An active mammal watcher's guide to the birds of Sri Lanka

[kittykat23uk]

An active mammal watcher's guide to the birds of Sri Lanka

 

Some people may recall my trip report “a lazy bird photographer’s guide to the mammals of Ecuador '' in which my friend Eric and I spent a lovely couple of weeks photographing hummingbirds, toucans and tanagers, as well as finding a bunch of mammals in Ecuador with a private guide, Francisco. That was a trip that was arranged in place of our original plans to go to Sri Lanka in March last year which was postponed due to the economic crisis that we saw on the news at the time and the advice from FCDO to avoid travel. As it happened, the situation on the ground was probably not as bad as the news/government made out but better safe than sorry and in fact I used the March 2023 slot in my calendar to head to Tassie with @ElaineAust 

 

Fast forward to March 2024 and we were finally able to make the trip. We booked with Chinthaka of Wildlife Expeditions who seemed to get good reviews on mammalwatching.com. I had a few key targets for this trip and Chin seemed to have a good track record of finding them, thee being, Fishing cat, Rusty spotted cat and Indian Pangolin. 

 

My other desire for the trip was to snorkel with blue whales, and in the early stages of planning Chin had provided assurance that he had all the right contacts in place to organise the required permits so that we could have a chance of doing this activity. We also hoped to see a good range of birds and other mammals.

 

With this in mind we agreed to the following itinerary:

 

Date	Day	Location & activity	Accommodation
2/2/24	0	Flight depart 20:40 London Heathrow (LHR) terminal 3 DURATION 10:25 SriLankan Airlines (UL 504)
3/2/24	1	Arrive at 12:35 Colombo Bandaranaike International (CMB)  and drive to Mirissa. Afternoon leisure at the beach.	Paradise Beach Club
4/2/24	2	Morning Whale watching tour and optional snorkelling session.	Paradise Beach Club
5/2/24	3	Morning drive to Thissamaharama, check in to the hotel at lunch time.   Evening birding at Tissa wetlands, looking for water birds and other wildlife.   After dinner night drive by jeep, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Kithala Resort in Yala- note this is what was specified in the itinerary. We actually stayed at Oak Ray Wild Yala hotel instead
6/2/24	4	Full day visit Yala National Park jeep safari	Kithala Resort in Yala. We actually stayed at Oak Ray Wild Yala hotel instead
7/2/24	5	Morning proceed to Sinharaja. Afternoon visit Singharaja Rainforest looking for wet lowland forest birds, butterflies and other wildlife.   And night walk outside the forest for search nocturnal mammals.	Martin’s lodge in Sinharaja
8/2/24	6	Full day at Sinharaja Rainforest, looking for wet lowland forest birds, butterflies and other wildlife.   And night walk outside the forest to search for nocturnal mammals.	Martin’s lodge in Sinharaja
9/2/24	7	Morning leave for Kitulgala. Afternoon visit Kitulgala rainforest. Looking for wet lowland forest birds including endemics and nocturnal birds. Also butterflies, forest mammals and other wildlife.   After dinner our first night walk in Kitulgala forest to search nocturnal mammals.	Kitulgala Rest House in Kitulgala
10/2/24	8	Full day at Kitulgala rainforest.	Kitulgala Rest House in Kitulgala
11/2/24	9	Morning after breakfast drive to Nuwara Eliya. Afternoon visit forest patch near Nuwara Eliya to find highland mammals & birds including endemics.	Hotel Blackpool in Nuwara Eliya
12/2/24	10	Early morning proceed to Horton Plains National Park on further higher up in the hills, the park consists of grasslands and cloud forest in higher cool climatic conditions, looking for highland open country and forest birds including endemics, and also butterflies, highland forest mammals and other wildlife.	Hotel Blackpool in Nuwara Eliya
13/2/24	11	Morning leave for Kandy, check in at a hotel in Kandy by lunch time, for one night. Afternoon birding at the hotel garden, the garden is good for some common birds in the area including endemic Ceylon Small (Crimson-fronted) Barbet and Lesser Hill-Myna. And night walk to search for mammals.	Hotel Tree of Life in Kandy
14/2/24	12	After breakfast drive to Sigiriya, checking at lunch time. Afternoon visit Sigiriya Forest, looking for forest birds and other wildlife.   After dinner night drive by jeep, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Sigiriya Village hotel in Sigiriya
15/2/24	13	Full day birding around Sigiriya Forest, looking for forest birds and other wildlife.   After dinner night drive by jeep, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Sigiriya Village hotel in Sigiriya
16/2/24	14	Full day birding around Sigiriya Forest, looking for forest birds and other wildlife.   After dinner night drive by jeep, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Sigiriya Village hotel in Sigiriya
17/2/24	15	After breakfast drive to Wilpattu. If time permits wildlife watching in the surrounding camp area, consisting of dry forest in dry climatic conditions. Looking for mammals, waterbirds, dry lowland open country and forest birds including some endemics. Also butterflies, and other wildlife.   After dinner our first night drive by jeep at outside the national park, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Free upgrade to Wilpattu Tree House Hotel   (was originally supposed to be Wilpattu Safari Camp)
18/2/24	16	Full day at Wilpattu National Park consists of wetlands, scrublands and forest in dry climatic conditions. Looking for mammals, waterbirds, dry lowland open country and forest birds. Also butterflies, and other wildlife.   After dinner our second night drive by jeep outside the national park, searching for nocturnal mammals and birds.	Wilpattu Tree House Hotel
19/2/24	17	Morning drive at Wilpattu National Park, drive to beach near Colombo to overnight	Beach hotel near Colombo (turned out to be Goldi Sands Beach Hotel, Negombo)
20/2/24	18	12:55 Colombo Bandaranaike International (CMB) 19:10 London Heathrow (LHR) terminal 3 DURATION 11:45 SriLankan Airlines (UL 503)

 

Pre trip notes

 

As mentioned above, Chin has received good reviews on mammalwatching.com, however, I think I got a little confused about the company he represented. Jason, who organised our Namibian trip had recommended a guide called “Adi” of Bird and Wildlife Team to me during the early stages of planning and I think I might have come unstuck as the email that Chin uses is wildlifeteam@sltnet.lk. So I think I might have assumed that this was one and the same company, however the quote was headed “Wildlife Expeditions”. When I later questioned Chin he said to me that he was one of the founders of Bird and Wildlife Team and that he has since set up independently. I haven’t attempted to corroborate this statement. 

 

I also asked Chin if we could fit in getting me some new varifocals sorted out whilst we were there and as it happened he had good connections to a local opticians. In preparation I sent over my prescription.

Edited May 20 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

Day 1 In flight to Paradise Beach Club Mirissa

 

Unlike Ecuador, we had no issues with our direct flight to Colombo and everything went very smoothly. Chin and his driver Suresh were there waiting for us and we were soon on our way towards Mirissa. We made a stop at an opticians en route, which not only gave me a chance to get my glasses ordered but we also had our first mammal of the trip, Western Purple-faced Langur (leaf monkey) right next to the opticians.  The Purple-faced Langur is divided into four different races across the island, some of which look quite distinct, and we hoped to see representatives of each race on our journey. Our transport was a minibus and our driver Suresh was excellent and we felt very safe in his hands. We soon found that Chin sat up front with Suresh and mostly chatted to him as we drove between locations, throughout our tour. We frequently found we were having to always be the ones to initiate conversation and ask for information, and it was quite hard to build rapport with this guide, unlike Francisco who always kept us informed and with whom the conversation flowed easily. 

