Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

After reading @xelas excellent TR a few years ago

I was intrigued and keen to explore part of the world where I had never been and where it appeared the bird life was abundant. It took a while to persuade the OH though. We have been to RSA in January for as long as I can remember and it has become a bit of a routine. The overnight flight and lack of jet lag make it a very enticing option, as well as the plethora of wildlife destinations and the opportunity to visit friends. Anyway, a few years of nagging later and he agreed! It had been planned for January 2018, but this put it right next to our Zimbabwe trip and the bank account would not stand for it, so two SANParks safaris later in 2018 allowed the coffers to expand enough to pay for the trip. To reassure the OH, it was designed entirely around wildlife and birding and this took considerable effort, as most TAs are used to delivery mixed tours of city, culture, National parks (primarily Yala or Wilpattu) and the beach and so they would try and slip in a cultural site here or a few days on the beach there, but I stood firm! We finalised our itinerary and decided to concentrate on the Southern half of the island, as although the distances appear small (especially in relation to RSA), the roads are not good and we did not wish to lose lots of extra time travelling. So it would be a clockwise circle:

 

Horathapola Estate, near Colombo, 1 night (TA would not allow us to go further after an international flight due to road conditions)

Then a day trip to  Muthurajawela on the Lebombo lagoon for birding en route to: 

Jetwing Warwick Gardens, near Horton Plains National Park, 2 nights

Gal Oya Lodge, near Gal Oya National Park, 3 nights

Yala National Park 5 nights (including a day trip to Bundala National Park due to lack of accommodation options near this park)

Rainforest Eco Lodge, in Sinharaja National Park, 2 nights

Staying with friends, Colombo, 1 night prior to flight home

 

With most drives being at least 4 hours and the longest was about 7 hours....

 

large.J19A9304.JPG.b4dd4edfa0f5b3cfd75dc

Edited by Tdgraves
extra photo
Posted

The flight options from the UK are direct with Sri Lankan or via the Middle east or India. Qatar had an excellent promotion on and we were able to fly business for only a fraction more than our premium economy flights to JNB usually cost, with the added bonus of their new QSuites on two out of the four flights. (If you have not seen these, have a look on Google, they are very impressive!). Our flight was at about 2 pm from Heathrow and the Qatar lounge is just as impressive as their aircraft. The downside being the flight when you are naturally tired, from Doha to Colombo is only 3.5 hours, which does not give much time for sleep. We sailed through the airport and were met by a driver who would only be driving today, our permanent driver would meet us the following day. For some reason I had totally misremembered the exchange rate and was surprised that only 4, presumably very high value notes were dispensed from the ATM (Sri Lanka has a closed currency so cannot be purchased outside of the country). When I double checked with the driver, it turned out that I had withdrawn about £12, so it was back to the ATM for us!! (This was after me having left my cash card at work the previous evening, necessitating an hours' round trip to collect it...)

 

The driver had been misinformed of our itinerary for the following day (he did not know about the birding trip) and so spent a considerable portion of the drive to our hotel on the phone to head office, trying to sort it out. Anyone a bit less clued up/more jetlagged may well have just agreed to the collection time and therefore missed a booked and paid for trip.

 

The hotel was a converted plantation house surrounded by paddy fields and other crops and was a much better option that the generic concrete Colombo hotels initially offered by the TA. In fact, our dinner here was the best of the entire trip. There are only about 5 or 6 rooms and there is a lovely swimming pool, so it makes a perfect beginning or end to a trip. The birdlife was prolific with many possible endemics and perhaps we would have done better with 2 nights there, but these things are always a compromise....

Posted

Day 1: Horathapola Estate, 18/1/19

 

A few birds from the balcony!

 

Green warbler

 

large.J19A7191.JPG.7a71293346c163cf59733

 

Purple-rumped sunbird

 

large.J19A7207.JPG.7d274a81eb7253fe75386

 

J19A7204.JPG

 

large.J19A7238.JPG.194f530430fe63e7d5c61

 

Asian brown flycatcher

 

large.J19A7198.JPG.719fbc9991aabebd04dab

 

Black-hooded oriole

 

large.J19A7222.JPG.4ba44ecf6a60c16884d13

 

After a quick nap, trying to acclimatise to the humidity and some lunch by the pool after a few laps, we thought we'd have a wander around the hotel gardens and plantation in search of birds. I used the 7D. The gardens themselves were the most productive

 

Common myna

 

large.J19A7271.JPG.48981941e3ab3c0288851

 

Indian paradise flycatcher

 

large.J19A7278.JPG.57a680ba7281ff5fd6dd6

 

large.J19A7299.JPG.cf4cbc8ca4cbed683a943

 

large.J19A7284.JPG.1c9c37151b46431cd9a4e

 

J19A7312.JPG

 

White-bellied drongo

 

large.J19A7324.JPG.035eca29a53bd3324f2d3

 

large.J19A7447.JPG.64ea5e1cb764c6cd99f8a

 

Scaly-throated munia

 

large.J19A7340.JPG.0d839e395b0f2b9a495b2

 

Indian roller

 

J19A7350.JPG

 

Yellow-billed babbler

 

large.J19A7355.JPG.43887e04fce0c762a0e65

 

large-billed crow

 

large.J19A7368.JPG.19beaaee2a38ae17c7459

 

the hotel appears to be used to birders as these were all after we had returned and were having a welcome cold drink. The waiter showed me the myna and then the manager took me off to see the barbet, finding others on the way!

