Limosa - Birdwatching and Wildlife Hoildays Worldwide

Trip Diary

Our 2003 tour to Sri Lanka focussed on the southern half of the island, the lush forests of the ?wet zone? being home to the 26 endemic bird species of that country, and also support an exciting array of winter visitors. Top Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda was our local leader and, thanks to his intimate knowledge of the island, we were able to visit a wide variety of great birding locations from coastal wetlands to scrubby grasslands, jungle and montane forests. All 26 of the described endemic bird species were encountered, the majority very wel1 indeed, although admittedly the Sri Lanka Spurfowl kept us on tender-hooks for quite a while until we had wonderful views, sadly the White-faced Starling was only heard this year. The notoriously elusive Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush lived up to its reputation, but most of us eventually saw a male by the magnificent forests flanking the Horton Plains. The views of Green-billed Coucal were quite outstanding and seemingly fitting since Limosa has helped to finance a conservation project with the species, in conjunction with the Oriental Bird Club. Our visit to Sinharaja Forest was truly memorable where Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Red-faced Malkoha, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush (building a nest - apparently only the second ever recorded) and even the shy Scaly Thrush obliged; we were also able to marvel at masses of colourful butterflies here. The discovery of at least one Spot-bellied Eagle Owl at Kandy on our last morning was without doubt the most exciting find of the tour. Wader totals in the vicinity of Tissamaharama were impressive indeed, notable being parties of Broad-billed Sandpipers and Great Thick-knees. Raptors included superb views of Changeable (Crested) Hawk-eagle, Oriental Black Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle and White-bellied Sea-eagle. Other highlights included exceptionally good views of Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Kashmir Flycatcher, Pacific Golden Plover, Small Pratincoles, White-naped Woodpecker, Hill Swallow and Sri Lanka Frogmouth.

Winter visitors were much in evidence, the warblers including Pallas?s Grasshopper, Blyth?s Reed, Green and Large-billed being somewhat eclipsed by Forest Wagtail, Rosy Starling, Kashmir Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin and the stunning Pied Thrush; there were also large numbers of the lovely Indian Pitta, which seemed to be calling all over the island. Mammals were particularly well represented with Purple-faced and Hanuman Langurs and Toque Macaque, Wild Buffalo, Wild Boar, Indian Elephant and Grizzled Giant Squirrel being the most conspicuous. Culture and leisure activities were not neglected either, with an opportunity to see a working tea factory and an evening visit to the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy adding a religious slant. What with some splendid hotels and good food, Sri Lanka certainly lived up to our expectations and was undoubtedly a resounding success. The excellent total of 230 species mirrors the diversity of habitats encountered on the tour.

Day 1. Sat 8 November. We depart on the mid-morning Sri Lankan Airlines direct flight from Heathrow, bound for Colombo.

Day 2. Sun 9 November. The flight arrives a little behind schedule at 03.30hrs. Airport formalities are quickly completed and soon the party made their way to the hotel for a rest and morning at leisure. Most of the group emerge for a late breakfast to bird in the hotel grounds admiring Indian and Little Cormorants, Spot-billed Pelicans, Indian Pond Herons and Brown-headed Barbet. Deepal arrived after lunch to take us on a visit to Bellanwilla Marsh - a wetland sanctuary situated to the south of the city - we depart in the bus at 14.00hrs. An array of interesting species await our arrival, notably Yellow Bitterns, Purple Swamphens, Asian Open-bill Stork, Black-headed Ibis and small flocks of Lesser Whistling Ducks. Rolls of thunder and some warm showers encouraged the breeding-plumaged Pheasant-tailed Jacanas to flit around the marshes and a sudden Black Bittern rose and dropped in again almost immediately. Black-hooded Oriole, Tickell?s Flowerpecker, parties of Yellow-billed Babblers and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters distracted us as we returned to the bus. After dinner, we needed no encouragement to retire early and prepare for a full day next morning. Night at Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo.(51 species).

