Butterfly World

Black Eagle's Nest

This Black Eagle's nest was observed by Thilanka Ranathunga, A naturalist who works for the Nature Odyssey at the moment, in the suburbs of Kandy somewhere near to his residence.






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Touring with James,Alison and Jimmy

The first wildlife tour of Jetwing Eco Holidays came to me as a result of meeting Mr.Gehan De Silva Wijeratne at Sinharaja in last December. Mr. James Naylor a British who works in Singapore at the moment with his wife Alison a biology teacher and his twelve years old son Jimmy arrived Sri Lanka on 30th evening for a 10 nights/11 days tour. Meeting them at Talangama villa on 31st morning, the last day of the year 2009 we started the tour to reach our first destination the Light House Hotel, Galle to celebrate the dawn of the year 2010. Jimmy is a photographer and enjoyed all the photographic opportunities so en route had few stops in places like Kalutara temple etc.

New year celebrations were fantastic at Light House hotel it was filled with full of fireworks that created a dramatic sky over the hotel with the dawn of the year 2010. The first naturalist greeted me for the New Year was none of the other than Anoma Alagiyawadu, the most experienced naturalist for whale watching in southern Sri Lanka currently working in the Light House Hotel as the resident naturalist.



First destination for the New Year was Yala village and managed to get over there by 1.00 PM. Our first game drive to the Yala National park on the same evening, infact my first safari for the new year, was very successful with the observation of elusive leopard for few times and the tusker, jackal, crocodiles, sambar deer and number of bird species including few raptors. The second game drive to the park on 02nd morning also was very successful to spot the leopard for a good look over 15 minutes and the experience left behind our clients was remarkable.

Having had a memorable stay at Yala village left for Centuria hotel, Ambilipitiya on 3rd morning and managed to reach there by 12.30 daytime. Starting our safari to Udawalawe National Park around 2.30 PM managed to spot a herd of elephants more the 50 in numbers near mawu-ara around 4.00 PM including number of baby elephants.




Responding to the special request made by Alison to visit the Ath-Athuru-Sevana in the morning, reached there before they start feeding around 9.00 AM without disappointing them to capture all the interesting moments in Jimmy’s camera. Making a little amendment to the stop off for the 04th night, reached the Tea Bush Hotel, Nuwara eliya around 5.00 PM.

Rewarding a bonus day in Nuwara Eliya, few ideas came from our boss James to spend the day in a meaningful way and respecting to his ideas first we visited the Victoria Gardens and then we started to visit the Kadapola tea factory. Passing all these panoramic views and record plenty of stunning photographs in Jimmy’s camera we reached the Tea factory around 11.30 am. Visiting the organic tea factory Alison had some tea testing after the demonstration. On our way to the Warwick Gardens, had a visit to the Hakgala Botanical Garden.



On 6th Morning we started our journey to the Horton plains national park to see the cloud forest through the scenic Ambewela and Pattipola. Surely this 9km circular nature walk provided us an excellent trekking experience while offering marvelous views to the south including a photographic record of the Adam’s peak in Jimmy’s camera. While returning to the Warwick Garden we didn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Pattipola railway station, the highest railway station in Sri Lanka, which is 6204 feets above from the sea level and the Summit level, the highest point of the Sri Lankan railway track.




Labookale tea factory were visited on 07th morning to explore an active tea factory in our way to Kandy from Nuwara Eliya and then the Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya before we reach the Suisse Hotel, Kandy. In the evening visited the sacred Dalada Maligawa, the temple of tooth relic of Lord Buddha.



Ended up this tour by transferring them to The Beach Hotel, Negombo on 08th January with remaining ample time to relax on the beach before they transfer to the Airport on the following morning.