 

Lesser hill myna

 

large.J19A7384.JPG.ee331a280d6b70030ed5f

 

Brown-headed barbet

 

large.J19A7411.JPG.2bc86a9ac079f41f510ac

 

Red-wattled lapwing

 

large.J19A7414.JPG.29b1b3c83173a9b5107f8

 

Sri Lankan paradise tailed flycatcher

 

large.J19A7460.JPG.2b4ca82e19615987527ee

 

large.J19A7426.JPG.46d95ab8f00db9eeb6e63

 

Scarlet minivet

 

large.J19A7451.JPG.73cb44bbeec7dd8e46dbf

 

Early to bed to compensate for the lost sleep of the previous travel day and for the early wake up the following day.

Posted

I’m really pleased you have started this - been looking forward to it after following your Big Year.

Posted

Thanks @TonyQ can only manage one thread at a time....

Posted

Perfect timing on this report @Tdgraves since I am planning a Sri Lanka trip for March 2020 right now.  As a matter of fact Horathapola Estate looks perfect for our 1st day which might be a "recovery" day to get used to the new time zone.  Not to mention that it appears to have great bird life as well.  Two Paradise Flycatcher species already!  It looks like a great place to stay.

 

I look forward to reading the rest of your report.

 

Alan

 

Posted

Nice! It is great to read another trip report from Sri Lanka, a beautiful country with excellent mix of culture and nature. Looking forward to find out how that othe birding location (Gal Oya) was.

 Was your driver also a birding expert? Which one was the local company you have used?

Posted

@xelas we booked via audley travel in the Uk. The driver was a tourist guide, not a birding expert, so we relied on the in camp guides 

Posted

Day 2, boat trip in the Lebombo lagoon, 19/1/19

 

It was an early wake up with coffee to go back towards Colombo for our boat trip. The hotel provided a packed breakfast and we met our permanent guide. We drove through the very busy fish market and along the coast before arriving at our destination, on the Hamilton canal. We had a small boat with driver and guide. Once they realised that we were into photography, they slowed down and we settled into a routine of stopping the engine and floating closer to our prey. This meant that the majority of the trip was in the canal, rather than in the lagoon. It was very relaxing. The canal is at the bottom of people's gardens and has a road alongside it, but this did not detract. I was again using the 7D

 

Our first new bird was spotted before we even got into the boat..

 

large.J19A7471.JPG.97e5fe36598f732ad1a03

 

white-breasted waterhen

 

large.J19A7482.JPG.7a15ce77648b14e5d6d48

 

large.J19A7485.JPG.5804b0d1216e10f2eac67

 

Rose-ringed parakeet

 

large.J19A7505.JPG.25428a6a9c4d7099915b9

 

Asian koel

 

large.J19A7513.JPG.d8f67493ef1f9ba21c61a

 

large.J19A7593.JPG.73f6ef81e6a34ad075258

 

Green-backed heron - this one I recognise!!

 

large.J19A7521.JPG.55b3c03abe9563c819758

 

large.J19A7564.JPG.2ddefc3cb515261a1f157

 

large.J19A7577.JPG.e8af79f9118cc69f9cfbf

 

Little cormorant

 

large.J19A7541.JPG.9e8c6ded46fb81a03b7b3

 

Blue-tailed bee-eater

 

large.J19A7556.JPG.817174517acbafb5283b9

 

large.J19A7583.JPG.16d6033f10606f80a0fa5

 

large.J19A7585.JPG.eb44cf48cb521139bb59a

 

White-throated kingfisher

 

large.J19A7573.JPG.51cf226c829208b755606

 

Purple-rumped sunbird

 

large.J19A7600.JPG.d26b66542b84e3b5251ef

 

large.J19A7615.JPG.a4352458f2014e8aa3bd9

 

White-bellied sea-eagle

 

large.J19A7625.JPG.68ef37bf738b9a0597336

 

large.J19A7633.JPG.c0d16e8a48433eec5a692

 

large.J19A7647.JPG.6ac09f142cc99066f49ea

 

Yellow bittern

 

large.J19A7659.JPG.3db7b7dada0b29581186f

 

large.J19A7667.JPG.e375413af6e924ee86408

 

another one I know - grey heron

 

the boatmen stopped us in the lagoon under the shade of some trees so that we could have breakfast (and they could have a rest). There was a little bit of open water, but once into the mangroves we felt alone again, apart from the fishermen

 

J19A7682

 

J19A7687

 

J19A7707

 

J19A7715

 

large.J19A7679.JPG.69a647aa308745226abdf

 

whiskered tern

 

large.J19A7699.JPG.ae5e1eb33523965f24a3a

 

Indian pond heron

 

large.J19A7727.JPG.6811990f7b249e6d4a419

 

some more familiar birds, barn swallows having a rest

 

large.J19A7729.JPG.3e560bff34c119f357b4a

 

Indian cormorant

 

large.J19A7733.JPG.bf9190f75d42e37eceec5

 

Little egret

 

Not bad for a couple of hours "work". We would highly recommend this trip. Bird photography is always easier from a boat. Now the longest drive of our trip, up into tea country, through Kandy. We caused our driver consternation, as we did not wish to stop for lunch or shopping, preferring to get to our destination ASAP. He eventually got used to it.....