Day 3. Mon 10 November. An 05.00hrs departure with a picnic breakfast allowed us to visit Bodingala Forest at optimum birding time (arriving at 07.30). Our journey took us through cultivated lowlands and rice paddies to reach the remnant forest area. As we began the trail we soon located our first Yellow-fronted Barbet, Emerald Dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-crested Bulbul, Black-naped Monarch, Paradise Flycatcher and both Brown-capped and Black-fronted Babblers, meanwhile Deepal picked up the call of a Green-billed Coucal. Our patience was rewarded with mixed views of this elusive endemic and we also had our first of several Malabar Trogons and Sri Lanka Grey Hornbills. We returned to Ingiriya to investigate mid-morning tea, with birds popping up all round us, including Indian Pitta and Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot. As the temperature increased we made headway towards our next destination, Kitulgala, arriving for lunch at 14.00hrs. Kitulgala Rest House, our base for the next two nights, is situated at the side of the River Kelani and just a few kilometres from the setting for the film ?Bridge over the River Kwai?. After a hearty lunch we relaxed until 16.00hrs, followed by a ?ferry? (dug-out canoe) transfer across the river; we soon began our trail into the Kitulgala Forest. Greater Flamebacks gave their falsetto calls and Sri Lanka Junglefowl and Long-billed Sunbirds performed, but the presence of leeches on the trails kept us on our toes. We stayed out until after dark being rewarded by hearing a calling Sri Lanka Frogmouth, but the only bird our spotlights picked out was an unexpected roosting Spot-winged Thrush! We returned at 21.00hrs. Night at Kitulgala Rest House. (74 species).

Day 4. Tues 11 November. At 07.00hrs we were ferried back across the river; welcomed by a Changeable Hawk-eagle and Crested Serpent Eagle in riverside trees. We continued our trail up into the Kitulgala Forest, reaching the higher forest we encountered a noisy Rufous Woodpecker, a pair of rather distant LesserYellownapes, Yellow-browed and Black Bulbuls, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Crested (Greater Racket-tailed) Drongo, Indian Blue Robin, Legge?s Flowerpecker and Purple-rumped Sunbird. A noisy party of Sri Lanka Blue Magpies were surprisingly difficult to see. Not a peep was heard from the notoriously elusive Sri Lanka Spurfowl that are supposed to be there. We walked back down to re-cross the river for lunch at the guest house. After lunch a Golden-fronted Leafbird provided a distraction at the hotel car park as we assembled before driving a couple of kilometres to cross the river by a pedestrian suspension bridge. We waited until dusk for Sri Lanka Frogmouth to appear. As darkness descended we were not to be disappointed - Deepal produced a pair in prime viewing position right on cue. Night at Kitulgala Rest House. (71 species).

Day 5. Wednesday, 12 November. 06.00hrs breakfast, followed by birding in the vicinity of the hotel, we were eventually rewarded with superb views of the endemic Chestnut-backed Owlet. We left Kitulgala at 08.30hrs for Ratnapura, arriving at 12.40hrs at the splendid Ratnaloka Hotel, where Black-rumped Flameback and Paradise Flycatchers interrupted our meal. A walk around the hotel grounds gave us the chestnut race of Red-rumped Swallow, Black-backed (Indian) Robin, White-browed Bulbul, Little Swifts and our first Small Minivets. Night at Ratnaloka Hotel, Ratnapura. (66 species).

Day 6. Thursday, 13 November. We departed at 05.00hrs in order to arrive at Sinharaja Forest by 07.30hrs. After checking in at the new Blue Magpie Lodge, we boarded jeeps for the very steep climb to get us up onto the plateau of forest, which holds well over half of Sri Lanka?s endemic birds and butterflies. The superb weather allowed us some wonderful views of the specialities, especially Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Myna, and Ashy-headed Laughingthrush. A confiding Sri Lanka Blue Magpie livened up our lunch stop by the reserve HQ. Flowering Bamboo Orchids and masses of colourful butterflies, especially Common Mormon, Glassy Tiger and Sri Lanka Tree Nymph gave some distractions, as did a fine cock Sri Lanka Junglefowl which escorted us for quite a stretch of the walk back. Layard?s Parakeets were noisily flighting to roost as we drove back down. Night at Blue Magpie Lodge, Sinharaja. (61 species).

Day 7. Friday, 14 November. Another fine day for Sinharaja, where we hoped for the elusive Sri Lana Spurfowl. Retracing our route back up the steep hillsides, we paused at a patch of forest where we at least did hear spurfowls calling. Continuing on towards the forest research HQ we encountered similar species to the previous day, with the addition of a soaring Black Eagle and Mountain Hawk-eagle, and the bonus of everyone actually seeing the elusive Scaly Thrush. After lunch some thundery showers threatened, forcing us to work our way back to the vehicles. Deepal picked up some calling White-faced Starlings and as we strained our eyes to pick them out amidst the dense foliage, we suddenly heard Sri Lanka Spurfowl calling; the male eventually appearing on the road in front of us before scrambling for cover and calling the female to follow him - which she did. Somewhat elated by such incredible views of such an elusive bird we almost floated along the return walk. Two remarkably confiding Spot-winged Thrushes drinking from a dripping tap by the side of one of the buildings was a very pleasant way to round off the day when we returned to the Lodge. After dinner we had a totally uneventful night walk. Dinner and overnight at the Blue Magpie Lodge, Sinharaja. (55 species).

Day 8. Saturday, 15 November. After heavy overnight rain and a memorable hatch of winged termites in several rooms, it was clearly time to move on. Departing at 07.00hrs we drove through and over the hills through scenic tea plantations, arriving at the town of Embilipitya at 11.30hrs to pick up boxed lunches. A short stop by the huge lake there showed a myriad of Whiskered Terns and our first White-bellied Sea Eagle. We continued to Udawalawe National Park where we ate our boxed lunches prior to boarding land-rovers to spend the afternoon exploring the park. Here we had superb views of elephants and Chital, but more importantly our first Indian Peafowl, Barred Buttonquail (purring like two-stroke mopeds), an amazing selection of prinias (Plain, Jungle, Ashy and Grey-breasted), Blyth?s Pipit, Pallid Harrier, Black-shouldered Kite, Black-headed Munia, Sirkeer Malkoha, Jerdon?s Bushlark, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Thick-billed Flowerpecker and Yellow-eyed Babbler. We left the park at 18.00hrs and reached our next hotel at Tissamaharama (generally abbreviated to ?Tissa?) by 19.30hrs. Night at Ceylon Resort Hotel, Tissamaharama (71 species).

Day 9. Sunday, 16 November. After breakfast we set off to reach Bundala Reserve, a mosaic of jungle, pools and paddy fields beside a large lagoon, in the cool of the early morning. Taking three land-rovers we commenced our drive amidst scrubby thickets, picking up a variety of dry country birds, including Hoopoe, Grey-bellied (Plaintive) Cuckoo, Rosy Starling, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker and Blue-faced Malkoha. The huge lagoon gave us the most wonderful array of terns along the shoreline, White-winged Black, Whiskered, Little, Lesser Crested, Crested, Caspian, Gull-billed and even Common, rarer were 4 Brown-headed Gulls standing with them. Several Mugger Crocodiles and Great Thick-knees lurked at the lagoon shore. Moving on to the saltpans we found masses of waders, chiefly Little Stints and Marsh Sandpipers, but also quite a few Broad-billed Sandpipers and a smattering of Kentish, Lesser Sand and Pacific Golden Plovers. At 13.30hrs we returned to Tissa for lunch. Later in the afternoon we visited a tree-lined bund overlooking swampy ?tanks?, despite the heavy downpour we found a lovely pair of White-naped Woodpeckers, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Blue-winged Leafbird and even a Brown Fish Owl before retiring at dusk. Night at Priyankara Hotel, Tissamaharama (122 species).

Day 10. Monday, 17 November. Departing at 05.00hrs we set off to explore Yala National Park, we paused just before dawn to tape in Indian Nightjars and soon had several flying around and settling on the ground. At the park HQ Indian Pittas were calling all around as we set of in land-rovers once more, stopping for Brahminy Starling, Pompadour and Orange-breasted Green Pigeons and Blue-faced Malkoha as we drive between waterholes. We clocked up more mammals, including Wild Buffalo, Indian Hare and Ruddy Mongoose. Massive Black-necked Storks dwarfed a party of Spoonbills, whilst nearby we found the huge (despite the name) Lesser Adjutant and a Woolly-necked Stork. Lesser Whistling-ducks, Yellow-wattled Lapwing and Darter were also present. Superb views were also obtained of Paddyfield Pipit as well as Indian Silverbill and Jerdon?s Bushlark. We eventually came to a wonderful sandy beach, with Crested Terns fishing offshore, before turning back to the park entrance. On our return journey we paused along the roadside to add Small Pratincole to our swollen wader list. We finally got back to the hotel for a 14.00hrs lunch. Out to the swampy tank once more at 16.30hrs we added little to our previous visit so moved on at dusk to drive out of town and enter a dry, scrubby slope where we taped and spotlighted Indian Nightjars as pittas called all around - we ended the day as it had begun!. Night at Priyankara Hotel, Tissamaharama (122 species).

