Why Sri Lanka is a top priority for bird watchers around the world?

 

Having 33 endemic bird species with a total number of 509 bird species including the migrant birds Sri Lanka provides an unparalleled birding experience for any serious bird watcher.  With its rich bio diversity and various climatic conditions it never fails to satisfy any bird watcher who comes to Sri Lanka from any part of the world. Whether you are a serious bird watcher or a casual bird watcher it always has options. During the migration season more than 200 species arrives Sri Lanka from India, Siberia, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. The latter part of the year is the best time for bird watching in Sri Lanka. In my naturalist life, some of our clients have become serious bird watchers and nature lovers after having a casual walk with me because of the diversity of nature we have here. Even in the capital city of Colombo provides greater opportunities for bird watching in places like Diyasaru Park – Thalawathugoda and Baddegana Wetland Park.

Some of the popular destinations for bird watching in Sri Lanka are

·         Sinharaja Rain Forest

·         Bundala National Park

·         Kumana National Park

·         Horton Plains National Park

·         Anawilundawa Ramsar Wetland

·         Wilpattu National Park

·         Kitulgala

·         Galsway Forest – Nuwaraeliya

·         Minneriya National Park

·         Kaudulla National Park

Why you should not feed wild animals?

 

Feeding wildlife can lead to cause a number of serious problems.

 

They do not need food from humans to survive, and that food is not healthy for them. They have specialized diets and they can become malnourished or die if fed wrong foods. Also animals cannot distinguish food from wrappers or foil and can get sick eating these items.

 

Increase the chances of disease transmission by gathering too many animals in one place. Also it will lead to unnecessary crowding and competition and increase the chances of having fights and injuries among animals.

 

Lose the natural fear of humans and can be aggressive. Once they learn that they can panhandle for food they can become a nuisance. This is a common problem in Sri Lanka as most of the people feed wild elephants on roadside cause to lead attacks and Toque Macaques has become a nuisance in most of the places because of human feeding.

 

Increase the chances of road accidents as they tend to stay near the road.

Little Green Bee Eater - Merops orientalis

Little green bee eater can be commonly observed in the open land areas and cultivation areas of the dry zone. #littlegreenbeeeater

Sri Lanka Natural Attractions

Yala National Park

Minneriya Elephant Gathering

Horton Plains

Horton plains are one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka and the diversity of this area is amazing… Here are some highlights coming with courtesy of Thlilanka Ranatunge who serves as a naturalist in Nature Odyssey.

First blog post away from the country

This is happened to me my first blog post away from my country and keeps my memory alive about the wildlife i always enjoyed in my country.. Special thanks to Thilanka for his courtesy of sending me the fresh capture from Yala.

Exclusively from Yala National Park

Portraits from Yala National Park

Some of the captures during my work at travel counter of the Yala village hotel from 23rd January to 02nd February 2010.

Camping in Udalwalawe National Park on Tai Pongal Day

A request came from Eshan, the operation’s manager at Eco Team to participate and the play the role of the naturalist of that camping tour organized on 14th and 15th January 2009. Reaching the Udawalawe park entrance by 10.30 AM in the morning met the clients, a British couple in their 60’s and came through Pan Lanka around 2.30 in the evening. The campsite was organized in “PRANSADARA” which is about 17 kilometers away from the park entrance (excuse me if I have mentioned this name of the campsite incorrectly), so we started traveling to the campsite and from the beginning itself we were able to spot so many bird species like Crested serpent eagle, Indian Roller, Changeable hawk eagle, Common hoopoe etc. including few spotted deers, land monitors etc. We had to tolerate the giant bull elephant that was blocking the road and walking along the road by taking his own time with the understanding of that we are roaming within their territory and I am sure this was a memory repeating experience for our clients.

Having a late lunch around 3.30 started our first game drive inside the park around 4.00, With the privilege of staying inside park for the night we took a quite undisturbed routes since our clients are careful observers of the animals and this rewarded us so many memory refreshing events. We were lucky enough to spot Malabar pied hornbills and Sri Lanka Grey hornbill in the same canopy. For the first time in my life we spotted a python that has taken it’s life long meal, imagine a python that swallowed a well-grown spotted deer, few yards away from the THIMBIRIYAGASMANKADA circuit bungalow. In the same time I was so unlucky at that moment not to have my camera with me unfortunately. We returned to the campsite with this unforgettable safari experience in the dusk and were treated us with a glass of coriander that usually takes at the end of tiresome exercise to get a relief for the aching body.

Dining in a thick jungle under the star studded sky with a light of a kerosene oil lamp is always going to be one of the most remarkable experience whoever who enjoys it. As usual the dinner was followed by B.B.Q. dishes, brown onion soup the most demanding soup in the camping sites followed by an array of Sri Lankan dishes as well.

Getting up to the rhythm of the bird vocalization in the morning started our second game drive in the park around 7.30, which ended up with adding sweet memories who enjoys the beauty of an untamed forest as a wildlife enthusiast.

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

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

Camping in Sinharaja with a group of students from UK

A group of eleven students with two lecturers from UK led by Mr. Joss joined the camp site organized by the Eco Team on 24th October 2009 for a one night camping. Filled with full of fun they made this night remarkable by having dance with the light of camp fire and at the end of their dance there was a special request to Upali (the guide) present a Sri Lankan dance with Joss since he has been in Sri Lanka for three years. All these activities followed by the B.B.Q. dinner despite that Joss requesting rice and curry because he has a special taste in that as a result of working three years in Sri Lanka for an international school in Colombo.



Having all that fun last night the nature walk to Sinharaja forest was started around 9.00 am with sunny weather conditions by rewarding us not to worry too much about the leeches.



By not having rain for two weeks the forest was little dry and not provided much opportunities for birding. Once again Joss became the main actor by expressing his views that he is keen to see a snake and quenching his thirst we were able to spot two green pit vipers so that he became the happiest man in the group.



Purple faced leaf monkey, giant squirrel, Sri Lanka Kangaroo lizard, green pit viper, praying mantis are some of the sights that this group of students seems to be impressed.
Ceylon tree nymph, common blue bottle, blue morman, crimson rose, Ceylon bird wing, blue glassy tiger, commander are some of the butterfly species that were recoded during this nature walk.