Posted

Day 2, Colombo to Tea country, 19/1/19

 

We stopped en route a couple of times for bathroom breaks, but I think as we were worried about when these would be, we were both hesitant to drink too much water. As a consequence, we were dehydrated, exhausted and had headaches when we finally arrived at the hotel. The traffic in and around Kandy was awful and the 6 hour journey soon became over 7. I depressed myself by periodically checking google maps, whenever I was getting bored of being in the car. (Inclusive roaming is not necessarily a good thing :()

 

We stopped a tea factory for a break and I took the camera. Good job that I did, as I spotted an endemic bird, that we would not see again!

 

large.J19A7770.JPG.32b7353d16a70de518552

 

Sri Lanka hanging parrot

 

large.J19A7756.JPG.8ab4a27b1bdf6f4a22085

 

Jungle prinia

 

large.J19A7766.JPG.7958977f3958879df2959

 

Common kestrel (actually the first bird we spotted in Sri Lanka, as we had seen one on the runway as our flight was taxiing in, as well as another larger and unidentified raptor)

 

large.J19A7780.JPG.0aaaaa2d4faacf8993557

 

Spotted dove

 

J19A7779.JPG

 

Grey wagtail

 

J19A7763.JPG

 

House sparrow

 

And we were on the road again. Once we reached Nuwara Eliya, we thought "nearly there", not anticipating the slow progress made on the single track, winding tea country roads, especially when you meet a TukTuk!

 

Jetwing Warwick Gardens is a converted Tea Country house in a very similar style to out last hotel. It is set in some very British looking gardens, in the process of being restored, on the edge of a hill surrounded by tea plantations. The difference in climate was dramatic. It got very cold overnight (they had open fires burning in the dining room) and I was wearing jeans and a jumper, not a thin summer dress. There are only 5 rooms and dinner is communal, allowing us to meet and mingle with our fellow guests. As was common for the rest of the trip, the majority of these were from the UK, with some Europeans and Americans and on the last night, a couple from India. Dinner is not included but was the equivalent of £10 pp for three courses with several choices, including grilled meat or fish in the international style, as well curries. Again an early night to get over the travel and because it was an early start the following day to walk around Horton Plains, a trip which received much admiration from our fellow guests.

Posted

Colombo to Nuwara Elyia, that was one looooong drive! But the weather looked to be good.

offshorebirder
Posted

Thanks for this TR @Tdgraves.    You did well at your hotel right off the bat!    And looks like a couple of good days after that.

 

I look forward to following along.

 

Posted

Day 3, Horton Plains NP, 20/1/19

 

Our driver had arranged a "local guide" to take us on our hike around Horton Plains, quoting local knowledge etc. but I think that this was because of his intolerance of exercise!. Anyway, it worked in our favour as we had an enthusiastic expert, not a grumpy generalist! It was really cold and the hotel is only about 30 mins to the gate. As we completed the last few metres ascent, a ground frost became visible, very different to the humidity of our first night. Not far past the highest railway station in Sri Lanka, he stopped for some barely visible birds in the dark, not only that but they were the rare endemic Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon. This was a good start!

 

large.J19A7787.JPG.23bdf3ff502307276237d

 

Once we got into the park, there were a few creatures....

 

J19A7802

 

Sambar deer

 

J19A7813.JPG

 

large.J19A7822.JPG.8c56ec2987854f56b72c8

 

Pied bushchat

 

large.J19A7794.JPG.dcb691bc233067236c17b

 

large.J19A7835.JPG.fb9ad672bddcc4a8c5e26

 

Paddyfield pipit

 

376A2732

 

Sri Lanka jungle fowl (endemic)

 

There were quite a few vehicles gathering with tour groups of varying sizes. The park officials are very stringent at not allowing food into the park, or any plastic or other items that could potentially litter this world heritage site. I was impressed. There is an 9.5 km walking trail, which is vaguely circular and we took the clockwise route. People soon thinned out as everyone adjusted to their pace. I very rapidly dispensed with the hat and gloves as well as layers of clothing. It was a surprisingly difficult walk. The terrain was often uneven and rough and of course, as we were at 2500 metres, so kept stopping to catch our breath.

 

This was our first encounter with Chinese tourists and whilst I do not wish to cast generalisations, they did not stick to the rules. I wonder whether the signage or perhaps a leaflet could be published in Mandarin? We were looking at some distant Purple-faced leaf-eating monkeys when we heard a noise. A group of young Chinese tourists with their own theme tune, coming from a portable device, accompanied by loud conversation! Hopefully this does not reflect the behaviour of all tourists from this country, but I fear that it may. There were also lots of locals, who mainly arrived as we were coming to the end, as it was a Sunday and also a full moon day, which is a public holiday.

 

J19A7894.JPG

 

Sri Lanka yellow-eared bulbul (endemic)

 

large.J19A7888.JPG.fc6c3608f266ed6ed321a

 

Sri Lanka white-eye (endemic)

 

large.J19A7874.JPG.20c4c88aabd2dac8b74c3

 

large.J19A7881.JPG.4b8b7a3dbcb0ec0118bc4

 

Pale-billed flowerpecker

 

large.J19A7908.JPG.3ea3557e83de17a09bc78

 

Female jungle fowl

 

The views are what most people do the hike for and it is known as World's end. It is entirely weather dependent, but we were lucky. The cloud was descending as we left though....

 

376A2776

 

376A2787

 

376A2756

 

376A2751

 

Our guide spotted this near where we stopped for a toilet break

 

J19A7929

 

Rhino-horned lizard

 

and this guy was next to the entrance gate as we left...