Glimpse of Sri Lanka

Baker's fall


Chimini fall


Palatupana saltern at dusk


Flower in Horton plains

Amazing beauty of the Kantale Reservoir

Birding in Sinharaja with Boon

Birding in Sinharaja always gives me an opportunity to enhance my birding experience and therefore when I get an opportunity to go to Sinharaja rain forest I hardly miss it. This time a request came from one of my relative who serves as a doctor in the cancer hospital, Maharagama to accompany Mr. Boon, a Singaporean who is on a special tour to Sri Lanka for a week for a lecture series in Maharagama cancer hospital, to Sinharaja after his lecture series for two days visit.





Leaving Colombo around 6.30 in the evening on 4th of December Friday, we were able to reach Martin’s simple lodge in the mid night after a very tiresome journey due to the very bad road conditions and to thanks Martin still our dinner was waiting for us.

Amila, one of the most experienced ornithology tour coordinators in Sri Lanka and the founder of the Birdwing Nature Holidays gave my wake up call coincidently he has happened to sleep the adjoining room. Joining with all we had our breakfast and just before we leave for the nature walk we were able to had observe Malabar trogan, scarlet minivets, black crested bulbuls, Sri Lanka Mynas in Martin’s place.



Imagine how lucky our friend are, just right on the entrance gate even without entering to the forest we were able to spot the most elusive bird Red faced malkoha on a very low canopy which is not usual in this height including Sri Lanka Blue magpie, Crested drongo, orange billed babblers, yellow browed bulbuls, Sri Lanka jungle fowl etc. walking just few yards from the entrance one Chestnut backed owlet flew away after allowing us to have a good look on it. The nature walk left so many sweet memories to Boon because this is his first visit to Sinharaja. My day’s highlight was the Indian Blue Robin we were able to spot just few yards away from the research center.

Ceylon bird wing, Common Blue bottle, Blue Mormon, Crimson Rose, Ceylon Tree nymph, Commander, White four ring are some of the butterfly highlights while Green vine snake, Sri Lanka Keel back water snake, Giant squirrel, purple faced leaf monkey are some of the other highlights that boon made a note of them.





While having our traditional Sri Lank an lunch including dry fish, Pol Sambol etc. served by our host Martin after the tiresome nature walk, we had the privilege of having the company with Mr. Gehan De Silva Wijeratne, author of the most number of field guides used by the naturalists in Sri Lanka and a Sri lank an wildlife promoter who currently serves as the CEO to the Jetwing Eco Holidays.

Getting up to the noise of the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie in the following morning packed our things and came back to Colombo after the breakfast while spotting some birds around Martins lodge. On our way back to Colombo we were able to spot some village birds including a Common wood shrike before we reach to Ratnapura.

Go along this road to pack this amazing hamper for the festive season

Elusive leopard

Umbrella birding

For my second tour of the month of August to Sinharaja organized by the Eco team with 18 people from UK including many dead scaring children for leeches we started our nature walk on 26th morning with raining conditions compelled us to put on our umbrellas and rain coats. Not to mention the rain was continued until we end of our walk in the forest specially leaving a life long experience to the children because of the blood thirsty leeches.

Compared to other days the sightings were less but we were lucky to observe a feeding flock which includes most elusive Red faced Malkoha, Malabar Trogon, Sri Lanka Blue magpie, Crested drongo, Orange billed babblers etc. Some of the main highlights were the green pit viper we observed during the middle of the nature walk. Ultimately this gave me a different experience of birding with an umbrella instead of binocular, camera and field guides as usual.

Dreams are alive at Yala National Park

Undoubtedly all the wildlife enthusiasts dreaming to see a leopard in its natural habitats and Yala National Park keep these dreams alive by providing excellent opportunities to observe and photograph leopards in their own territory.



Joining the Safari camp organized by the Eco team at palatupana just outside the Yala National Park to host Mr. Paul, a British who works as a Team Leader for a Water Board Project in Kandy with his wife and son who are on their summer vacation I was privileged to have two safaris to the Yala national park on 28th and 29th of July one in the dusk and one in the morning.



Our first sighting of this giant carnivore was at dusk sitting under a Palu tree (a common fruit tree in the park) under very poor light conditions for about 10 minutes observation. The second sighting was on the morning safari which provided us an excellent opportunity to observe and photograph it while it was sitting on a rock. On the same safari we were fortunate to observe another leopard just few yards away from the main road inside the Yala Park.



