Sri Lanka - Last Day

As we had had no luck with jungle fowl, Samon arranged for us to take a jeep up to a place in the hills where a pair came in to food put out by the family, so an early start and we met up with the jeep driver before a tortuous drive up into the hills. On the way up we met a mother and children walking down to meet the school bus, the mother would then have to walk back up the 5 miles or so home.We met the family and staked out the feeding area from the building and waited. Around 6.30 a pair of Sri Lanka Spurfowl pottered out of the forest and scratched around the feeder. An Indian Blue Robin showed well and just before we returned we saw Green-billed Coucal in trees from the neighbour's garden. We had Hill Mynahs on the way down before returning to the hotel for breakfast. A well-fed leech on the floor of the dinning room proved to have come from Chris who had a huge bloodstain on the back of his shirt.

After breakfast we loaded up the van and set off on our way to the airport, stopping for lunch on the way. We arrived with plenty of time to spare so we did a bit of shopping before our flight home via Doha.

Sinharaja Rain Forest

With Carol not feeling too good a 5.30 start for 3 of us for a ride up to gate 1 and the ticket office followed by a jeep ride up to gate 2. We collected our forest guide, called Santa, and set off. The jeep was an old Willy's Jeep from WW2 with no ignition, so a hot wire start and no doors. However, it clambered up the steep, rock-strewn road with a stop on the way to try and see Sri Lanka Spurfowl which was not very successful but we did manage to see Brown-capped Babbler. Looking down saw lots of leeches heading purposefully towards our boots and we had to spend some time checking our leech socks and removing the beasties.
At the gate we started walking round the reserve, stopping in likely places for birds and butterflies. A quick trip down a short, muddy track found 2 Sri Lanka Frogmouths roosting side by side on a branch, fairly oblivious of the people admiring them. Photography was difficult and quite frustrating in these darker situations but these birds very obligingly roosted in a brighter spot.

Another forest trek, this time down the edge of a stream and we all had good views of a very difficult bird, Scaley Thrush.
As the day warmed up lots of butterflies started appearing but were so active they were extremely difficult to identify, let alone photograph. We took several trails, including one up to the Education Centre where we looked for White-faced starling, unsuccessfully, but did see woodpeckers, and Layard's squirrel.

A walk along to the research station was successful for Blue Magpie Robin where we saw several hopping about the trees, on the ground and in the trees. We also had close views of the Jungle Fowl.

It began to get dark and the clouds looked very threatening so we decided to return down the mountain. As we left an amazing thunderstorm overtook us sending a river of red mud down the jeep track. Although there were sides for the back of the jeep, as it had no door it was awash in the front seat. I cowered under my plastic poncho with a waterproof round my legs but the poor driver became absolutely soaked as he had to lean out the door to see were we were going. The drive back down to the hotel crossed several water splashes, one which was a little hairy, but by the time we arrived back the rain had almost stopped and the clouds were moving on.

On the second day we walked up from Gate 1, which was interesting although a bit of a struggle. We tried various tracks with a nice flock of birds including a Trogon. We were also told about a nesting Frogmouth just below the education centre which we saw, although the light wasn't great.
We spent  a bit of time on our own as the guides went off looking for the Scops Owl but no luck at any of the expected places. There were lots of butterflies to identify and a few interesting plants.

On the way down the hillside we were shown a pit viper curled round a tree trunk. Despite all the rain yesterday, the streams were more or less back to normal.

On the way back we visitied the Blue Magpie Lodge for a drink and walked up the road meeting a Sunday school group walking down with big smiles.

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Sri Lanka - whale watching days 1 & 2

The next two days followed a similar pattern with an alarm call at 5.30, a quick cup of tea and a drive to Mirissa Watersports for a boat ride out looking for whales. We were given a cup of tea before being led down the road to the harbour and boarding our boat, a different one each day.
The passage out was quite choppy with spray and lumps of water coming over the bow. On the first day we saw several flying fish but only a couple on the second. There were several other boats in the area all with spotters looking for whale blows or dolphin activity and when something was spotted all the boats headed in that direction. Our first encounter was a small pod of spinner Dolphins followed by a Bryde's whale. A report of a Blue Whale had all the boats chasing off in several lines abreast but unfortunately the whale that was found was another Bryde's whale, with a calf.
We passed several fishing boats with a collection of crew perched around the rigging. The boats are very narrow with an outrigger. Most are motor driven but a few were single-man and oar-driven.









Our second day seemed calmer as we headed out of port but once clear of the protection of land the sea was choppier. As the boat was smaller we had some very interesting moments with the bow crashing down onto the waves and even a whole wave crashing over the bow sending water across the deck. There was much more cloud about and it did begin to rain. The skipper obviously got a message and all the boats again turned. There were at least 15 boats out there, all heading in the same direction. When we reached the reported place the engine was cut back and we floated along waiting for a blow. Suddenly, on our left hand side a blow with a few back archings and we identified a Blue Whale. It's next blow was followed by a roll and then the tail fluke slowly came out before the animal slipped back under the water. A 10 minute wait before the whale showed again but we didn't get close before it again dived. We had 2 more sightings before the captain decided to head for home as the conditions were too unpleasant.











We returned to the hotel for a shower and dry clothes where there was a Sri Lanka wedding in full swing, some of the clothes were stunning with the bride in cream and 'bridesmaids' in red saris with long flower corsages pinned to them, before setting off on our drive to Siniraja.
The scenery changed to scenic views and jungle and we reached our last accommodation, The Rock View Motel around 4.15. After settling in and a cup of tea we went for a walk along the road until the sun set behind the hills and it quickly darkened. Along the road we found Brown-throated Needletail, Sri Lanka Swallow, Black-capped Bulbul and Oriental White-eye as well as Yellow-fronted Barbet, Scaley Munia and Chris had a fleeting glimpse of a Sri Lanka Magpie. We also found grass orchids growing on the banks and some a bright orange lily.
Along the road a group of boys were playing cricket with one set of stumps and a home made bat. A six meant the ball was lost in the undergrowth and cars caused a slight halt in play.
Back for a quick brush up and we were ready for more excellent Sri Lankan rice and curry buffet.
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Sri Lanka - Day 7 - Yala 2

The same procedure as yesterday and the same driver had us heading into the National Park at around 6 in the morning with Indian Nightjar being flushed off the road.


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Sri Lanka - Day 6 - Yala National Park

A wake-up call at 4.30 to leave at 5 for the hour drive to Yala in a large, 9 seater Safari jeep. Daybreak saw us waiting to enter the park. The morning was spent driving round the tracks in various states of ruttedness. Lots of birds and butterflies, and then a call came that there was a leopard in a tree. Off we went and we were soon looking at a leopard resting on a branch a fair distance away. We were lucky we had scopes and bins, in the majority of the other jeeps no-one seemed to have even small ones and the views must have been almost minute. We spent the rest of the day driving round various tracks and tanks seeing lots of water birds, including Great White, Intermediate and Little
egret, Purple, Grey and Pond Herons, Pintail and Painted Snipe and Painted Storks. There were several White Bellied Fish Eagle, and we had a Shikra fly through. Another call for leopard, but this time there were 2 lolling on a branch of a tree with a real scrum of jeeps jostling for position at the two best vantage points. Our driver pushed our way through and then we took a circular route to save having to go through the scrum again. We drove out around 6 in the evening and returned to our hotel in the gathering gloom.

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Sri Lanka - Day Five - Journey to Tissamarama

For a second chance to look for Pied Thrush we were up at 5.30 and out by 6. We went into the Park with lots of Pond Herons flying in overhead. We made our way over to the favoured roost spot and after a short wait Chris spotted movement. We all managed to see it and watched as it grotted about on the ground before flying up into a bush and preening. A quick walk round the park before leaving to drive round Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve where we saw a troup of Mountain Toque McCaques and Sri Lanka Woodpigeon among the huge trees. We returned for a more traditional breakfast of fruit, Roti and curry, as well as toast and jam.

Leaving this very friendly hotel we headed south towards Tissa for our planned visit to Yala National Park. The hope was for at least a reasonable sighting of leopard as well as some new birds and butterflies.


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Sri Lanka - Day Four - Horton Plains

Another early start for our trip,to Horton Plains. 4.30 for tea at 4.45 and out at 5. Our first stop was part way up the extremely windy road with a panoramic view for Whistling Thrush.  Despite a lot of effort we only heard the thrush so headed on up.

 Stopping to buy our ticket we saw Sri Lanka Blackbird and further up the road a couple of Sri Lanka Jungle fowl. A few more stops for the thrush weren't very successful, although we did hear it several times but there were several flowers and an orchid to look at.

We drove on, seeing Adam'sPeak in the distant, stopping in likely spots for the thrush but also seeing Sambar deer browsing on the grasses, Black-napped Hare, Blyth's Pipits, 2 Long- legged Buzzards, a Kestrel and bush chats. Turning round we stopped for breakfast which was sandwiches, boiled egg, fruit and a piece of cake.

Back to the hotel for lunch which was a very nice fried chicken rice or noodles before setting off to Victoria Park to look for Pied Thrush and Kashmiri Flycatcher.


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Sri Lanka - Day Three - journey to Nuraya Elya

Getting up around 6 with the intention of birding round the grounds was sidetracked by the stunning number of birds in the tree outside our accommodation. Between 20 and 30 Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot were feeding on the flowers with Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Flower Pecker, Golden-fronted and Jerdon's Leaf-bird, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Dull Blue FlycatcherBrown Flycatcher and Flame Minivet. Although some of the birds drifted away we were kept entranced until breakfast.

We left around 9.30 and set off for Nuwara Elya with a brief stop at the swinging bridge for Stork-billed Kingfisher which obligingly flew down the river and Crested Serpent Eagle flying over. We had another short stop at a bridge in the hope of dwarf Kingfisher but no luck. We did see 2 electric green damselflies and a Black Eagle drifted over our heads.

We stopped for a view across to Devon Waterfall and then a stop for a cup of tea at the St. Clair's Waterfall where they have a nice new viewpoint platform, museum and tea room. This is real tea country with every available slope terraced and groups dotted around picking the leaves.

We settled into our new hotel, had a light lunch and then set off to a spot with a path behind an old shed leading to a potato farm. It was a bit of a slippery scramble down to a bridge and then a short walk along the path looking and listening. A couple of Spurfowl flew across the track and then a steep scramble up the hillside and standing very quietly as a mixed flock came by included Dull-blue Flycatcher, Yellow-eared Bulbul. The track was fairly busy with orkers coming and going but everyone was very friendly. 

A wait for the Whistling Thrush resulted in hearing it call all the way down the valley, passing right under our feet, and catching sight of some movement but frustratingly no proper views.



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Sri Lanka-Day Two

A 5.45 start for a short drive to a private garden where we had good views in the early light of Indian Pitta as well as Spot-winged Thrush. Grey Hornbills and Palm squirrels visited the bird table for rice. We returned to the lodge for breakfast before driving down the road to the swinging bridge leading across the river to the forest.

We walked through the village and up to the Visitors Centre before carrying on up into the forest, along the stony trails looking for birds and butterflies. We




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