 

J19A7953

 

Ruddy mongoose

 

This is the reason the park want you to leave food behind, this deer was tame and walked straight up to us, looking for a snack, which he didn't get!

 

J19A7963

 

We were amazed that a 6 mile walk took us four and a half hours and that was not with excessive photo stops for birds, as we actually saw fewer than I was expecting. It was actually quite hot when we left, so I can see the benefits of an early start, which also meant that the crowds were smaller, especially at the weekend. The packed breakfast in the car was very welcome but we also made space for lunch!

Posted
On 5/28/2019 at 12:11 PM, Tdgraves said:

not a grumpy generalist!

 

I think I will be self-driving (and mostly self-guiding) also on our next visit :D. After your description I am happy that we have not been lured to the World's End.

Posted
19 hours ago, xelas said:

 

I think I will be self-driving (and mostly self-guiding) also on our next visit :D. After your description I am happy that we have not been lured to the World's End.

 

@xelas you are a better man than I !!!??!! I have driven in four continents and definitely would NOT drive here. Far to stressful with all the hooting and tuk tuks....

Posted

Day 3, In hotel gardens, 20/1/19

 

Birding never stops - during lunch I spotted this munia....

 

large.J19A7976.JPG.8bfb1fdb3a4a9b918bcc8

 

I thought I'd have a wander around the gardens after lunch, but the clouds were descending and the light was not kind. I only spotted a couple....

 

large.J19A7969.JPG.d6649a075dfe37d22dc03

 

Red-vented bulbul

 

large.J19A7997.JPG.d2e8c21a2b1567bab3f67

 

large.J19A8009.JPG.947c661d84334dd299bb3

 

Oriental magpie-robin

 

Dinner and bed and a relative lie-in before setting off the following morning to Gal Oya, a leisurely 3-4 hour drive

Posted

wow a white morphed Indian FC!! and 2 FCs in one day. they are so much sought after here. 

 

Herman was actually researching a trip to SL for next month but the bombing happened and with fears that more bombs were planted nationwide he changed his plans. so now we both are heading to Perth to see relatives, and for birding, of course.

 

Your itinerary will be a most welcome template for us in the near future. 

 

:)

 

 

Posted

Day 4, Bird walk, Gal Oya Lodge, 21/1/19

 

This place had been recommended by our TA, when she heard that we wanted to focus purely on wildlife. I had never heard of it before. Gal Oya National Park is rarely visited, given its' proximity to the front line from the civil war. She was very enthusiastic about both the lodge and the park, as they had received many positive reviews. The drive had taken a bit longer than Google maps lead me to believe, as the driver did a 30 minute detour to a rest house that he knew, for us to use the bathroom...

 

The rooms are very familiar to those who have been to Africa. Wooden walls with thatched roofs and semi-outdoor bathrooms. They were very spacious and private. There was a small outdoor seating area which they had to keep the jungle from reclaiming! The aim of the owners is to be eco-friendly.

 

A few birds from the room on the 7D...

 

large.J19A8022.JPG.8ebd4225f48d36e5afd68

 

White-rumped munia

 

large.J19A8030.JPG.af318ab504ae1b9903d8f

 

large.J19A8036.JPG.5de4c70871bf8eeca3ff8

 

Small minivet

 

and on the walk up to the main lodge...

 

large.J19A8052.JPG.b0c1b9235ce97eefdbd88

 

large.J19A8048.JPG.983c5bdc5768273bb7691

 

Oriental white-eye

 

Having a bath in the pool...

 

large.J19A8068.JPG.6f33c62a2c98d257794ba

 

Tickell's blue flycatcher

 

large.J19A8074.JPG.33f511f7d3443314306cc

 

large.J19A8082.JPG.c03d66759959897101ac4

 

Sri Lanka green pigeon (endemic)

 

large.J19A8105.JPG.3453bf78af27ebc4688a0

 

Purple-rumped sunbird

 

large.J19A8109.JPG.72462d02158e4cf061334

 

large.J19A8119.JPG.42533949a7dc836c2617a

 

Blue-faced malkoha

 

And as we reached the lodge, the staff pointed out this, which was actually one of three, behind the main building...

 

large.J19A8040.JPG.b568dbbe3336af0b089fd

 

Malabar pied hornbill

 

I did think it odd that the activities were not included when we booked the trip, but there was a wide variety to choose from and we did not question this further. However, having left Horton Plains to be in Gal Oya early enough (we thought) for an afternoon activity, we were told that this was not possible. We would be able to go on a guided bird walk, with an unknown number of other guests. Hoh hum, what could we do but be philosophical? Given that the birds were a big part of the reason for the trip, this seemed like an OK compromise and the added bonus being that there was no additional charge for a bird walk. Initially we were told that no one else was joining us, but as the hour approached, it became apparent that this was not the case, however, it was a small group of around 8, including the naturalist (aka guide), who was excellent. Everyone was equipped with binoculars or cameras, so this was a good start. We walked to the front entrance of the lodge, where I saw a distant paradise flycatcher and then along the side boundary which lead to a tank. The bird life was indeed prolific. It was a bit annoying with a group as they were a bit slow, but once we got to the tank, we could all do our own thing.

