowing stream. As the light was diminishing; the torches came out and so did all the nocturnal wildlife, the jungle was buzzing in full flow. We explored through a small trail and finally arrived at another stream. This is were we got to see a Prasadi Gecko, Scorpion and the Jog Night frog; also known as the Wrinkled frog. We were also lucky to see the eggs it had laid on a leaf and were ready to hatch with the tadpoles.

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After spending sometime here, we started our return journey. While returning we encountered the Hammerhead insect, and just as the trail was about to end; we were greeted by the Bronze-backed Tree snake. We reached back at our vehicle and started the return journey.. oh stop.. Ramesh exclaimed; and the vehicle was reversed for a good 30 meters, there it was.. the huge Brown Fish Owl. We returned back to resort and dozed off to sleep after a good dinner.

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It was the final day with  just a morning session at hand. As we arrived for the breakfast, Ramesh informed us there is a surprise.. and once everyone was done with their breakfast; the surprise was out; A Hump-nosed pitviper. Rest of time was spent exploring the resort property itself.. where we came across the Amboli Bush Frog, Common toad, Wasp with a Grasshopper kill and so on.

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Soon it was lunch time and our bags were packed, as we finally started our return journey with loads of memories and a promise to visit this place again. Oh and yes, there was a some bird activity as well; Malabar Parakeet, Crimson backed and Purple rumped Sunbirds, Loten’s Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Orange Minivet, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Lesser Flameback Woodpecker and so on. Post lunch, I personally had some free time when I headed to explore some place near my hometown Ponda and encountered a good number of Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, Orange-headed Ground thrush, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black-hooded Oriole, White-bellied Sea Eagle and more.

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Coming to Nature’s Nest; its surely one of the best places in Goa nestled very much into Nature.. just as the name suggests. The lovely homely delicacies, the completely natural feel, any nature lover just cant ask for anything more.

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As for the trip; as I mentioned right at the start, this is the closest I have felt with Nature. And what made it even more exciting was the Group. There was no limit to the knowledge shared by Ramesh, Satverg, Bhavesh and along with Yasmina, Yogesh, Dhaval, Mihir and Rajeev; we spent some wonderful times and enjoyed every bit of our trip. It was also good to catch-up with Pankaj and Omkar. Can’t wait to meet you guys again in December for the birding trip :D.

Being part of Wild-India team; every trip has been an experience to treasure with loads of memories and knowledge, best part being the like-minded folks we meet and end up being friends for life.

Thanks for reading. Let us know in-case of any queries, suggestions, critics and we will be happy to respond.

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– Rudraksha & Shraddha

Key Sightings:

Reptiles: Hump-nosed pitviper, Saw-scaled viper, Bronze-backed tree snake, Checkered Keelback, Common Wolf snake

Frogs: Jog Night frog (nyctibatrachus jog), Malabar Gliding frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus), Amboli Bush frog (Pseudophilautus amboli), Indian Burrowing frog (Sphaerotheca breviceps), Ornate narrow-mouthed frog (Microhyla ornata)

Birds: Crimson-backed Sunbird, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Lotens Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Malabar Parakeet, Common Woodshrike, Lesser Flameback, Malabar Pied and Malabar Grey Hornbills