Day 11. Tuesday, 18 November. Breakfast at 06.30, departure at 07.00hrs. We leave the coastal plains to return to the interior. The magnificent scenery became apparent as the road climbed high into the hill country, heading for our destination of Nuwara Eliya at almost 2000 metres. Gaining altitude we made a short stop by the tea plantation at Surrey near Wellimada, where the normally elusive Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon put on a fine show, as did Oriental White-eye, Purple Sunbird, Brown-capped Woodpecker and Indian Scimitar-babbler. At 13.00hrs we arrived at our lovely hotel at Nuwara Eliya in time to enjoy lunch. Later we headed into town to spend the last hour of light in Victoria Park, where we had excellent views of Forest Wagtail and a party of Sri Lanka White-eyes to round off a superb day as the rain came in once more. Night at Galway Forest Lodge, Nuwara Eliya (82 species).

Day 12. Wednesday, 19 November. An early departure (05.00hrs) in 3 mini-buses with picnic breakfasts in order to reach the fabled Horton Plains at dawn. We were lucky with the weather, clear night skies and a slight glow became apparent as we negotiated the final series of remarkably sharp hairpin bends. As dawn broke (06.15hrs) we found ourselves in magnificent montane forest reminiscent of the Himalaya rather than one would expect from Sri Lanka - no wonder Large-billed Warblers and Kashmir Flycatchers feel at home here in winter! We had arrived early to attempt to see the island?s most elusive endemic, the Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush. A shy Southern Blackbird appears at the roadside, giving wonderful but brief views. Soon Sri Lanka Bush Warblers were tacking close to us, a beautiful male Kashmir Flycatcher appears and Sri Lanka Wood Pigeons groan unseen from several distant canopies - but still no whistling thrush. We drove onto the grasslands of the Horton Plains, walking a couple of kilometres along forest trails until this almost mystical bird is heard singing and soon most of the group have seen it before it ?melts? away into its wilderness forest. We paused at Pattipola Station during our descent and found Hill Swallows about the buildings, arriving back for lunch at our hotel. Later we return to town to spend the last hour of light in Victoria Park, where we did find a male Pied Thrush, much to everyone?s relief. Night at Galway Forest Lodge, Nuwara Eliya (55 species).

Day 13. Thursday, 20 November. We departed at 08.00hrs, we put in an hour at the marshy lakeside not far from the hotel, no sign of the Black-throated Munias here but we did hear and glimpse a couple of Pallas?s Grasshopper Warblers. Trying another site as the road dropped down through endless tea plantations, we were rewarded with fine views of several Black-throated Munias. At Katukitula we broke our journey and had an instructive tour of the Glenloch tea factory (Hill Swallows were nesting), appearing outside to be greeted by a very visible and noisy Common Hawk Cuckoo. By midday we arrived in Kandy to be greeted by torrential rain and a massive traffic jam, but eventually made it to our old colonial-style hotel and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Because of the traffic we birded the hotel gardens, having good views of our last endemic, Crimson-fronted Barbet, as well as Crimson-breasted, Yellow-fronted and Brown-headed Barbets and of course a huge roost of fruit-bats. At 18.30hrs we visited the fabled Temple of the Tooth which was a very colourful experience, sadly a freshly dead Blue?breasted Quail was picked up near the temple. Night at the Suisse Hotel, Kandy (57 species).

Day 14. Friday, 21 November. Our final birding session took us to Udawattekale Forest Reserve this morning. Near a large pool fine views were obtained of a Stork-billed Kingfisher, Tickell?s Blue Flycatcher and Yellow-browed Bulbul. The remainder of our forest walk allows us to recapture several other species seen earlier in the tour, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Greater and Black-rumped Flamebacks. We had excellent views of White-rumped Shama, but this was eclipsed by the big bird find of the trip, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl! The latter part of the morning was spent shopping for wood carvings, textiles and the like. Departing at 14.00hrs we drove back to Colombo, arriving at the Airport Hotel where we had day-rooms. Saying goodbye to Deepal, we later reassembled at 23.15hrs to proceed to the nearby Colombo Airport. (53 species).

Day 15. Saturday, 22 November. Our Sri Lanka Airlines overnight flight departed a little late at 03.15hrs arriving at 08.15hrs at London Heathrow where the tour concluded.