 

J19A8122.JPG

 

large.J19A8127.JPG.02f72cfc162b6c6d3183f

 

Yellow-billed babbler

 

large.J19A8129.JPG.6460464fd10c2e897844a

 

Purple sunbird

 

large.J19A8132.JPG.667b94915281a97d6fe69

 

scaly-breasted munia aka bronze mannikin

 

large.J19A8146.JPG.480efecb1ea914740797d

 

Indian robin

 

large.J19A8150.JPG.0dc405524f73062bd83aa

 

Alexandrine parakeets

 

large.J19A8159.JPG.45be1fc34bdac16908b3f

 

Oriental darter

 

large.J19A8164.JPG.6358ab035f4ea8b2ffd87

 

Barn swallow

 

large.J19A8171.JPG.a87654cb8b16bf710ea5c

 

Small minivet female

 

large.J19A8176.JPG.ba89ab34a38dcf50f8546

 

large.J19A8344.JPG.88660ad60fbadfd718645

 

large.J19A8345.JPG.5516b0dc4beb7539b6e52

 

Zitting cisticola (their only cisticola!!)

 

large.J19A8182.JPG.6a1bdd800f0c035aee771

 

large.J19A8197.JPG.81b33aaa23456bc0053a9

 

large.J19A8203.JPG.fa724cdf570a8347176fa

 

Crimson-backed goldenback

 

large.J19A8239.JPG.7335a5c69bffb88d92623

 

large.J19A8247.JPG.fb6ac87ceab7ede100bb4

 

Brahiminy kite

 

large.J19A8263.JPG.38ad5fc5293bf892e623f

 

Great cormorant

 

large.J19A8266.JPG.3c2743100b5da9c5cad39

 

Whiskered tern

 

large.J19A8312.JPG.deb19271b8826b2478c3c

 

Plain prinia

 

large.J19A8348.JPG.e0c3fcbb985452af6cf5a

 

Jungle prinia

 

large.J19A8356.JPG.82c901fbabb500d0b7bc6

 

large.J19A8359.JPG.eff083afe2de50bcc21f9

 

Coppersmith barbet

 

As you can see, the light was a real challenge!

 

We were happy when we returned to the lodge. Our host had booked us onto a morning boat cruise and we got ready for dinner. We were therefore surprised at dinner that a naturalist approached us and asked us what we wanted to do the following day! "We are going on a boat cruise", we replied "that's not possible". Lots of too-ing and fro-ing later and it transpired that our young host (who had now completely vanished) had got his days wrong and had booked us in for the following day. Now, there was no space to do a boat cruise or a game drive, in either the morning or the evening, as the lodge likes to make them private activities (which is not mentioned anywhere on their printed materials) and therefore only has a limited number of vehicles and guides, which are taken on a first come, first served basis. We had chosen to stay here specifically on the advise of our TA and stayed 3 nights rather than the more usual 2, as we knew we would not do an activity on the last day, it being a long drive to Yala. So the whole point was that we would get 5 activities. It was now looking like we would get 2. Not happy. Dinner was understandably a stressful affair. There seemed nothing that the naturalist could do about it and our host was AWOL. So I had to ask for the manager. The OH was mortified, but I have learnt from our Zimbabwe trip that if no one knows there is an issue, then no one can fix it. He was extremely apologetic and tried to make a plan (being from Zim himself). It seemed as though another couple in the bar were not getting what they wanted (from the look on their faces). He approached them and came back with a solution. We would join them on their boat cruise and he would book a morning game drive and evening boat cruise for the following day as well. All sorted, eventually.....if the naturalist had not looked at the diary/rota, we would have had no idea and would have turned up at 5am to be extremely disappointed. Not the best start to a property, but at least it was now going to be OK.

 

:angry:

Posted

Day 5, Boat cruise, Gal Oya Lodge, 22/1/19

 

It was still dark when we set off. The lodge location was determined to be almost half way between the two National park entrance gates, one for game drives, the other for lake access. The government is in the process of adding an additional gate, very close to the lodge and there is likely to be more accommodation built nearby. We were very much the intruders on this activity. Although our boat mates tried to be gracious, they got to choose vehicle and boat positions and when they thought we had stayed too long in one position chasing that elusive shot, they made their feelings known. As we were in the second row in the boat, this did impact a bit on the photography, but we had not expected private activities and are used to this. The OH decided it was time for him to use the 7D, so I had the 5D. As is always the way, the action happens when there is no light....

 

large.J19A8366.JPG.837f7ccd040dde4aa0fd9

 

large.376A2917.JPG.e8e38e4916bfb9c2c76b8

 

large.376A2974.JPG.8acdd2004a24c0e3a2a59

 

a white-bellied sea eagle with catch!

 

large.376A2986.JPG.8afb26d15192215794f07

 

376A2943

 

and then our first elephant!

 

376A2948

 

and a croc

 

376A3040

 

some local fishermen

 

376A3117

 

and lots of birds

 

large.376A3019.JPG.f73ca67ae1433da100e91

 

large.376A3031.JPG.de7749ee807de2b726330

 

large.376A3045.JPG.ec6f6cd9579fbc3f7502d

 

large.376A3053.JPG.479e72d19144bfa74c152

 

large.376A3062.JPG.2f3b3a63edca701ead450

 

large.376A2962.JPG.5c3596c8143cfca416ecd

 

large.376A2959.JPG.ed5b9e86d4a30bd83a57e

 

large.376A3066.JPG.c7055dc873f072416a313

 

large.376A3068.JPG.0b9d32a670a2646242ab2

 

large.376A3069.JPG.93cf5573142ac99e2490d

 

large.376A3076.JPG.c3a21f460921b49fbd014

 

large.376A3091.JPG.d14daffcc1becb7ab4d43

 

large.376A3111.JPG.6e19deedcf62f784343ee

 

large.376A3115.JPG.a99003f4490df119b04bc

 

large.376A3125.JPG.52284480122e52cedec4b

 

large.376A3126.JPG.d96c5371e51d1573fa877

 

large.376A3128.JPG.bd5ac8f6d72ff938dbb0c

 

large.376A3156.JPG.7e5bd350ca99a1ea2815d

 

large.376A3161.JPG.ae607c6e8056b7c287a12

 

