Chorao
India /
Goa /
Serula /
World
/ India
/ Goa
/ Serula
World / India / Goa / North Goa
island, village
Chorao is one of the twin islands where the 77km long Mandovi river empties into the Arabian Sea. The island holds an 11,000-strong village and is a throwback to Goa's idyllic past. Perfect for a pre-dawn visit to the tucked-away 440 acres of the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, the only one of its kind in Goa.
At the Chorao church, he turns up on a black scooter that has the word 'BIRD' emblazoned on the side. "Park the car. Do NOT get off! Dogs everywhere! I'll get the boat there." Sure enough, village mongrels sniff out the newcomers.
We hop into a blue canoe, moored to a rough pier and wipe off dew from our seat planks. The river runs wide, half the length of a football field, our lungs burst with the freshness. The waters are serene like green-grey lava, thick. Right off we notice that there are birds perched on branches along the mangroves. There's some village human life here, plenty of fish, and an untrammeled bird refuge.
Birdman throws a fact our way; mangroves have been expanding steadily and have been "narrowing the river".
There are crocodiles in this river. The river runs to a depth of 7 to 10 metres, and is a fertile fishing ground — red snappers, crabs, prawns, crocs, mudskipper fish and otters are regular. The crocs are cooling off somewhere in the depths and surface only to sun-bask to digest meals. He's seen as many as 17 muggers in one trip during the summer, and as recently as December 2015, he's spotted 10 crocs — a rarity for the cold weather.
Birdman frequently points to both sides of the river bank; he's hawk-eyed. A black-headed ibis is admiring the river. Faint daylight is out and a stork-billed kingfisher appears on the scene.
Cormorants, the dive-bombing bird-hunters of the river, also show up. They swoop from aerial heights to dive in to the river to nail loose fish. They can reach as deep as 45m below the surface. A greenshank, sandpiper, wagtail, and a tight formation of parakeets glide the river's breadth. Crows slug it out with brahminy kites in an aerial battlefield. Birdman spots a swallow about a mile away. You try to keep up with Birdman, he jabs a finger at a tiny branch where a pond heron sits.
Also around are little green herons, so little that the name sticks. Then there's a spotted dove and red-whiskered bulbuls.
Chorao is beginning to see the first signs of new-fangled tourism development — a large hotel project is coming up on khazan lands. There are a few wealthy outsiders with summer houses and speed boats in Chorao. Birdman cuts the machine and scoops out a plastic bag from the river. He squarely blames this on offshore casinos in Panaji.
At the Chorao church, he turns up on a black scooter that has the word 'BIRD' emblazoned on the side. "Park the car. Do NOT get off! Dogs everywhere! I'll get the boat there." Sure enough, village mongrels sniff out the newcomers.
We hop into a blue canoe, moored to a rough pier and wipe off dew from our seat planks. The river runs wide, half the length of a football field, our lungs burst with the freshness. The waters are serene like green-grey lava, thick. Right off we notice that there are birds perched on branches along the mangroves. There's some village human life here, plenty of fish, and an untrammeled bird refuge.
Birdman throws a fact our way; mangroves have been expanding steadily and have been "narrowing the river".
There are crocodiles in this river. The river runs to a depth of 7 to 10 metres, and is a fertile fishing ground — red snappers, crabs, prawns, crocs, mudskipper fish and otters are regular. The crocs are cooling off somewhere in the depths and surface only to sun-bask to digest meals. He's seen as many as 17 muggers in one trip during the summer, and as recently as December 2015, he's spotted 10 crocs — a rarity for the cold weather.
Birdman frequently points to both sides of the river bank; he's hawk-eyed. A black-headed ibis is admiring the river. Faint daylight is out and a stork-billed kingfisher appears on the scene.
Cormorants, the dive-bombing bird-hunters of the river, also show up. They swoop from aerial heights to dive in to the river to nail loose fish. They can reach as deep as 45m below the surface. A greenshank, sandpiper, wagtail, and a tight formation of parakeets glide the river's breadth. Crows slug it out with brahminy kites in an aerial battlefield. Birdman spots a swallow about a mile away. You try to keep up with Birdman, he jabs a finger at a tiny branch where a pond heron sits.
Also around are little green herons, so little that the name sticks. Then there's a spotted dove and red-whiskered bulbuls.
Chorao is beginning to see the first signs of new-fangled tourism development — a large hotel project is coming up on khazan lands. There are a few wealthy outsiders with summer houses and speed boats in Chorao. Birdman cuts the machine and scoops out a plastic bag from the river. He squarely blames this on offshore casinos in Panaji.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 15°31'20"N 73°52'33"E
- Santo Estêvão (Jua) Island - Ilha Verde 6.3 km
- Quelossim 14 km
- Honda Sattari Goa 18 km
- Loutolim 19 km
- Verna 19 km
- Nuvem 20 km
- Swamyrangam 22 km
- Raia 23 km
- Curtorim 27 km
- Coulmelvoy 29 km
- Diwar Island 1.8 km
- Divar Island 2.9 km
- Gera Developers New Project 3.5 km
- Navelcar Hill City 3.9 km
- Vanxim 4 km
- Old Goa or Velha Goa 4.2 km
- New Panjim/ Kadamba Plateau 4.2 km
- Bardez Taluka 9 km
- Goa 13 km
- Bicholim Taluka 16 km
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