Birding ! Driving ! Soul-searching !

A trip that was pending and in-plan for more than 3 years, finally came to fruition. Our primary birding happened only in South Andaman and our base camp was Port Blair. Although we also planned to visit the Little Andaman (for the Mandarin duck) but the ferry timing did not work out for us. In a way it was good, as we didn't have a single day that went without lifers.

Total Days of Birding: 8
Location: Only South Andaman
Total Lifers: 54
Guide Help: Shakti Vel
Place of Stay: Hotel Coral Cove, Port Blair

Some tips for birding enthusiasts:

Shakti is an amazing guide, young and enthusiastic. Knows his terrain well and is very hard working. There are other guides available for Andaman too, but we were very happy with Shakti on our side.
South Andaman is great for birding and if you want you can arrange your own stay as well, in your own choice of Hotel in Port Blair. It feels nice to be back to a good hotel after the gruelling day of hard work and trekking.
We stayed at Hotel Coral Cove which is a 4-star property right beside the airport. A great place to relax after birding. They are very particular about your needs and take care of your stay in the best possible manner.
Port Blair is completely commecialized, so 3 star properties are not worth it. They are unhygeinic and don't treat you well. Better avoid any kind of 3-star hotel stay.
Trekking is moderate but be ready for some hard work under the sun in humid weather.
Be prepared for rain and leaches - ponchos and leach guards are a must.
Visit to Nicobar or Little Andaman is advisable only if you have enough time in your hands (minimum 15 days). For South Andaman, a week long trip should be sufficient.
Better arrange for a chopper instead of ferry if you plan to go to other lesser known islands for birding (it will be expensive but you will save a lot of time)

Day 1:
Landed at Port Blair (thanks to direct flight from Hyderabad)
Day starts early in Andaman (almost every day at 4-30 AM) and ends late (almost 7 PM) as we do a lot of Owling after dark.
Total lifers spotted: 5
Location of birding: Around Sippighat Wetlands

Day 2:
Total lifers spotted: 11
Location of birding: Around Chidiyatapu and other common wetlands

Day 3:
Total lifers spotted: 9
Location of birding: Around Shoal Bay, Bambooflat and Sippighat Wetlands

Day 4:
Total lifers spotted: 6
Location of birding: Around Chidiyatapu and Badabalu beach

Day 5:
Total lifers spotted: 7
Location of birding: Around Shoal Bay Bambooflat

Day 6:
Total lifers spotted: 7
Location of birding: Around Mt. Harriet National Park

Day 7:
Total lifers spotted: 5
Location of birding: Around Chidiyatapu

Day 8:
Total lifers spotted: 4
Location of birding: Around Bambooflat