We had breakfast on an island, which broke the ice. It transpires that they had pre-booked their excursions, so it was understandable why they were annoyed. However, the atmosphere did lift

 

large.376A3167.JPG.ce5825ea89df9d0c9a4c2

 

large.376A3170.JPG.7dea94711282e7aaa7b74

 

The last bird we saw was on the tank wall, on the way out!

 

large.376A3179.JPG.cd12b4c6e2d29cf7c771c

 

large.376A3184.JPG.7e90e32a4c331954adb13

 

All in all, a pretty good boat trip.

Posted (edited)

So glad to hear it worked out and you got the boat cruise.  Hopefully no more  such disruptions for the rest of the trip....

 

Edited by Kitsafari
Posted

Day 5, Bird walk, Gal Oya Lodge, 22/1/19

 

First a bit of armchair birding on our patio...

 

large.J19A8590.JPG.95bc88b0b011866a54995

 

Purple sunbird

 

large.J19A8599.JPG.220953c3796600b09f198

 

large.J19A8603.JPG.77771e6b6d85781227881

 

Sri Lanka paradise flycatcher

 

large.J19A8605.JPG.76ba6249312a1844821c3

 

large.J19A8609.JPG.c3dbfd61a6eed54f30b83

 

Black-capped bulbul

 

large.J19A8616.JPG.44fd299789d670a3ade95

 

Black-naped monarch

 

Walking up to the lodge...

 

large.J19A8630.JPG.8bb45780d0fc31e5a1324

 

Green imperial pigeon

 

There were more people for the bird walk today and the lodge manager joined us, as he is a keen birder. Initially, the three of us were going separately to make up for the booking issues, but it ended up with the slow half being lead by the naturalist and the rest with us. The overhead conditions were worse today and we saw fewer birds, but it was nice to have a walk.

 

376A3244.JPG

 

large.376A3195.JPG.9b0b01f52b4de9f253f32

 

large.376A3212.JPG.562660d41b558eebee0b4

 

large.376A3240.JPG.4b9e9ec9255bc5a0d793e

 

Grey-breasted prinia

 

large.376A3255.JPG.57e1320dd63ed249bef5c

 

Local fisherman

 

376A3234

 

Back for a much more relaxed dinner!!

Posted

Day 6, Morning game drive, Gal Oya NP, 23/1/19

 

It is approximately a 45 minute drive to either park gate. What they fail to mention, is that the turning to the game drive part of the park may well be a 45 minute drive, however, progress on the muddy, corrugated "road" to get to the actual gate and then the formalities once we had arrived, meant that the game drive only officially started 2 hours after we left the lodge. No wonder there was no time for an activity on our arrival.The terrain is very difficult and due to the high rainfall, very green. Even before the civil war, this park was rarely visited and so any wildlife that you may encounter is most certainly NOT habituated to vehicles. Good job we like birds then.....

 

I had the 7D today.

 

large.J19A8667.JPG.5f0dc6415a1ad38fc6e4f

 

large.J19A8668.JPG.059066fb33daaf162cd52

 

Jeardon's bush lark

 

I think our naturalist was pleased to have a birder on board and took it as a personal challenge, however, many of the species he spotted flew off and were either not seen by us or just as a blur. I managed to catch a few of these on camera, but the dense vegetation did not much help! We did see a variety of birds including some endemics and given we were in a private vehicle, could set our own pace

 

large.J19A8720.JPG.74cf00e79be2047b027ee

 

Jungle bush quail

 

large.J19A8696.JPG.3a5cae924a4709e007ad6

 

Crested treeswifts

 

large.J19A8756.JPG.4996b427b594d15be4997

 

Sri Lanka Emerald-collared parakeet (endemic) 

 

large.J19A8758.JPG.d06c40a9fd16a5580b303

 

Common iora

 

And finally a mammal...grizzled giant squirrel

 

 

J19A8768

 

We (the lodge) had brought breakfast and we were very pleased to have it. It was set up on a "beach" at the side of a very fast flowing river with a little falls and of course then the sun came out, so it got quite hot. Breakfast was most welcome though...

 

 

376A3278

 

on the way back up the hill to the car, our guide spotted this bird in the bushes, it was very accommodating whilst I changed my camera settings....

 

large.J19A8782.JPG.45ef3c0a85a6af6b2887e

 

Brown-bellied flycatcher

 

We did see some far away monkeys on our way back towards the gate, but I now cannot remember if they were langurs or macaques...

 

large.J19A8911.JPG.c37672d06aa89ef2606f0

 

Crimson-backed flameback

 

Our driver got out at the gate to do the paperwork so we also got out of the vehicle to stretch our legs. There were lots of large trees and we and the naturalist immediately started spotting birds. It reminded me a bit of a Kruger camp with the shaded high tree canopy of lots of different species of trees. As it was the entrance, they were a bit more amenable and we had an enjoyable additional hours' activity where I would respond to "Madam" being called from different directions, to see what each tree contained!