 

Western Purple-faced Langur (leaf monkey) - By Eric Sills by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We checked into Paradise Beach Club, but by the time we reached Mirissa it was already getting on towards dusk, so there wasn’t much time to explore the local area. Eric went for a walk along the beach whilst I enjoyed the pool. We then met up with Chin for dinner and to discuss the plans for our whale watching excursion the next day. At most of the larger resort places we stayed, food was generally either buffet style (breakfasts/dinners which included a variety of local and international cuisines of varying quality) or a choice of three or four main lunch options with a couple of options for starters and desserts. Soup seemed to be served most lunchtimes in addition to starters. 

 

IMG_20240203_200603 Paradise beach club by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240204_065517 View from room at Paradise Beach Club by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We timed this trip to hopefully coincide with peak time for blue whales. However a friend of mine who also organises tours to Sri Lanka had advised that blue whale sightings had been down in recent years. At dinner, Chin also confirmed that only a couple of blue whales had been seen recently and worse, the coastguards were not permitting snorkelling trips at all! Before we arrived Chin had not been particularly forward with me about the prospects of the snorkelling tour. It had pretty much gone from “yes I can definitely arrange”, to “yes, but it’s extra cost” and when pressed he did not confirm how much extra it was, to now “no, it’s not allowed any more and by the way the chances of even seeing the whales are not too good”.   Now given that this was a key priority for this tour, and an extension that was costed separately, at a price of US$ 670.00 per person, sharing a twin room, on full board basis, I was getting the feeling that I might have made a mistake with booking this part of the tour! 

Edited May 17 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

Day 2 Mirissa whale watching

 

Chin advised us that we had time to grab breakfast before heading to the harbour to board our boat. As we ate we saw many other boats departing the harbour and I wondered whether we were making the right decision to leave it a bit later or not.. Chin had arranged a private boat for us. He then told us that, since it was a private boat, and we were only two people, that he had invited some of his photographer friends along to fill it. Whilst we were not unhappy at the prospect of having other people join us on the boat, given that more eyes might be useful to help us spot the whales, I was left wondering about whether we were either paying for his mates to effectively get free passage on the boat, or if he was charging them on the side? Given it was so early on in the trip I didn’t want to create a bad atmosphere by raising it as an issue with him, but it didn’t really sit too well with me, especially since snorkelling seemed to be a non-starter! In hindsight it would have been better to have got a bit more clarity on the extension so that we could have come to a different arrangement about sharing the cost of the boat with anyone else who might have wanted to join us, but like I said, he wasn’t all that forthcoming about the details!  

 

As we waited to depart, a Striated Heron perched briefly before being spooked. 

We left the harbour under grey skies passing the myriad of colourful Sri Lankan 'Oruwa' fishing boats, and equally colourful larger fishing vessels that were docked there. Various species of terns coursed between the vessels and crested terns of the lesser and greater varieties dived for fish further out to sea. A Whimbrel perched on some rocks as we passed a promontory.  

 

P2040002 Boats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040004 Boats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040005 Boats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240204_074435 Mirissa by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040067_01  Striated Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040076_01 House Crow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040084 Whimbrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040188_01  Lesser Crested Terns by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Our first sighting was of a pod of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins including some calves. Conditions for photography were not ideal. It was quite squally, with intermittent showers. But it was a sizable pod that spent a fair amount of time playing around the boat. 

 

P2040304 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040361_01 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We next encountered a school of spinner dolphins, unfortunately not really living up to their name as we didn’t see much of their signature spinning out of the water, mostly we were just catching shots of a slender beak or tail as they breached the surface of the ocean. 

 

P2040701_01 Spinner Dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2040711_01 Spinner Dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Something odd happened after that. Apparently our skipper got word of blue whales, which got our hopes up, and there was a whole load of boats all looking in one area. We were still some distance away. As we approached, I could have sworn that I saw a large blow in the centre of the activity and I thought, “ah that must be the whale”. However, as we arrived on the scene we caught sight of a pod of Risso’s Dolphins and we spent all of our time on the scene following and photographing these odd-looking cetaceans, as did the other boats. I enjoyed watching these blunt-nosed dolphins and they were challenging to try and photograph, I’m pretty sure these were a lifer for me. When we lost sight of the last of the Risso’s I began to wonder about the whales, most of the other boats had started to head back to shore, but we carried on out to sea. 

 

P2040987_01 Risso's Dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041235_02 Risso's Dolphin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A box lunch was provided for us on board. Chin spent a lot of his time on the boat either up top with the skipper or chatting to his mates, one of whom was terribly seasick, and it was at this moment that it would have been helpful if he could have spent a bit of time letting us know what was going on. We initially thought we were trying to relocate the whales we had been chasing, but nothing materialised, and we seemed to be motoring along without a plan. The wind had picked up and the intermittent squalls were not making this the most pleasant of boat trips, and activity seemed to have died off.  

 

I assumed, because Chin had mentioned pelagics the night before, that we might be going further out to look for albatross and shearwaters but none materialised. So eventually I approached Chin and asked him what the thinking was behind our current course. To my surprise, he advised that the skipper was mistaken, none of the other boats had seen any whales that morning and that we were just out here looking on the off chance. Well that was very puzzling since I was certain that I’d seen a blow! Was I mistaken, had I just seen some sea spray or engine exhaust? Was the skipper really mistaken, or was Chin just trying to make us feel better by telling us that we weren’t the only ones who hadn’t found the whales because we were late to the party? I don’t know, there didn’t seem to be any English people staying at the resort to ask about their sightings, but either way, we never saw any blue whales or other baleen whales for that matter. On the way back we did get me another lifer in the shape of a very brief sighting of Pygmy Killer Whales, sadly I didn’t manage to get any shots of these. 

 

On our way back from the dock, we encountered our first Blue-tailed Bee-eater and Oriental Garden Lizard. After we got back from the cetacean watching Chin took us to the grounds of another hotel, owned by one of his many friends (Chin seems to know everyone in Sri Lanka!), to do some birding and watch for some Indian flying foxes. Before we could get any birding in the heavens opened and the whole place was engulfed in a deluge of biblical proportions! We resigned ourselves to sitting in the open air restaurant drinking tea and watching a Greater Coucal making short work of a scorpion under a bush. The photo is terrible as the light was non-existent. The weather eased off at dusk and I think Eric was amazed at the size of the flying foxes (a first for him) that flew overhead as we lost the last of the light. 

 

P2041465 House Crow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041481 Oriental garden Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041513 Blue-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041564_01  Greater Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041591_01 Greater Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2041607 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In hindsight this extension definitely didn’t live up to my hopes or expectations when I started planning this trip. By the time we arrived I had started to suspect this is what we would end up with but even so, I don’t think this extension was worth the cost. 

 

When I got back home I did a bit more digging on the situation with the lack of whale sightings and the rules around snorkelling with them.  I contacted a company called Aqua Firma who specialise in whale snorkelling tours, and they advised me that, yes, snorkelling in Mirissa is no longer allowed as it’s too busy there with boats. Indeed, it did seem that there were pretty high numbers of commercial whale watching tours operating there. 

 

Aqua Firma gets permits to snorkel with cetaceans, but not in Mirissa. They operate in the North East each March, but they decided not to go ahead this year, instead using it to observe how whale arrivals unfolded. I was told that tropical storms in the NE Monsoon period of 2022/3 interrupted the onshore flow of wind which the areas needed to create upwellings. Upwellings create a bloom in phytoplankton which by March has usually created a huge food chain, which subsequently attracts the cetaceans in. This is why the previous season was so poor in terms of whale sightings. 

 

The NE Monsoon did run normally this last Nov – Feb (23/24) and a plankton bloom did emerge; but they decided to play it cautious, using this year for monitoring only - they didn’t want to disappoint anyone. It would seem that, despite more promising signs for this year, the area around Mirissa at least was not yet fully recovered enough to attract whales in good numbers. A friend of mine who travelled not long after us did see a fin whale and calf, but no blues. He went with one of the commercial tour boats with a “hundred other people” and did not enjoy the experience. 

 

In the event that the situation picks up again in the future I would probably look to a more specialised company such as Aqua Firma if I were ever to consider a whale snorkelling trip in this area. In the meantime I’m looking at some other options outside of Sri Lanka for this activity. 

 

It annoys me as I feel that Chin could have been more forthcoming with his information in respect of this trip and I really feel that we were over promised what we received. Had we been in full knowledge of the facts we might have deprioritised the whales and maybe sought advice on whether February was the best time of year for our other targets. The weather had been unseasonably wet for the time of year which I feel went on to impact our success with some of the other key target species.  

[kittykat23uk]

Day 3 To Yala

We awoke to cloudy skies, a few palm squirrels were feeding outside our balcony window. We left after breakfast and headed towards Thissamaharama. We made a few stops on the way, first spotting some more western race purple faced langur, a female Asian Koel, Green Imperial Pigeon, Brown Flycatcher, Red-vented Bulbul, White-vented Drongos, White-breasted Kingfisher and Wet Zone Toque Macaque, one of three races of Toque Macaque.

P2051667 Palm Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051694 Palm Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051784 Purple-faced Langur - Western race by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051838_01 Indian Koel /Asian Koel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051899 Brown Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051936_01 Red-vented Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051951 White-vented Drongo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2051970_01 Wet Zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052001_01 Wet Zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2052079 White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A Brown Mongoose was spotted from the minibus as we continued on. 

P2052149 Indian Brown Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052169 Common Lime Swallowtail butterfly by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Our next stop was to search some local villages for owls. Chin’s network of contacts delivered here and he met up with a local gent on a motorbike who was able to direct us to a number of owl species. After a false start with a no show scops owl,  the first species we encountered was a pair of diminutive Jungle Owlets. They were roosting in a large tree in a private garden, peering at us nervously from between the foliage. 

P2052317 Jungle Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052412 Jungle Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We were then directed to a roosting Brown Hawk Owl. This sleepy owl gazed languidly down at us before dozing off. Sunbirds in Sri Lanka did not seem to be as numerous or visible as in Africa, but we did manage to spot Loten's sunbird flitting through the bushes along the roadside. 

P2052442 Brown Hawk Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052473 Brown Hawk Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052489 Loten's sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Our final owl species for this morning came in the form of a pair of Collared Scops Owls which proved tricky to photograph, being that they were both hiding in a tangle of vegetation and backlit by the sun. 

P2052559 Collared Scops Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052591 Collared Scops Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After that productive session it was time to carry on to Yala and check in to our hotel. We were meant to be staying at Kithala Resort in Yala. We actually stayed at Oak Ray Wild Yala Hotel instead. There had been no discussion beforehand about this change of accommodation, but to be honest we hardly spent any time at the hotel so I didn’t even notice at the time that it wasn’t the one that was set out in the itinerary. The room was comfortable, but our balcony looked out onto a small walled garden area, without much going on. I availed myself of the pool which was fine.  However, looking back on it now, whilst both hotels are closely located, Kithala Resort looks to be in a nicer area with grounds that look out over expansive paddy fields, whilst our hotel was on the opposite side of the road, in quite a built up area. 

IMG_20240205_122400 Oak Ray Wild Yala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We had lunch and a bit of a rest before heading out to Tissa wetlands, to do some local birding. 

P2052607 Green garden lizard (Calotes calotes) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

I used this opportunity to log onto the wifi and check in with Ian back home. It turned out he’d had an eventful day as he opened the front door to find a stray rabbit hopping around on our front driveway! He’d managed to wrangle it into our pet carrier and it was currently residing in our kitchen, well away from our three bunnies. With it being a Sunday in the UK, the vets were all closed, but I suggested that he try a local contact who fosters for one of the Norfolk rescues. She was kindly able to take the bunny in, which was quite a relief!

In the late afternoon we birded around Tissa. Chin demonstrated his knowledge, deftly pointing out all the birds that we were seeing. This included species familiar to me including Grey and Purple Herons, Indian Pond Herons, Blue-tailed and Little Green Bee-eater,  White-breasted Water Hen, Whiskered terns, Purple coot (swamphen), Indian Darter, Plain Prinia, Red-wattled lapwings, Coppersmith Barbet (here known as Crimson-breasted barbet),  Brown-headed barbet and so on (most of which were new to Eric). We soon found that in Sri Lanka many of the birds that I was familiar with from India were called different names here, and indeed several species in the tick lists provided by Chin, were called out with different names by Chin when we were out and about, it certainly led to some confusion! 

P2052670 Purple Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052714 Indian Pond Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052766 Blue-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

White-bellied Sea Eagles and Brahminy Kites drifted gracefully over the marshes. Less familiar species included, Ceylon Woodshrike, Red-backed woodpecker and Sri Lanka green pigeon. As it was getting on towards early evening Chin took us to a private garden to await the arrival of the endemic White-naped Woodpecker. While we waited for it to show up the owner showed us an exquisite little nest that was the home of a Purple-rumped Sunbird. The woodpeckers arrived before it got dark and we got some nice views, if not decent photos of them. We then went to a massive roost of pelicans, egrets and Indian Flying Foxes where we spent our final hour before retiring to the hotel for dinner. 

P2052770 White-breasted Water Hen by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052866 Purple Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052890 White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052912 Ring-necked Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052918 Whiskered tern by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2052998_01 Purple coot / swamphen by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053015_02 Indian pond heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053026_01 Red-wattled lapwing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053064 White-bellied sea eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053223 Green Imperial Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053230 Green Imperial Pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053253 Brahminy Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053259_01 Brahminy Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053308 Grey Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2053352_03 White-bellied sea eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053383 Little Green Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053405_01 Ceylon Woodshrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053410  Little Green Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053426  Little Green Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053504 Coppersmith Barbet (Crimson-breasted barbet) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053518 Coppersmith Barbet (Crimson-breasted barbet) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053548 Red-backed woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053557 Red-vented bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053563 Red-vented bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053603 Indian Darter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053660 White-bellied Sea Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053687 Plain Prinia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053760 Sri Lanka green pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053779 Brown-headed barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053805 Brown-headed barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053811 Purple-rumped sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053835 Purple-rumped sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2053978_02 White-naped Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054004_02 White-naped Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054072_02 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054099_02 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054121_02 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054124_02 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054165 Spotted-billed pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2054174 Indian Flying Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr
 

VID_20240205_182627 Indian Flying Fox leaving their roost by Jo Dale, on Flickr

VID_20240205_182712 Indian Flying Fox leaving their roost by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Chin told us that we would go for a night drive between 10PM and about 2 to 3AM. I asked why we would start so late rather than go out straight after dinner. He advised that because we would be driving around the local fields etc we needed to wait until human activity died down to have a chance of finding the cats and other targets. Night driving in Yala itself is not permitted so we spent our time looking around local farmland and paddy fields. It should have been a good area for fishing cats.    

Well the night drive wasn’t particularly productive. Whilst we did see a few small cats they all seemed to be feral types, not any of our targets and I wondered how we were ever going to find any truly wild cats in this area. We had a sighting of an Indian Gerbil, the first of several Black-naped Hares, and a few bats. We did see a Painted Snipe, both Indian and Jerdon’s Nightjars, and an Indian Stone Curlew but otherwise it was pretty unproductive. Worse still, when we got back to the hotel at about 0230 we found that we had been locked out of the complex! Whilst Chin tried to raise the night staff, one of our drivers scaled the fence and went off to look for someone. It took about half an hour before someone finally came to let us back in, so we didn’t get to bed until gone three am. We had an early start as well for a full day drive in Yala. I hoped that would be more productive than the night drive had been. 

 

 

P2064204 Painted Snipe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2064232 Indian Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P2064274_01 Indian Stone Curlew by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited May 17 by kittykat23uk

[TonyQ]

You did well with the range of birds you have seen so far, and you have given us some lovely photos.

A shame about the whale watching part of the trip, but you did see some good dolphins

[Dave Williams]

It's a good few years ago since I went whale watching at Mirissa but back then there were strict protocols on how near the boats were allowed to approach the Blue Whales and I'm pleased to hear they are being maintained. The sightings are not that spectacular to be honest, the whale shows very little of it's body and you just get the tail out of the water when it dives.

It's a shame you didn't go to Bundala NP while you were in Tissa  by the looks of your itinerary. It's mainly birds but it's a lovely park and has very few visitors compared to Yala. For Dolphins ( and Pilot whales when I went) Kalpitiya on the north western end of the SL can be very rewarding and it's easy to do that in the morning and Wilpattu in the afternoon.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. SL is a superb holiday destination...you remind me I must return soon!

 

PS Your Purple Swamphen is a  Grey-headed Swamphen which is classified as a different species nowadays

[kittykat23uk]

3 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

It's a good few years ago since I went whale watching at Mirissa but back then there were strict protocols on how near the boats were allowed to approach the Blue Whales and I'm pleased to hear they are being maintained. The sightings are not that spectacular to be honest, the whale shows very little of it's body and you just get the tail out of the water when it dives.

It's a shame you didn't go to Bundala NP while you were in Tissa  by the looks of your itinerary. It's mainly birds but it's a lovely park and has very few visitors compared to Yala. For Dolphins ( and Pilot whales when I went) Kalpitiya on the north western end of the SL can be very rewarding and it's easy to do that in the morning and Wilpattu in the afternoon.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. SL is a superb holiday destination...you remind me I must return soon!

 

PS Your Purple Swamphen is a  Grey-headed Swamphen which is classified as a different species nowadays

 

Thanks Dave, I'm not sure I gave that impression about the boats not crowding the whales? When we arrived on the scene of the Rissos there were certainly many boats there, so if there had been a whale in the area I wouldn't have said that any specific distance regulations were being maintained. But as no whales were seen by us then I cannot say for certain. 

 

You may recall that I actually had a most excellent extended blue whale sighting in Svalbard in June 2022. The main reason I chose Sri Lanka was for the chance of seeing them underwater, hence my disappointment that promises made did not materialise. 

 

Regarding the photos, I upgraded to the OM1 Mk 1 for this trip and continue to pair it with the 100-400 Panasonic. My Friend Eric also treated himself to this body and paired it with the olympus 100-400 lens. He has yet to really sort through his photos - hopefully I can add a few of his at the end. 

 

Thank you for the ID on the swamphen. I'll amend it.

[kittykat23uk]

Day 4 Yala full day drive

 

Yala National Park is open from 6 am, so I think we had to leave around 0530 or maybe 0500 even to get to the gate in time to sort permits and enter. I don’t recall exactly but it was definitely still dark and it was a fair drive to the gate. The park consists of wetlands, dry grasslands, scrublands and forest. 

 

Upon entering we encountered first some of the wetland habitat spotting a good range of birds including, Lesser whistling teal,  Wood, Common and Marsh Sandpiper, Oriental and Small Pratincoles, various egrets, Asian Openbill, whilst Jerdon's Bush Lark twittered from their perches. Also in the pools were herds of water buffalo, both feral and truly wild types. Chital fed in the grassy plains, and we passed a land monitor pretending to be a tree branch. A Crested Hawk-Eagle looked confused as it investigated a stick on the ground. A lone Golden Jackal, backlit by the sun passed a herd of wild boar some distance away. Closer to the track, a White-bellied Sea Eagle was having a preen, whilst another land monitor investigated a hole in a termite mound. 

 

P2064322 Lesser whistling teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064362 Wood Sandpiper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064373 Medium Egret by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064399 Water buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064444_01 Oriental pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064453  Oriental pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064627 Spotted deer (chital) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064635 Yala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064667 Jerdon's bush lark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064688 Land monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064717 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064741 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064833 Spotted deer (Chital) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064875 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064925 Wild Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064929 White-bellied Sea Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2064972 Land monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We encountered a Ruddy Mongoose foraging in the grass. Sambar dotted the plains in between the watery pools. A Pied Crested Cuckoo added some avian interest before we added a second mongoose species to our morning in the form of Indian Grey Mongoose.  A darker morph of Crested Hawk Eagle also posed for photos. 

We encountered further wild boar, this time feeding and washing in a pool a bit closer than the first group. A pintail snipe failed to not be seen as our keen-eyed guide spotted the distinctive shape in the tall grass. 

 

P2065069 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065077 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065105 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065169 Sambar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065178 Pied Crested Cuckoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065191 Pied Crested Cuckoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065232 Pied Crested Cuckoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065259 Indian Grey Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065279 Indian Grey Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065337 House Sparrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065362 Jungle crow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065398 Little green bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065454 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065463 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065492 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065501 Wild Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065542 Pintail Snipe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

Another herd of wild Water Buffalo all seemed to be carrying their own attendant Cattle Egrets as they rested in another one of Yala’s wetlands. Further waders were added, including Black-winged Stilts, Black-tailed Godwits, Kentish Plover, whilst Painted Storks, Blue tailed and Little Green Bee-eaters plus Ceylon Junglefowl added a splash of colour.  We also came across a big roost of openbills. 

 

P2065587 Water Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065604 Water Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065605 Water Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065639  Black-tailed Godwit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065656 Water Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065712 White-bellied Sea Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065789 Painted Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065820 Blue-tailed bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065835 Ceylon Junglefowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065842 Ceylon Junglefowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065904 Little green bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065924 Little green bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065945 Paddyfield Pipit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065951 Openbills by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065958 Openbills by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2065996 Openbills by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In the more marshy areas,  Pheasant-tailed Jacanas fluttered from place to place and in a nearby bush a Brown Shrike was butchering its dinner. Peering up into the trees revealed colourful Small Minivets as well as a Crested Serpent Eagle. 