Apart from this elusive leopard our highlights included herds of spotted deer, wild boar, jackal, black napped hare, water buffalo, sambar, mugger crocodiles, Asian elephants etc.
Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Malabar pied horn bill, Black crowned night heron, Lesser adjutant, spot billed pelican are some of the birding highlights.

Picturesque Kosgoda River

Bird Portraits - Little Egret

Bird Portraits – Sri Lanka Blue Magpie

Jerdon's Nightjar

I observed this rare sight while I am on a safari in the Yala National Park. A rock python was hanging around this bird presumably to attack it.

Millipede

Palm Squirrel

Bundala Lake at Dusk

Sunset in the evening creates picturesque sceneries. Enjoy the beauty at dusk over the Bundala Lake.

Polhena Beach , Matara, Sri Lanka

Polhena beach, one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in my life. Naturally, grown coral reef softens the peak waves so that it is safe to swim in this area throughout the year. A hotspot for colorful fishes around the reef which also has become a good source of income for the unemployed youths to catch them for exporting for domestic fish tanks kept for delight the houses. Located just about two kilometers away from the city of Matara.

Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya Forest Complex (A bio-diversity Hotspot in Sri Lanka)

The KDN complex is situated in the southern part of Sri Lanka which is about 147 kilometers away from Colombo. The total forest spread over 10139.3 hectares. The forest complex occupies the interfluves between two rivers the GinGanga and the Nilwala Ganga consists of series of ridges and valleys and the elevation ranges from 60-425M above mean sea level. The mean monthly temperature is around 27C with a diurnal range of 4-5C, Maximum temperature has been recoded from mid May while the annual rainfall in Kanneliya is around 3750 mm.

The Kanneliya forest as a whole are among the most important natural forests in the southern province for protection of the head waters of the Gin and Nilwala which are critically important for socio-economic development in the Galle and Matara districts. This region has identified as floristically one of the richest areas in South Asia. There is a high proportion of endemism among the identified woody plants, with 159 species belonging to 94 genera and 41 families being endemic to Sri Lanka. Some 220 faunal species with 41 endemics have been recorded from the KDN and adjacent forests. Majority of the 20 endemic birds in Sri Lanka are restricted to the rain forests of the Southwest. Large numbers of medicinal plants are found in the KDN forest complex. Some of these plants are
+ Weniwelgata - Concinium fenestratum
+ Kudahedaya - Lycopodium Squarrosum
+ Maha hedaya - Lycopodium phlegmaria
+ Kothala Himbutu - Salacia reticulate
+ Rasakinda - Tinopora cordifolia

Snakes of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 36 species snakes, including 17 endemic forms belonging to six families have been recorded from Kanneliya.

Lizards of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 23 species of lizards including 13 endemic species belonging to four families have been recorded from Kanneliya forest.

Freshwater Fishes of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 38 species of fishes belonging to 14 families have been recorded from Kanneliya forest and among them are 20 endemic species. The Gin Ganga, Udugama Ela, Kanneliya Ela and their shady forest streams provide extremely suitable habitats for their fishes.

Also the Kanneliya forest is an ideal location for bird watching. Numbers of endemic bird species are recoded from Kanneliya forest. Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Orange Billed Babbler, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie can be seen in the Kanneliya forest.
Some Useful Tips:
+ To enter Kanneliya Forest Reserve, tickets should be purchased from the Forest Department office at the entrance.
+ Start the trail early, at least by 8am
+ Wear light colored, comfortable clothes
+ Be prepared for external practices such as Leeches and ticks. Leech proof socks, preferably boots and a suitable external parasite repellent would be very useful
+ Be prepared for sudden changes in weather - it rains often (a cap and a rain coat would come in handy)
+ Avoid walking alone. Always seek the assistance of a trained nature guide from the Forest Department office.
+ Make sure you carry sufficient water, food and a basic first aid kit