 

large.376A3290.JPG.1d207099810a0cd961c9b

 

Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker

 

large.J19A8811.JPG.e6b9c754cc3e8348f4484

 

large.J19A8824.JPG.0557ed4572fc2ca404164

 

(Fork-tailed) drongo cuckoo

 

large.J19A8831.JPG.68f1a55d51218cd04a356

 

 Banded bay cuckoo

 

large.J19A8852.JPG.b8360195f2ab4a23c8d16

 

 Velvet-fronted nuthatch

 

large.J19A8838.JPG.a310aa6899629f1c3c968

 

Sri Lanka woodshrike (endemic)

 

large.J19A8892.JPG.4cd84e11069e0c317454f

 

large.J19A8896.JPG.a8ed2fd39a2c3f6bab9d6

 

Sri Lanka grey hornbill (endemic)

 

large.J19A8906.JPG.d989a2418805328fdb39b

 

large.J19A8908.JPG.a56cc37f5a5b0fb52c360

 

Tickell's blue flycatcher

 

A very enjoyable mornings' birding, however, I may have been less impressed of it as a "game drive" if we did not like birds and photography. Time to endure the long drive back to the lodge, this time in the midday heat....

Posted

Day 6, Evening boat cruise, Gal Oya NP, 23/1/19

 

Again this afternoon, I think the naturalist was pleased to have someone who was interested in birds and they were very amenable to looking for us, especially as we had the potential to reach 100 for the trip in the afternoon, which we managed. The cloud cleared and it was a lovely afternoon.

 

large.J19A8965.JPG.a452405b55d42245f8a1c

 

large.J19A8982.JPG.1cb470f951866946fe485

 

J19A8984

 

J19A8994

 

large.J19A9002.JPG.e823b2c3fe1521104a2cf

 

large.J19A9013.JPG.8236b62e3cd1c26e8fb75

 

J19A9027.JPG

 

large.J19A9030.JPG.2b073e77f02ea88746ef0

 

large.J19A9040.JPG.22a71c57608cf47ddbe0b

 

large.J19A9056.JPG.f543d6fc0aca31e3f8d9b

 

large.J19A9061.JPG.56276bac2edee1e1f27eb

 

large.J19A9079.JPG.3a8bda45510a69eaa7b77

 

large.J19A9093.JPG.d859f9a8889a4e1c11212

 

large.J19A9101.JPG.375703a213b98120e8100

 

large.J19A9107.JPG.04f036f440cf9e57ac543

 

large.J19A9111.JPG.ed76891aead067d61a527

 

large.J19A9123.JPG.58cdc5142b193baa7fbdb

 

large.J19A9126.JPG.8a8e138ac5e7ab6319a08

 

A herd of elephants was flanked by a herd of feral cows, an increasing issue in Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka

 

J19A9143

 

J19A9170

 

large.J19A9157.JPG.d895a0f2a2f89f321dc6f

 

large.J19A9173.JPG.c7f617ba6351afbc84a78

 

large.J19A9177.JPG.2f1028001794e8f3c1baf

 

large.J19A9201.JPG.7b5d4a4aa07dd080bb406

 

And we had some nice close sightings in the golden light...

 

large.J19A9239.JPG.18cf98f349c34d6b1851c

 

large.J19A9253.JPG.0f1f3427557756a011b68

 

large.J19A9254.JPG.035b7166da007f3172652

 

large.J19A9260.JPG.266769da4e5df45ec3a5d

 

large.J19A9267.JPG.94357cd67199a0b7a7b2a

 

Spot-billed pelicans

 

large.J19A9275.JPG.252940d4c631f6cf82a17

 

large.J19A9281.JPG.aa843fd2456c6ebf60fcb

 

large.J19A9293.JPG.dde807a51141f70751765

 

large.J19A9298.JPG.36066ac1094556e68d4db

 

large.J19A9304.JPG.b4dd4edfa0f5b3cfd75dc

 

large.J19A9306.JPG.5c8c98fa8a7593abc4d69

 

large.J19A9310.JPG.4918a39797f9d6f02dd34

 

large.J19A9312.JPG.c72d63f1de01d56ba2273

 

large.J19A9315.JPG.3ec94b49c26f16a2973a9

 

Painted storks

 

large.J19A9319.JPG.9e18745e2efd7330f4212

 

large.J19A9325.JPG.2b2826790e22921534016

 

large.J19A9336.JPG.913181128037574326ac3

 

large.J19A9337.JPG.52aa6400136d74c92910d

 

A lovely end to our stay in Gal Oya

Posted

Day 7, Evening game drive, Leopard Trails, Yala NP, 24/1/19

 

As we had no activity planned this morning, to ensure that we could get an afternoon game drive in when we got to Yala, we had a relative lie in, which was nice. Breakfast was quiet and then we were off. Although it was a long drive, we had less problems with traffic and arrived at about the time we expected, which was a first! The road actually goes past some the entrances to the lesser visited sections of the park (Yala NP being split (for humans) into 5 separate blocks) and therefore it is possible to see game en route. The one animal we saw, was the elephant which had learnt that people passing in buses (generally going on pilgrimages to religious sites) would offer treats as they passed "the toll" as it was known. This was usually fruit, however some people specifically purchase sugar cane for this purpose. This is strictly forbidden, but difficult to police, especially with the Buddhist religion. The road also passes through a relatively large town, with plenty of tourism infrastructure. Leopard trails is based about a 20 minute drive outside of the park (like all camps) and is close the the newer northern gate to Yala block 1. This theoretically means fewer vehicles in the area, especially when you arrive early, but we would see on a couple of drives that if game was sparse in the south, it would not take long for those vehicles to migrate northwards, especially if the bush telegraph told of spotty cats...

 

As we were staying a long time (5 nights) we had been upgraded at the time of booking to their luxury safari tent, which is much larger, with more outdoor space and privacy as well as air conditioning!!???! I'm not sure how they manage it, but it was very welcome as it was hot and humid for our entire stay....

 

Leopard trails is based on an African safari camp and so would be very familiar to STers. They have links with Londolozi in Sabi Sands, including a guide exchange program and it shows. The guiding is professional (unlike some of the behaviour we would later witness). There is a separate driver, mainly by virtue of the design of the vehicles. They appeared to be converted pickups, so the cab was enclosed (importantly, with air conditioning...) with the familiar covered safari arrangement on the back. This meant that our guide was in the back with us. There was a maximum of 6 seats per vehicle (the front 3 rows with single seats), but there were just 4 of us in our vehicle. The other couple arrived the same day as us, having come from the states, via Uganda and then on to the Maldives! They were only staying 2 nights, which seemed about average, with some only staying 1 night, so we saw many comings and goings in our 5 night stay!

 

Yala is surrounded by a buffer zone which I think is designated as a regional park, so without the entrance fees/gate times, but giving the game a bit more space, so there was always the chance of a sighting for 5kms or so before we officially entered the park at the gate. In fact, we had what turned out to be one of our better elephant sightings in this area on this first drive. I had the 5D again today.

 

376A3389

 

376A3404

 

376A3405

 

376A3410

 

It was exceedingly hot when we were not moving and I got completely fried by the sun (being on the "wrong" side of the vehicle) in just a few minutes. Time to get into the park! Fees need to be paid and paperwork completed, which gives time for a short pit stop to use the facilities and then we were off...

 

376A3425

 

It wasn't just me that was hot!

 

376A3436

 

376A3441

 

376A3460

 

376A3468

 

Ruddy mogoose

 

376A3472

 

376A3474

 

376A3476

 

376A3479

 

376A3481

 

376A3493

 

376A3503

 

376A3506

 

J19A9383

 

As you can see, the sun was rapidly setting and it was time to hot foot it to the gate (whilst sticking to the speed limit). The park's authority are very strict about this and there is usually a procession of vehicles all aiming to get to the gate at the stroke of 6 o'clock. After using the facilities, it was time to leave and we got the impression that they were disappointed at not providing a leopard on our first drive. We hadn't been going long when our driver stopped and pointed to the bough of a large tree - a leopard!

 

376A3535

 

By now it really was quite dark and the camera gives the false impression of more light (this was taken at ISO 10000). With our eyes we could see limbs only...and then it decided to get up and cross the road in front of us

 

376A3549

 

This was the best shot I managed, hurriedly asking them to put the headlights on as it crossed (which it later transpired they are not supposed to). What a start! We all congratulated our driver and guide on their excellent spotting abilities, but it turned out that she often slept in that tree, so they routinely check the branches whenever they pass. Oh well, who cares?

Posted

Day 8, Morning game drive, Leopard Trails, Yala NP, 25/1/19

 

As being positioned at the front of the queue at the gates is very advantageous in the mornings, our guide encouraged us to leave camp at 5 am, so that we could be as close to the front of the queue as possible. It was a little chilly going at full speed in the dark for 20 minutes or so, but tempered by the fact we could have a leisurely coffee at the gate once we arrived. We were not at the front of the queue, but second and as luck would have it, the vehicle at the front was driven ahead by a guide who would meet his clients there. Unfortunately, they did not arrive on time, so we were first after all!! The park will "randomly" place staff members in vehicles in order to assess adherence to the rules and also to sort out traffic jams and disputes on the scene. We quickly worked out that our vehicle was always selected. This was due to the combination of the staff getting on with our driver and guide, functional air conditioning, cool drinks and biscuits left over from morning coffee! This meant that we had the moral authority if there were traffic issues and also another highly trained pair of eyes for leopard tracking. We headed straight to the spot where a leopard carcass had been seen yesterday and were in luck, a mother and cub were there. But they were really camera shy...the cub just ran off into the bush, this was the mother.

 

I had the 5D again today

 

376A3552

 

376A3566

 

And one from the OH on the 7D that he was particularly pleased with

 

J19A9492

 

This was the best we managed after staying quite a while and as other vehicles wanted access, we were happy to move on to see what else the park would have in store for us

 

376A3575

 

a ruddy mongoose looking for breakfast

 

376A3584

 

our first Eurasian hoopoe

 

J19A9513

 

The weather was looking great. We worked our way southwards and the roads got noticeably busier. We went past a tank, a lagoon and another smaller body of water, so there were lost of birds...

 

376A3586

 

376A3595

 

376A3596

 

376A3610

 

376A3612

 

376A3614

 

376A3622

 

one of our only spotted deer sightings

 

376A3626

 

376A3636

 

376A3654

 

376A3659

 

376A3666

 

376A3673

 

376A3676

 

376A3679

 

376A3690

 

376A3700

 

Our first wild boar sighting - indian boar

 

376A3702

 

376A3719

 

376A3704

 

376A3708

 

376A3713

 

Back to camp for breakfast, 2 for 2 on the leopard sightings!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy