Our first visit to Asia and we opted to use the services of www.jetwingeco.com who would provide a guide and air conditioned car to take us on a tour that was designed to take in places good for birds and mammals, and some of the cultural sites and other areas of interest. The visit spanned the 7th to 23rd of the month. The daily summaries do not reflect all species seen on that day. A complete list of birds and mammals sighted will follow the last post for this location.
Lakshma collected us from the airport, and being a little surprised that, after our lengthy night flight, we wanted to see a few species rather than go straight to the hotel, stopped off along the road for us to see birds in the rice paddies. The traffic was frantic with mopeds and tuk-tuks weaving around the Tata lorries and Lanka Ashok Leyland buses.
The next day started with a return to Sigiriya in the morning, for birding, where we saw White-rumped Sharma and Blue-faced Malkoha. Also, a Cobra was uncomfortably close to the path, in its termite mound refuge. We then had a three hour drive to Kandy, the second largest city in Sri Lanka. Traffic here was even worse than Colombo due to roadworks.
Visitors to the tall trees included Scarlet and Large Minivet, Large Cuckooshrike, Shikra and Lesser Hill Mynah.
Lakshma collected us from the airport, and being a little surprised that, after our lengthy night flight, we wanted to see a few species rather than go straight to the hotel, stopped off along the road for us to see birds in the rice paddies. The traffic was frantic with mopeds and tuk-tuks weaving around the Tata lorries and Lanka Ashok Leyland buses.
Red-wattled Lapwing
Indian Pond Heron
Banks represent boundaries of individual families
We were dropped off at the Tamarind Hotel where we discovered that the 'standard room' was, in fact, a one bedroom bungelow. The next morning we birded around the grounds, seeing our first Brown-headed Barbet, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Green Imperial Pigeon and Asian Koel amongst other species. After breakfast we collected our luggage and we found grounds staff busily dislodging ripe coconuts from the palms, bringing to mind something read in the distant past that claimed more people are killed by falling coconuts than sharks. The nuts certainly landed with a heafty thud.
Tamarind Hotel bungelows and grounds
We set off on our 4 hour drive to Sigiriya and arrived at Kassapa Lions Rock in the late morning. It was hot and we realised that driving for long periods in the morning was not a smart move. We birded opposite the hotel for an hour until Lakshma was to pick us up at 2pm for our visit of the rock fortress at Sigiriya.
Rock Fortress Sigiriya
We got some interesting sightings in the ruins around the base of the fortress, but 32 degree heat and high humidity, over 90%, beat me (Denise) into submission as it became clear that I would not be able to climb to the top of the rock. With hindsight this should never have been attempted in just three and a half hours on the day following a night flight. There was no cable car and the route was not even well lit. If I'd reached the top it would have been dark as I descended.
New birds for today included Wooly-necked Stork, Common Iora, Stork-billed Kingfisher and
Braminy Kite.
Stork-billed Kingfisher
Braminy Kite
The next day we went to Polonnaruwa, then Minneriya National Park.
Crested Serpent Eagle
Polonnaruwa
Water Monitor at Polonnaruwa
Little Cormorant
Open-billed Stork
White-breasted Kingfisher
Peacock Pansy
Grey Langur
Wildlife occurs around all the cultural sites and these Torque Macaque were loafing around in the shade by the temple.
In the afternoon we missed the Primate Research Centre out as we were short of time and visited Minneriya Nation Park by jeep. This park is famous for its elephants, but of course, there were also birds.
Grey-headed Fish Eagle
Lesser Adjutant
White-bellied Sea Eagle pair
The next day started with a return to Sigiriya in the morning, for birding, where we saw White-rumped Sharma and Blue-faced Malkoha. Also, a Cobra was uncomfortably close to the path, in its termite mound refuge. We then had a three hour drive to Kandy, the second largest city in Sri Lanka. Traffic here was even worse than Colombo due to roadworks.
Terrifying traffic and a national petrol shortge.
I really was glad that Chris wasn't having to drive.
Arriving at Kandy in time for lunch we took some light refreshment then met Lakshma outside the Temple of the Tooth. As at all religious sites, shoes were to be removed before entering and ladies must cover shoulders. We noticed a large flock of Indian Cormorant on the lake.
On then to the Randholee Resort where the hillside garden was small and the trees very tall and balcony birding was a perfect option.
Visitors to the tall trees included Scarlet and Large Minivet, Large Cuckooshrike, Shikra and Lesser Hill Mynah.
Large Cuckooshrike
Lesser Hill Mynah on the Tulip Tree
The next day, we went to the Udawattakale Forest Reserve and afterwards travelled to Kithulgaga.
Udawattakale
Blue Tiger
Spot winged Thrush
Dwarf Kingfisher
At this site we had our first glimpse of Scaly Thrush and the only sighting of Dwarf Kingfisher. We also encountered leeches for the first time and found that sealskinz socks are actually better than leech socks - that we didn't even know were a thing until told that we'd be needing them.
Here we were booked into the River Falls Resort up a 6km track that was rather poor. It took half an hour to reach the hotel from the main road so was a bit limiting in terms of nipping out before breakfast to check known sites for Chestnut-backed Owlet, or travelling back and forth to the hotel during the day.
Lesser Goldenback
A second day around Kithulgala brought no luck with two known sites for Chestnut-backed Owlet, including efforts in the evening, so we determined to start earlier the next morning, arranging to leave the hotel early and breakfast at the Plantation Hotel rather than travel back along the oh so slow road. Walks into the Kelani Valley Forset Reserve were not very productive. The vegetation was think with very few clearings to view across.
Emerald Dove
Orange-billed Babbler
In the morning we had another look for the endemic owlet and despite a near miss with a falling coconut, Chris and Lakshma were able to home in on the call and locate the bird.
Sri Lanka Chestnut-backed Owlet
We breakfasted at the Plantation hotel where the river flows right next to the restaurant. Water Monitor and Water Buffalo were photographed in the river where tourists would soon be white water rafting.
Water Monitor
Water Buffalo
We continued our tour with a drive to Nuwaraeliya, taking in many tea plantations as we drove.
The good thing about having a guide who really knows his stuff is all the extra snipets of information that you find out. Tea plants were brought to Ceylon, as it was then, in 1854 by James Taylor at the age of 19. He had been to India to study the process of tea production, then went to Sri Lanka, working with Thomas Lipton. We worked at a small tea estate and had introduced a tea production factory within 5 years. As is so often the case, big business began to domionate and he eventually had to leave the Loolecondera Estate where he had spent his life and died the next year.
The tea plantations are still an important industry on the island. The plants must have the newest three leaves of each shoot picked every six days. If that doesn't happen. then the plant can not be harvested. Plants are ready to harvest in two years and are usually in production for 5 to 7 years. The process is delicate and efforts to mechanise the process, by a Japanese company, resulted in poor results as the cutting machine could not isolate the desired leaves and acted more like a hedge trimmer ,with unpalatable results.
Cleared rainforest has made way for tea plantations
Tea pickers work along the rows of plants and collect the fresh, young leaves in a net
carried on their backs. Payment is commensurate with the weight of leaves picked.
Lakshma, ever on the look out for birds and potential hazards to our health,
mainly vipers, cobras,leeches and other blood sucking insects.