 

P2066072_01 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066069_01 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066151 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066164 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066196 White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066226 Yala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066243_01 Openbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066257_01 Openbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066262 Openbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066279 Openbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066303 Openbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066324 Brown Shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066347 Brown Shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066356 Brown Shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066426_01 Small Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066428 Small Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066458  Small Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066478 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066488  Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

We got news of a leopard and so began a ferrari safari but to no avail, the leopard had moved into cover before we arrived on the scene. It was getting on for lunch time so we had to drive to the central rest camp to wait for two hours before we could continue our game drive. I had to wonder what the point of being out in the baking sun was but I suppose the benefit is to already be in the park before the rest of the crowds from outside arrive. 

 

P2066498 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066512 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066522 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066529 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066534 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066543 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066557 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066570 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066584 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066596 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066612 Land monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066617 Land monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066632 Dry zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066634 Indian Peafowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I looked enviously upon all the tour parties’ picnic spreads of various pots of curries, rice, fruit and cake platters as we picked through our uninspiring box lunches. 

We were kept entertained in two ways, firstly by the many Dry Zone Toque Macaques that are accomplished thieves of any unguarded food (at least our lunch boxes were easier to protect!). Secondly by a group of offroaders who were having a lot of fun trying to get one of their vehicles back on the road after the engine got flooded during an aborted river crossing. Having finally got the vehicle going we were then treated to the fun sight of this convoy trying to cross the river to the other side, with varying degrees of success it has to be said! Eventually and with significant help all vehicles safely made it across the river and by then it wasn’t long before we were back on our way through the park. Here's a set of videos for the curious: https://www.flickr.com/gp/kittykat23uk/94LG596144

 

We soon got word of a leopard, but our first sighting of it was really obscured as it was asleep in thick cover.

 

P2066641 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We could have waited it out but with only one day in the park we agreed to carry on and see what else we could find. Passing more wetland areas we encountered further waders and White Ibis. We also encountered a troop of Tufted Grey Langur. Then a Hoopoe was having a dust bath on the road. Another Crested Hawk-eagle followed. We then returned to the area where the leopard had been seen. The area was now heaving with tour vehicles as bad as any Indian tiger park. The leopard was not in view and no one seemed to know exactly where it was, so everyone was scouting blocks of thick vegetation in the hopes of finding it. 

 

P2066690 Marsh Sandpiper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066696  Oriental Pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066710 White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

P2066717_01 Land Monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066741_01 Grey Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066768_01 Grey Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066776  Grey Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066868 Eurasian Hoopoe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066882_01 Spotted deer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066916 Crested Hawk-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In fact there were two leopards hidden in the brush, the female we saw before, and a large male called Lucas. Eventually some movement was spotted in a gap and then the race was on to jostle for a potential view. I have to say, after the private sightings I’d had last October in Namibia I had very little patience for this circus and I must confess I was getting rather stressed and grumpy. When the leopard emerged we maybe had seconds of him walking out in the open before he went around in front of some vehicles ahead of us. I’d invested in a new camera and unfortunately the autofocus decided to lock onto a hanging branch as Lucas walked into the second and only other opening so I missed the shot there. He then turned into some thicker brush, where he sat down. We could just about make out his head through a small gap in the bushes, but by this point it was time to start heading back to the entrance gate. Eric was happy to have seen his first leopard but for me it was not the most satisfying leopard sighting I’ve ever had! 

 

P2066931 Lucas the Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066928 Lucas the Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066932 Lucas the Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066944 Lucas the Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2066997  Lucas the Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

We had time to pause for a European Kingfisher and some more wild boar on the way out. Then after we left the park we spotted our first Asian Elephant feeding on the side of the road. What a treat! 

 

P2067060_02 European Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2067074 Wild boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2067198 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2067222_01 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2067227 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After dinner, the night drive once again produced very little for the amount of time we were out with a Golden Jackal and Indian Stone Curlew being the best we could produce, but at least this time the gate was left open for us! 

 

P2077289 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077315 Indian Stone curlew by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited May 18 by kittykat23uk

[Atdahl]

Fantastic photos Jo despite the up and down quality of your first few days.  So far, the jury seems out on whether you would recommend Chin.  I am sure we will find out for sure as the trip report progresses.

 

Alan

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks @AtdahlI think this is one where readers will have to make up their own minds to be honest as the report continues... 

[kittykat23uk]

Day 5 Tissamaharama to Sinharaja

 

P2077316 Sunrise by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We spent the early morning birding some wetland areas close to the hotel. By a strange coincidence we saw a couple of familiar figures get out of a vehicle behind us. One of the guys looked at us and exclaimed “You look familiar, didn’t we see you in Ecuador?” Indeed we had met these two gentlemen on our previous tour together in Ecuador, they were on a similar circuit to us then and it seemed were on a similar circuit to us now. So we would be meeting up with them in a day or two as they were to catch us up at our next stop too. 

 

As for the birds, some good sightings were had including Tri-coloured and Scaly-breasted Munia, Blythe’s Reed Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Black, Yellow and Chestnut Bitterns, (although only Yellow showed well enough to photograph). Cattle, Little, Median and Large egrets, Black-crowned, Indian Pond, Grey and Purple Herons, Painted Stork and Openbills. Stork-billed, European, Pied and White-throated Kingfishers, distant sightings of Watercock, as well as commoner, White-breagrey-headed swamphen sted Water Hens, Common Moorhen. 

 

P2077401 Tri-coloured Munia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077420 Blythes reed warbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077431 Tri-coloured Munia & Scaly-breasted Munia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077471 Glossy  Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077506 Shikra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077578 Yellow Bittern by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077666 Indian Pond Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077710 Caspian Tern by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Several waders were seen including Black-winged Stilts, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, Asiatic (Pacific) Golden, Grey, Little Ringed, Lesser Sand Plovers along with Yellow-wattled and red-Wattled Lapwings, Pintail Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Common, Marsh, and Wood sandpipers plus Little Stint.    

 

P2077724 Black-winged Stilt by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077737 Black-winged Stilt by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077781 Stork-billed Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077789 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077840 Glossy Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077884 Glossy Ibis & White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077902 Saltwater crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Other birds of note included Spot-billed Pelican, Little, and Great Cormorants, Indian Shag and Indian Darters, Glossy and White Ibis and Spoonbills, and Rose-ringed Parakeet. Very few ducks and gulls though with just Lesser Whistling Teal and Brown-headed Gull representing. Gull-Billed, Caspian, Little and Whiskered Terns all fished over the pools.

 

P2077913 Indian Darter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077925 Purple Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

   

Of the raptors we scored Crested Honey Buzzard, Shikra, Brahminy Kite, Grey-headed Fish Eagle and White-bellied Sea Eagle. Common pigeons and doves included Green Imperial and Rock Pigeon, Collared and Spotted Doves.  After eating our packed breakfast and doing a bit more birding it was time to head on the road again. Our route skirted the edge of Udawalawe reserve and the resident elephants have become accustomed to waiting by the electric boundary fence to take fruit from passing tourists. We stopped for a very impressive tusker who was doing just that. We stopped off for lunch opposite an elephant orphanage (unfortunately we were too late for feeding time) not far past that spot. 

 

P2077931 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2077955 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078022 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078102_01 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078114 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078116 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also stopped to pick up my new glassess. The order wasn't quite right, I had asked for one pair to also be made as photochromatic but neither pair were. However both were varifocal and having now worn them for a while they seem to be fine otherwise. 

Edited May 19 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

Our next stop was to twitch a sought after species, the Serendib Scops Owl. It was a bit of a trek up a fairly steep wooded slope but we were rewarded for our efforts with lovely views of this diminutive ginger owl.

 

P2078247_01  Serendib Scops Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Chin also told us that he had a friend who had a much sought-after Travancore Flying Squirrel on his property and that we should try and get there in time for dusk. Travancore flying squirrels were thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in Sri Lanka after a 78 year absence. The animals were reported only in wet and intermediate zones of the island, and had a few sightings in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. So it was a special species to try and see.

 

The impression I got from Chin was that we were aiming to get there in time to see the squirrel leave its roost. However, this isn’t exactly what happened. When we arrived Chin’s “friend” disappeared into his modest abode and returned carrying the squirrel under his t-shirt! The squirrel jumped down and ran back into the house. He went and retrieved it again, the squirrel again jumped down and ran back into the house. It transpired, that the squirrel whilst being a wild animal, lives in his house and has become habituated to his feeding it fruit and biscuits. He doesn’t know when or where from it leaves at night, but leaves it does and goes off to forage and do squirrely things, returning to roost in the early hours. Chin confessed that other mammal watchers had waited patiently for it to emerge at night to try and get a more natural view but had failed to do so. So we decided against trying that ourselves.     

 

P2078311 Travancore flying squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078337 Travancore flying squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr
 

 

The drive up to our accommodation at Martin’s Lodge was interesting. We had to leave the minibus behind in a local village and carry on with our luggage in the lodge’s jeeps. The track up to the lodge is steep and rough, making for a very bumpy and uncomfortable journey. The lodge itself was the most basic place we stayed in but it was comfortable enough and worth it for the views and spectacular location. There wasn’t much time left of the day to bird, but we added Sri Lanka Hill Mynah, Orange-billed (Ceylon Rufous) Babbler, and  Lesser yellow-naped Woodpecker. Other mammals we got over the course of the day were both dry zone and wet zone Toque Macaques and Southern Lowland wet zone Purple Langur. At Martins Lodge we also encountered a Flame-striped (Layard’s) Squirrel. 

 

P2078410 Lesser yellow-naped woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078373 Sri Lanka Hill Myna by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078404 Orange-billed babbler (Ceylon Rufous Babbler) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2078442 Lesser yellow-naped woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We had dinner, the food here was fine but being a smaller rustic lodge was not of the same variety or standard as the larger places we stayed but filling nonetheless. 

We then took a night walk in the forest. It was really hard going, with getting covered in leeches and getting only the occasional glimpse of eyeshine in the thick forest.  I spotted something moving slowly and called it as a chevrotain on account of the rounded ears, but Chin thought it was a civet. I was certain it was a Yellow-striped Chevrotain and challenged Chin on his ID, after describing what I saw he did concede that it must have been one. I also briefly spotted something that could have been a small cat, but although it was initially close I lost sight of it when I tried to get Chin and Eric’s attention and I only caught a glimpse of it before it disappeared into cover. Chin declared that it most likely was a Rusty Spotted Cat, but as far as I could tell he never saw the animal and was just basing it off my size description. Either way, it was gone and I didn’t feel like I got enough of a view to confidently confirm it as a cat, although I was pretty sure it wasn’t a mouse deer, let alone declare it as having ticked one of my key targets. 

 

P2078524 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088530 praying mantis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also, I think it was on this night but might have been a different night, checked an area where Chin had heard there had been a pangolin sighted a few weeks prior. Well we searched the area but had no luck. At one point Eric and Chin had moved on ahead of me, when I caught up with them Chin declared that I had just missed a Fishing Cat! I was gutted, with Eric being ahead I would have had no chance of getting onto it, and Eric had only seen a largish furry cat shape disappearing into thick cover. Where it had gone there didn’t seem to be any chance of finding it, so we let that one go. Well it was still early in the tour and I hoped we had further chances for this species..

 

[kittykat23uk]

Day 6 Sinharaja

 

We headed to the field station early doors to wait for the sought-after Ceylon Spurfowl/ Sri Lanka spurfowl that come to feed at first light. We were rewarded by a pair of these handsome birds before breakfast. A walk in the forest produced more special birds including Legge’s Flowerpecker, Orange Minivet, Ceylon Crested Drongo, Black-capped Bulbul, Ceylon White-headed starling. Sri Lankan Blue Magpies, Yellow-browed and Black Bulbuls came down to feed as we were having breakfast whilst Brown-breasted Flycatchers hawked for insects below us. 

 

P2088684_01 Ceylon Spurfowl/ Sri Lanka spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088692 Ceylon Spurfowl/ Sri Lanka spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088708 Ceylon Spurfowl/ Sri Lanka spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088728 Ceylon Spurfowl/ Sri Lanka spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088760 Orange Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088883 Legge's flowerpecker/ White-throated Flowerpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088896  Orange Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088930 Orange Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088967 Orange Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2088987 Ceylon crested drongo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089032 Black-capped bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089116 Ceylon White-headed starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089126 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089138 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089151 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089164  Yellow-browed bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089190 Yellow-browed bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089241 Black Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089269 Brown-breasted Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089365 Sri Lankan Kangaroo Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089514 Wet Zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089544 Wet Zone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

A walk in the forest reserve then produced Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush, Ceylon Trogon,  Crimson-backed and Red-backed Flameback woodpeckers, as well as a pair of  Oriental Rat Snake fishing in a pool. Towards the end of the walk we were shown a  Black-naped Monarch on a nest. A small feeding flock produced Brown-capped Babbler and Ceylon Scimitar Babbler,  Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Oriental White-eye and Common Tailorbird, along with the aforementioned babblers.

 

P2089562 Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089585 Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089585 Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089596 Ceylon Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089613 Ceylon Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089627 Crimson-backed Flameback woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089642 Oriental Rat Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089668 Oriental Rat Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089692 Oriental Rat Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089782 Black-naped Monarch on a nest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089842 Yellow-browed bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089895_02 Ceylon Scimitar Babbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089902_01 Ceylon Scimitar Babbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089908 Ceylon Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2089932_01 Indian Paradise Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We were then taken down a slope to look at another of my target birds, the fascinating Ceylon Frogmouth. Gotta love a frogmouth and this species is quite diminutive and cute in comparison to the Tawny and Large species that I’ve seen elsewhere. 

 

P2089972 Ceylon Frogmouth by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080003 Ceylon Frogmouth by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080043 Ceylon Frogmouth by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080064 Glassy Tiger by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[TonyQ]

A really good selection of birds @kittykat23uk

An amazing Frogmouth, and very good photos in a presumably dark forest

[kittykat23uk]

Back at the lodge, a Ceylon Grey Hornbill was feeding on some bananas that had been put out for them. A Yellow-fronted Barbet posed very nicely for a photo. A Ceylon Junglefowl female & chicks were scratching about in the leaf litter. Another beauty to be found around the lodge were the  Emerald Doves, with their gorgeous dusk pink breast offset by blue grey neck and cap and vivid green back and wings. 

 

P2080087 Black Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080091 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080115 Flame-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080163 Flame-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080261 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080267 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080290 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080302 Black Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080319 Yellow-browed bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080359 Yellow-fronted Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080373 Yellow-fronted Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080386 Yellow-fronted Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080412 Flame-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080493 Ceylon Junglefowl female & chicks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080500 Ceylon Junglefowl female & chicks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080557 Flame-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080570 Flame-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080611 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080626 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080695 Emerald Dove by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080715 Emerald Dove by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

An afternoon walk delivered further closer views of Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur and we spent quite a while looking for Red-faced Malkoha, finally being rewarded for our patience with a nice, though distant, sighting. We also had a very brief sighting of Green-billed Coucal. 

 

P2080755 Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080784 Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080795 Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080830  Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2080995 Red-faced Malkoha by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081023 Ceylon Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081035 Orchid by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081043 Pitcher plant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

With that sighting in the bag we took a walk down along a paved road, to a place where our local guide had found a stunning Green Pit Viper. Our 100-400 lenses came into their own then as we were able to get some frame filling shots of this lovely snake without disturbing it. 

 

P2081058 Green Pit Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081075 Green Pit Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081093 Green Pit Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081128 Green Pit Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081137 Green Pit Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081152_01 Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081195 Southern lowland wet zone Purple-faced Langur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2081234 Ceylon Trogon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240209_063215 Sinharaja by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240209_063222 Sinharaja by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

13 hours ago, TonyQ said:

A really good selection of birds @kittykat23uk

An amazing Frogmouth, and very good photos in a presumably dark forest

 

Thank you @TonyQglad you are enjoying the report! 

[kittykat23uk]

Day 7 Sinharaja to Kitulgala

 

Chin suggested we do a night walk as a pre-dawn walk from 3 am. I think he felt that the chances of finding a pangolin might be higher. However, this approach wasn’t successful, despite trying the same areas again. Our night walk was long, tiring and disappointing with very little seen other than some brown bats, despite our best efforts. 

Continuing after dawn and into the morning we saw much the same as the previous day, with the addition of a Spot-winged thrush around the lodge. We went back to the same place for the spurfowl and it was a lot busier with daytrippers. At one point everyone started snapping away, but it was not a spurfowl but a junglefowl female that had their attention and we wondered if people were aware, or if it were a case of mistaken identity? Either way we left them to it and headed back to the lodge for breakfast and to pack. Around the lodge itself I did get another sighting of the real deal, a pair of spurfowl scratching around below me. As nice as they were, it was the Sri Lankan Blue Magpies that drew most of my attention, such stunning birds! 

 

P2091241 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091294 Ceylon Junglefowl female & chicks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091319 Brown-breasted flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091346 Spotted-winged thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091375 Ceylon Suprfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091511 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091527 Sri Lanka blue magpie by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

It was soon time to make the rough, bumpy ride back down to the village. We passed a Crested-hawk Eagle on the way down. I had asked Chin if he knew of anywhere that sold wildlife-themed local arts and crafts and he took us to a local lady who hand paints birds on t-shirts. She didn’t have a large selection of green t-shirts, mostly they were black and I prefer a neutral colour for safaris so I looked through her green ones and pulled out one of an owl species that Chin promised we’d see at our next stop. I hoped that I wasn’t going to jinx our luck by going in too early with this memento… 

 

With that purchase we boarded the minibus and headed off to Kitulgala.

 

P2091571 Crested Hawk Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

The hotel was a sprawling complex and we arrived in time for lunch. The restaurant overlooks the Kelani Ganga river which looked rather inviting after a tiring drive. So after lunch I headed down to have a little dip. The river is slow running there and has a gravelly bottom with some deeper pools that are perfect for cooling off during the heat of the day.  

 

IMG_20240210_065723  Kithungala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240210_065730 Kithungala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240210_065740 Kithungala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091613  Palm Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Late afternoon Chin took us to a local activity place (I assume run by a friend of his) where he hoped to find us some special birds and mammals. We first spotted a dapper Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) that was racing through the trees.

 

P2091920 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

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P2091939 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091951 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2091973 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2092102 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2092111 Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (intermediate race) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After a bit of searching we came across another highly sought-after bird, the  Indian Pitta. The bird was so accommodating, posing as it did for a good amount of time. The light wasn’t the best, but who could complain at that view! The second of our targets, the owl, failed to show up that evening but Chin promised that we would have time to come back the following day to find it. 

 

P2092215_01 Indian Pitta by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2092241_01 Indian Pitta by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2092270_01 Indian Pitta by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2092380 Common Tailorbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Back at the lodge we found some Alexandrine Parakeets feeding in the palm trees. 

 

P2092443 Alexandrine Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Over the course of the day we also added Ceylon Hill Mynah as well as Common Hill Myna and Common Mynah and Ceyon Hanging Parrots to the trip list. After a buffet style dinner and a bit of a rest we left again for another night walk. 

 

We headed down to the river to be boated across to the forest on the other side. Here we searched for many hours over the course of our two nights here with limited success. Our best sightings were a Eurasian Otter in the river (barely visible), Brown Bats and Indian Flying Fox, Common Palm Civet, Golden Palm Civet (but high up in the trees so views were really quite obscured) and two tiny little red pin pricks for eyes that could only have belonged to a Red Slender Loris. The path was rather rocky and uneven, which made it really painful to walk on for any given length of time. 

 

P2102466 Golden Palm civet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

There was also a section that required the navigation of some rather wide gaps between some big rocks and I really didn’t fancy trying to do that in the dark. I don’t know if that really negatively impacted on our chances to find some more mammals but knowing how clumsy I can be (ref, “Japan in Winter, a Photographic Odyssey” where I somehow put my foot down a hole in a harbour wall, with my lens neatly falling into the corresponding hole, snapping off the camera in the process) I really didn’t want to risk an injury. Besides we knew that there were definitely loris and civets in the part of the forest that was accessible anyway. 

 

It wasn’t until later in the trip that Chin mentioned to us that Red Slender Lorises were really hard to see well on account of their habit of immediately turning away from any light source and speeding off like little rocket ships. Well I can’t say that I found that information particularly encouraging to be honest! But he did say that the grey loris was a lot more accommodating and we should see those later in the trip. 

 

Given how little we were seeing at night Eric and I were finding it really difficult to remain motivated on these long spotlighting sessions and I think we put in less time than Chin was expecting us to, but we felt we needed to pace ourselves to get the best out of the daytime as well as the nocturnal wildlife and given how little we were seeing at night and our interest in birds as well as mammals, the daytime needed to be given priority. 
 

[kittykat23uk]

Day 8 Kitulgala

 

A White-breasted Kingfisher and White-bellied Drongo welcomed us over breakfast and a Stork-billed Kingfisher shot up the river. We returned to the activity camp and this time we were successful in finding both Indian Pitta and Chestnut-backed Owlet, phew! My T-shirt didn’t scupper our chances after all. The owlet seemed to be feeding on an unfortunate lizard!  Chin also spotted an Indian Brown Mongoose foraging around the camp. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Golden-fronted Chloropsis (leafbird), added some further colour to the birdlife as we sat and had tea and a party of Yellow-billed Babblers (southern common babbler) chattered noisily as they patrolled the undergrowth. 

 

P2102485 White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102507_02  White-bellied drongo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102551 Orange Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102606_01_01 Indian Pitta by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102631_01 Indian Pitta by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102641_01 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102648_01 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102714_01 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102916_01 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2102968 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103030_01 Chestnut-backed Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103110 Indian Brown Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103135 Indian Brown Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103172 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103215 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103219_01 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103253_01 Golden-fronted Chloropsis (leafbird) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103262_01 Golden-fronted Chloropsis (leafbird) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103287_01 yellow-billed babbler (southern common babbler) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103307 yellow-billed babbler (southern common babbler) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103323_01 yellow-billed babbler (southern common babbler) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

While we were there, Chin got a call from a farmer friend of his who had caught a pangolin in a trap set for porcupines. He was willing to hold it for us before releasing it if we wanted to take a 9 hour round trip to go and see it. We politely declined, not least because we both felt it would be unnecessarily cruel to hold a pangolin for hours simply so that a couple of tourists could go and tick. Chin also felt our hopes of finding one in the wild were still pretty good, and he added that there was a place he was hoping to take us to where, if he got a few friends together we could scour the area and have a chance of finding one in the daytime. Well this sounded really promising so I didn’t feel too bad about missing this chance. 

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

After lunch back at the lodge we took a walk over a very rickety looking rope bridge over the river to the village. Here we found Ceylon Lorikeet (Sri Lankan Hanging Parrot), Red-backed Woodpecker, Black-hooded Oriole, White-rumped Munia, Chestnut-headed and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Common Hill Mynah and Common Mynah, and Common Iora. Other birds seen included White-bellied sea Eagle, Shikra, Indian Peafowl, the pigeons/doves and bulbuls that we’d seen before, Yellow-fronted Barbet, whilst Barn and Ceylon Swallows, Edible-nest Swiftlets and Palm Swifts whizzed overhead.  

 

IMG-20240210-WA0001 Bridge of death Kitungula by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103380 Green Garden Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103448 Common Rose butterfly by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103466 Orb web spider by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103667 Orb web spider by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103475 Green Garden Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103502  Green Garden Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2103582 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113674 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113733 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113738_01 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113783_01 red-backed woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Edited May 20 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

Day 9 Kitulgala to Nuwara Eliya

Around the lodge first thing, we did a bit of birding spotting Alexandrine and Layard’s Parakeets and a Crested Serpent Eagle. We headed off towards Nuwara Eliya.  

 

P2113854_01 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113868_01 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113873_01 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113980_01  Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113912 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2113924 Alexandrine Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114032 Layard's Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114086 Layard's Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114090 Magpie-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114099 Alexandrine Parakeet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We stopped first at a viewpoint where we were able to photograph the impressive waterfalls. This gave me a chance to try out the ND filter function of my camera to try and blur the water. I think it was quite successful. A Crested Honey Buzzard soared overhead. We visited a tea plantation and had some tasty cake as well as a nice cup of tea. 

 

IMG_20240211_101452 Nuwara elyia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240211_101507 Nuwara elyia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114136 Crested Honey Buzzard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114207 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114209 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114215 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240211_123051 Tea Purchases by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We checked in at Hotel Blackpool in time for lunch and then had a bit of a rest for the early part of the afternoon. A new bird around the pool was a Grey Tit. 

 

IMG_20240211_122048 Hotel Blackpool by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240211_122103 Hotel Blackpool by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240211_122936 chill time at the hotel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240211_143314 View from Hotel Blackpool pool by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Chin took us to a site for Sri Lankan Blue Whistling Thrush, which unfortunately failed to appear that time, but we were treated to fantastic views of a Black Eagle. Also present in and round the stream were Grey Wagtails, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Sri Lankan White-eye and Ashy Prinia.

 

P2114272 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114473 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114574_01_01 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114647_01 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114666 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114693_01 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114695_01  Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114697_01 Black Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

P2114758 Grey Wagtail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114765 Grey Wagtail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114872 Dusky-blue Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114886 Sri Lankan White-eye by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114887 Sri Lankan White-eye by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114898 Sri Lankan White-eye by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114908 Ashy Prinia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2114923 Ashy Prinia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We then carried on to Victoria Park where we came across Common Sandpiper, Forest Wagtail, the much sought-after Pied Ground Thrush and Kashmir Flycatcher. 

 

P2114944 Common Sandpiper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115000 Common Mynah by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115013 Forest Wagtail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115036 Indian Pond Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115042 rat sp by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115047 rat sp by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115049 Palm Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115070 White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115090 White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115096_01 Pied ground thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115108_02 Pied ground thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115124 Magpie-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115170_01 Kashmir Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115176_01 Kashmir Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2115181 temple by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 10 Nuwara Eliya & Horton Plains

We stopped first ealy doors at a small patch of forest on our way to Horton Plains. It was a grey and overcast day. Here we found Bear Monkey- the highland race of Purple-faced Langur and Dusky-striped Squirrel. Birds seen included Small and Orange Minivets, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Indian blackbird and the endemic Sri Lankan Woodpigeon and Bar-winged (Pied) Flycatcher-shrike and Pied Bushchat. 

 

P2125184 (2) Indian Blackbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125309 Bear monkey (Purple-faced Langur) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125333 Orange minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125341 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125483_01 Sri Lankan Woodpigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We drove on and up towards Horton Plains. The cloud forest gave way to grassy plains and we emerged into clear skies. Common Tailorbird and Yellow-eared bulbul and Ceylon Hill Munia, were seen in the more scrubby areas of the park before we entered the plains. WIld Boar and Sambar were resting and Indian Pipits were feeding on the plains, and a Himalayan Buzzard and Hill Swallows flew through, but overall it was quiet in terms of mammals and we failed to see the one mammal that I was hoping for, stripe-necked mongoose. We sat and had a box lunch before exploring further. The reserve is quite small with only a couple of roads so we didn’t spend a lot of time there. We searched an area for lizards and found Black-lipped Lizard.

 

P2125537 Yellow-eared Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125528 Common Tailorbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125563_01 Yellow-eared Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125580 Yellow-eared Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125602 Dusky-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125651 Dusky-striped Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_112041 Horton Plains by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_112007 Horton Plains by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_112021 Horton Plains by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_112130 Horton Plains by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125732 Sambar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_113039 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_113046 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_113054 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125780 Black-lipped  Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125813 Black-lipped  Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_115324 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

On the way back we encountered a massive amount of traffic trying to head up to Horton Plains. WIth the road being steep and narrow in places this made for some interesting manoeuvering but Suresh was adept at ensuring our safety and the safety of the bus. 

 

IMG_20240212_121555 Traffic jam getting down from Horton Plains by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240212_121559 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We tried back at the little forest patch as well as some other areas, achieving closer views of Bear Monkeys, Highland Toque Macaque and also scoring a Ceylon Scaly Thrush and Sri Lanka Bush Warbler. 

 

P2125849 Bear Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125897 Ceylon Scaly Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125915 Ceylon Scaly Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125933 Ceylon Scaly Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2125951 Ceylon Scaly Thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr