An active mammal watcher's guide to the birds of Sri Lanka

[offshorebirder]

Thanks for this ongoing excellent trip report @kittykat23uk

 

Too many great photos to comment upon but you have some cracking ones of both birds and mammals.

 

I like Thrushes a lot, so I especially enjoy seeing your Thrush pics.   The Pied Ground-Thrush reminds me of Aztec Thrush here in the Americas.

[kittykat23uk]

@offshorebirderthank you! Yes lots of birds, my particular favourites so far were the Serendib Scops Owl, the frogmouth, pitta and of course the blue magpie!

[kittykat23uk]

Day 11 Nuwara Eliya to Kandy

 

We returned to the site where we saw the Black Eagle to try and get  Sri Lankan Blue Whistling Thrush. After a lot of waiting we did finally catch a brief glimpse of the bird. Moving on towards Kandy we took a quick tour of one of the tea plantations before reaching our hotel, Tree of Life. Situated at an elevation of 1,531ft above sea level, the tree of life hotel is nestled amongst wooded hills and sprawling tea plantations. 

 

P2135963 Waterfall by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG-20240211-WA0000 Visit to a tea factory by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG-20240211-WA0002 Visit to a tea factory by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG-20240211-WA0001  Visit to a tea factory by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240213_111459 Kandy by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Highland Toque Macaques could be found around the lodge, along with a variety of birds. When we started our walk there was another birding guide who was tape playing bird alarm calls, attracting a wide variety of species. Preferring to find our own targets, Chin took us away from the other guide, up into the foothills off the main road, this produced Common Iora, White-browed Bulbul, Black-headed Oriole, Indian Robin, Tawny-bellied and Yellow-eyed Babblers, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Ceylon Swallows, Scaly-breasted Munia, Indian Silverbill, all the barbets, with the pretty Ceylon Small Barbet being new. We also got much better views of Ceylon Lorikeet/ Sri Lankan Hanging Parrot as well as Ceylon Grey Hornbill back at the lodge. 

 

P2136013  Large-billed Leaf Warbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136028  Large-billed Leaf Warbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136045 Highland Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136096 Highland Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136109 Highland Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136120 Highland Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136128 flowe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136158_01 Yellow-fronted Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136169 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136216 White-browed Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136226 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136248 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136259 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136295_01 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136319_01 Black-headed Oriole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136341 Indian Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136360 Tawny-bellied Babblers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136418 Tawny-bellied Babblers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136425 Blythe's reed warbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136438 Yellow-eyed Babblers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136468  Yellow-eyed Babblers by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136543 Purple-rumped sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136595 Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136630 Indian Silverbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136917 Ceylon Lorikeet / Ceylon Hanging Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136954 Ceylon Lorikeet / Ceylon Hanging Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2136955 Ceylon Lorikeet / Ceylon Hanging Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2137055 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2137071 Ceylon Grey Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

That evening we searched for Indian Giant Flying Squirrel around the lodge, it wasn’t difficult to find as another group were already watching one, it was sitting motionless in a tree for some time. I don’t think we did much else that night.

 

P2137083 Indian Giant Flying Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2137122 Indian Giant Flying Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2137139 Indian Giant Flying Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 12 Kandy to Sigiriya
Before we left Tree of Life we spotted a Common Hawk Cuckoo. We drove to Sigiriya Village Hotel after breakfast.  The village hotel is a sprawling resort set against the backdrop of Sigiriya Rock Fortress and nestled within the forest providing a haven for birds. During our stay a fruiting tree overlooking a small pond near the restaurant proved to be a magnet for barbets and we saw all of the Sri Lankan species here, including some close up shots of Ceylon Small Barbet as well as Pompadour Green Pigeon.  The pond itself held Soft-shelled Tortoises. 

 

P2147394 Common Hawk Cuckoo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240214_124023 Hotel Sigyria by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147468_01 Ceylon Small Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147510_01  Ceylon Small Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147522  Ceylon Small Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147554_01 Soft shell's tortoise by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147580 Pompadour green pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Later that afternoon Chin took us birding along a track leading to a monastery. Here we saw Common Iora,  Purple-rumped Sunbird,  Black-capped Bulbul,  Jerdon's Chloropsis (Leafbird), Brown Flycatcher,  and some lovely views of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch. We also spotted a Dryzone Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel. 

 

P2147588 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147667  Purple-rumped Sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147709  Black-capped Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147897 Jerdon's Chloropsis (Leafbird) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147907 Brown Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2147924 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

One thing we did notice about Chin, and maybe this is something other birding guides do, is that once we’ve seen a particular species, it doesn’t seem to exist in his mind anymore. It's always onto the next tick and whilst that might work for some birders and be exactly what they need in a guide, it’s not either my or Eric’s style. We like to see birds and mammals well and appreciate them, even if they are ones we’ve seen before.

 

P2148053_01 Dryzone Sri Lanka flying squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148117  Dryzone Sri Lanka flying squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We also struggled at times to get information out of Chin and Sigiriya was a prime example of this, we would get out of the minibus sometimes expecting a short spot of birding and be unprepared for a long walk because Chin hadn’t advised us in advance, whilst at other times we'd get all geared up only to be hopping in and out of the bus. A bit more proactive communication would have been very welcome here. 

He took us to a monastery to search for bats, there were a lot of steps into a complex of caves and storerooms and we found some nice species including Lesser False Vampire Bat, Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Rufous Horseshoe Bat, we also found an Oriental Garden Lizard. 

 

P2148119_01 Lesser false vampire bat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148168 Lesser false vampire bat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148170 Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus beddomei by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148188 Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus beddomei by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148219  Rufous Horseshoe bat Rhinolophus rouxii by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148225 Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus beddomei by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148301  Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus beddomei by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148340  Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus beddomei by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148363 Oriental garden lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148408 Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148421  Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148430  Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

That evening we had one of the best mammal sightings of the trip, when we went to Sam Popham's Arboretum. Here is what I mean about Chin’s communication, he said we were here to look for the grey slender loris with a local guide. After a bit of searching we were lucky to find an individual, which after a little bit of manoeuvring ourselves through the bush we managed to get a great view of this “creepy little mouse monkey”, as Eric disparagingly liked to call it, clinging delicately to the branches of a low bush. This sighting was night and day compared to its shy red cousin in Kitulgala. 

 

P2148590 Grey Slender Loris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148602  Grey Slender Loris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148627  Grey Slender Loris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148634  Grey Slender Loris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2148637  Grey Slender Loris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Once other people arrived to see it we let it be and we were expecting that to be the end of the tour, but we carried on, finding a White-spotted Chevrotain. Whilst it wouldn’t have been an issue had we been prepared, we spent a lot more time searching this area than we expected and Eric in particular was getting more and more frustrated by Chin’s guiding style and lack of communication. At one point the arboretum guide thought he saw a fishing cat, but it turned out to be a Brown Palm Civet. 

When we finally left the arboretum we carried on our night drive, putting in long hours. At one point we spotted some eyeshine at a distance hidden in the undergrowth. Chin was confident that this was a fishing cat, but again, I couldn’t get any of the features on it clearly enough to confidently say that I had definitely seen a fishing cat. All I got was eyeshine, a bit of a head that could have been a cat or a civet or even a chevrotain it was so far away. It was incredibly frustrating! We did see a few Black-naped Hares. I think a porcupine was also seen by Chin, but not by us on that occasion. 

We also spent a significant portion of the nights here searching the monastery on foot for pangolins and it was only on our last night here, after Eric was getting very grumpy and frustrated at our lack of success and the amount of time we were spending wandering around the same old trails seeing absolutely nothing that Chin told us that this was the absolute best spot to find them! However, he then went on to say that a wildlife documentary film crew had been here recently and that since then sightings had been down. He speculated that they may have eaten the pangolin! Why he would even speculate over this was rather confusing to me, he didn’t seem to be joking either, but if his intention was to encourage us to try harder to look for the animal here it had the opposite effect! I was still really hoping that his daytime site would come through but that was looking more and more unlikely as the trip went on, despite my daily request for an update. His friend was still trying to get a group together, we were told, but he remained hopeful. We did see Jerdon's Nightjar and a Brown Fish Owl.  Other than that, it was very quiet.

 

P2158641 Jerdon's Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158706 Brown Fish Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158725  Brown Fish Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 13 Sigiriya

 

Given that we’d had a very late night I don’t recall that we got up too early today. I think we might have spent the first part of the day searching for more leaf monkeys without success as I didn’t take many pictures. We visited the Pidurangala Rock Temple to search for bats. There were a lot of steps! Within the caves Chin pointed out Long-winged Tomb Bat, Black-bearded Tomb Bat, Naked-rumped Pouched Bat  (Pouched tomb bat),  Rufous Horseshoe Bat and Lesser False Vampire Bat and Indian roundleaf bat (Hipposideros lankadiva). 

 

P2158771 Long-winged Tomb Bat(Taphozous longimanus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158774 Shrine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158794 Indian roundleaf bat (Hipposideros lankadiva) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158816  Indian roundleaf bat (Hipposideros lankadiva) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158823  Rufous Horseshoe bat Rhinolophus rouxii by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158831  Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158858 Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158875  Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158876 Gecko by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158882 Fungus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158886 Ancient writing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158889  Ancient writing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158892 Shrine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158894  Shrine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158896  Shrine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158934 Sri Lanka Kangaroo Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158961 Sri Lanka Kangaroo Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2158998 Crimson Rose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Later that afternoon Chin took us back to the place we’d birded the previous afternoon. He seemed very nervous about the prospect of elephants here and told us that a couple had been attacked by one recently. 

 

We first encountered some grey langurs, backlit by the afternoon sun. We also found Brown-breasted Flycatcher,  Common (eurasian) Kingfisher, a very brief fly through of a tiny black-backed dwarf kingfisher, sadly we were not able to relocate it. We carried on, spotting Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, and got some lovely views of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch. Black-capped Bulbuls and Small Minivet were also seen. 

 

P2159052 Grey Langaur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159070 Grey Langaur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159085 Grey Langaur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159173 Grey Langaur by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159189 Brown-breasted Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159221 Common (eurasian) Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159229_01 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159238_01_01 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159297 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159307 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159336 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159341 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159360 Black-capped Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159432 Small Minivet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Chin used a tape to lure in a stunning  Spot-bellied eagle-owl, which gave us some crippling views! It also attracted the attention of a noisy pair of Crimson-backed Woodpeckers. We also saw the Shaheen Falcon that breed at Sigiriya rock.

 

P2159569 Spot-bellied eagle-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159627 Crimson-backed Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159631 Crimson-backed Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159651 Spot-bellied eagle-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2159706 Spot-bellied eagle-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2169783 Naked-rumped pouched bat  (Pouched tomb bat) saccolaimus saccolaimus by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

With those sightings in the bag we headed back for dinner and then we were out again for another long night of driving and searching the monastery again. This time we found  brown and painted bats in flight, a curious Golden Jackal, a  Green Vine Snake and Asiatic Long-tailed Climbing Mouse, a brief view of Small Indian Civet, very distant Grey Slender Loris but very little else. 

 

P2169883_01 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2169893_01 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2169904 Green Vine Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2169963 Asiatic long-tailed climbing mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2169980 Asiatic long-tailed climbing mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited May 22 by kittykat23uk

[TonyQ]

You did get to see a really good variety of birds.

The photo of the group of bats huddled together is lovely.

The Grey Slender Loris is a stunning creature.

Despite the communication difficulties, your guide seems hard working (as are you with the long nighttime searching!)

[kittykat23uk]

@TonyQyes absolutely! Hence the title of the trip report. We did see all the endemic birds I think. Yes I can't fault Chin for how hard he worked. 

[kittykat23uk]

Day 14 Sigiriya

 

Given we’d had some very late nights and were feeling pretty exhausted and not a little bit dejected at the lack of nocturnal action, we decided not to make any plans for the morning and get up whenever we felt like it. It turned out that it was raining first thing anyway and rained off and on throughout the morning. I decided to dedicate some time to looking for a Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel which I located with some help from one of the lodge staff.  This sqirrel looks very different from the one we saw at Kitulgala!

 

P2160003 Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160090_01 Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160082_01 Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160130_01 Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160192_01 Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel - Highland Giant Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

The fruiting tree by reception produced many barbets, and I was able to obtain some nice shots of Brown-throated Barbet and  Asian Koel.  We also spotted an Indian Brown Mongoose. I met Eric and after breakfast we decided to explore Sigiriya.  We found a little bar with a view of the rock and the marshes and spent some time there dodging downpours and watching the jacanas, egrets and kingfishers flying past. A troop of Dryzone Toque Macaque dropped in for a visit. 

 

VID_20240216_104641 More rain Sigiriya by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

VID_20240216_113847 More rain Sigiriya by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240216_102844  Sigiriya by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160237_01 Brown-headed Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160247_02 Brown-headed Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160278_01 Asian Koel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160367 Stork-billed Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160468 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160480 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160478 Pheasant-tailed Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160557 Medium Egret by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160574 Lesser Whistling teal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160615 Great Egret by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160694  Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

We returned to the lodge for lunch and met up with Chin. In the afternoon we returned again to that same stretch of road to try and find more birds. This time we found  Tickell's flowerpecker,  Orange-headed Thrush, a very brief fly through of Blue-faced Malkoha, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch, and Crested Honey Buzzard. We managed to find Purple-faced Langur - dryzone race that we’d been searching for the previous day. Views were a little distant. 

 

P2160742 Tickell's flowerpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2161019 Orange-headed thrush by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2161132_01 Purple-faced Langur - dryzone race by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160811_02  Asian Koel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2160853 Crested Honey Buzzard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

At one point we’d found a White-rumped Shama, when Chin heard some noise and told us to walk quickly back to the path. He was clearly concerned about elephants, although we didn’t see one if there was one in the area. 

 

P2160953 White-rumped Shama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We had a better night drive tonight, we spotted more Black-naped Hares, White-spotted Chevrotain, a small Indian Civet, a glimpse of Asian Palm Civet, a good sighting of European Otter fishing right beside the road in a small stream and reasonable views of a pair of Indian Crested Porcupines. We also found a Hump-nosed Viper. 

 

P2171209 Eurasian Otter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171213  Eurasian Otter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171235  Eurasian Otter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171287 Hump-nosed Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171296  Hump-nosed Viper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 15 Sigiriya to Wilpattu

It was by now apparent that we were definitely not going to get a chance to check the daytime site for Pangolin and that we had missed our chance of finding this animal on this trip. Our last stop was Wilpattu so we hoped to make the best of it.  We left Sigiriya after breakfast and arrived at Wilpattu Treehouse Hotel just before lunch. We spotted a pair of Malabar Pied Hornbills in a tree overlooking the marsh. 

 

P2171310 Thick-billed Flowerpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171343  White-throated / White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171362 Malabar Pied Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171378 Palm Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Later that afternoon we took our first jeep drive in the park. It turned out to be one of the best afternoons of the trip. We first encountered a Shikra and then a skulking Red Muntjac. Crested Serpent Eagles seemed to be a common sight. 

 

P2171434 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171427  Shikra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171440 Red Muntjac by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171538  Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We were lucky enough to spot a Sloth Bear grazing by the road, sadly it didn’t stick around and retreated into the cover of the forest.

 

P2171547 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171545 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171546  Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We waited for a while but when it became apparent that it wasn’t going to reappear, we carried on. A Woolly-necked Stork was stalking a pool. We also encountered a few Sambar Deer. Our next sighting was of a Ruddy Mongoose foraging not far from the road. We then had a lovely encounter with a lone Asian Elephant. It was so close I wished I’d brought a shorter lens. 

 

P2171626 Woolly-necked /White-necked Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171690 Sambar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171745 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171802 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171826  Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171835  Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171837  Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171846  Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171860_01 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171870_01  Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171882_01 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171911 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2171924 Asian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We heard about a leopard sighting. It was a male but it could only be viewed from one particular spot which was some distance away on the banks of one of the lakes. After watching for a short while we carried on, passing crocodiles and more birds including Little-ringed Plover. A pretty Common Iora posed for a photo. 
Wilpattu is a stunning park. It is a mix of lakes, marsh and woodland. Along the edge of one of the lakes there is a meadow that at the time we visited was full of white and blue wildflowers. Another Ruddy Mongoose was foraging in this area.  
 

P2171989 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172061 Mugger Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172090 Little ringed plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172099 Mugger crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172123 Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172138  Common Iora by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172150 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172185  Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172253  Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172260  Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[TonyQ]

Great to see the elephant so close. Mongoose in the flowers is lovely

[kittykat23uk]

@TonyQthank you, yes the flowers make a lovely backdrop don't they?

[kittykat23uk]

Driving along the waters edge we encountered some sandy tracks where Chestnut-headed bee-eaters were panting in the heat.

 

P2172311 Chestnut-headed bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172376 Red-wattled Lapwing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172383  Red-wattled Lapwing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172387  Red-wattled Lapwing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

As we rounded a bend we screeched to a halt as our driver realised we’d just passed a beautiful leopard. We reversed back and were delighted to have the beautiful Cleopatra all to ourselves as she watched us curiously before crossing behind us and carrying on into the bush where we couldn’t follow her. What a wonderful afternoon this was turning out to be! 

 

P2172409 Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172418 Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172416 Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172427 Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172474  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172465  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172480  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172529  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172531  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172565  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172563  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172562  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172585  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172579  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172578  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172586  Cleopatra the Sri Lankan Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We carried on, finding  Great Stone Curlew (Great Stone plover/ Greater Thick-knee), Indian Darter, Lesser Sandplover, Painted Stork and Medium egret.  

 

P2172628 Great Stone Curlew (Great Stone plover/ Greater Thick-knee) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172689  Great Stone Curlew (Great Stone plover/ Greater Thick-knee) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172717  Indian Darter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172729 Indian Darter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172745 Lesser Sandplover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172801 Painted Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172826 Medium egret by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

It was soon time to leave the park so we started heading back. In the more wooded areas we spotted a white morph Indian Paradise Flycatcher, which for once posed nicely for a picture. Unfortunately we arrived too late to a sighting on the road of a mother leopard and cubs and I only caught a glimpse of one of the cubs as it ran into the forest in front of a queue of cars. 

 

P2172834 Asian/ Indian Paradise Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172862 Asian/ Indian Paradise Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

On our night drive after dinner we encountered a cat which Chin assured us was a Jungle Cat. It could well have been, as although we saw it close to the car it was a brief sighting as it ran for cover. I was a little hesitant to count it for sure, because there were also two cats hanging around the lodge that looked a lot like wildcats. We didn’t see a lot else, just Indian Nightjar. 

 

P2172878 Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172914 Indian Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2172928 Indian Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 16 Wilpattu

 

Today we had a full day drive in the park. I was really looking forward to what we might see, given the success we’d had the day before, and there were plenty of photo opportunities as far as general wildlife was concerned, but in terms of mammals it was comparatively quiet. 

 

P2182942 Indian Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240218_062408 Queueing to get into WIlpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183047 Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183073 Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Before we entered we were entertained by Indian Robins. We stopped first for a baby crocodile and then a beautiful peacock posed in the sun. We found a nice herd of Chital resting in a meadow in the morning light. A White-breasted Kingfisher was in attendance at one of the pools we passed. 

 

P2183130_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183136_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183141_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183152_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183180 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183193 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183205 Spotted deer/ Chital by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183245 Spotted deer/ Chital by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183251 Spotted deer/ Chital by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183300 White-throated /White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183316 White-throated /White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183324 White-throated /White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We’d spent quite a lot of time at Sigiriya looking for White-rumped Shama, but we saw it easily here and got some lovely views of the bird, which made me wonder why we’d put so much time into searching for it in Sigiriya!

 

P2183350_01  White-rumped Shama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A peacock was in full display some distance from the track in not the best light but a bit of cropping and photoshopping created something half-decent I think. The Peahens did not seem as impressed by his display.

 

P2183367_02 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183367_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183453_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183492_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183526_01 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183561 White-throated /White-breasted Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Stopping at the picnic spot for breakfast gave us lovely views of the Ceylon Junglefowl. Of course wherever there's a chance of stealing food you will find bandits in the form of  Dryzone Toque Macaques, and there were plenty patrolling the grounds.

 

P2183573 Ceylon Junglefowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183579 Ceylon Junglefowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183593 Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183600  Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183606  Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

One of my favourite sightings of the morning was a Black-naped Hare sitting out in the sunshine in the meadow, clearly showing off its distinctive feature, a triangle of black fur on its nape. Very smart!

 

P2183628 Black-naped Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183637 Black-naped Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The ubiquitous Crested Serpent Eagles always seem to be posing for photographs. Wild Boar were seen feeding whilst wading in the ponds. An easy bird to overlook is the Jerdon’s bushlark, but eagle-eyed Chin pointed one out to us. We also had Asiatic Golden Plover /Pacific Golden Plover, Pintail Snipe, Gull-billed Tern, Crested Hawk Eagle, and so on.

 

P2183696 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183710 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183719 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183747 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183757 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183772  Jerdon's Bushlark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183811 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183852 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183854 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183911 Asiatic Golden Plover /Pacific Golden Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183921 Pintail Snipe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240218_103813 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240218_103818 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183927_01 Gull-billed Tern by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183947_01_01 Gull-billed Tern by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183965_01 Crested Hawk Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2183970_01 Crested Hawk Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Heading on into a more remote area of the park we came up onto an embankment overlooking marshes and ponds. In one particular pond, a whole host of waterbirds had gathered with dozens of Lesser Adjutant, Painted Storks, Spotted-billed Pelicans, egrets of varying kinds, and White Ibis. It was an incredible sight! 

 

P2184043 Lesser Adjutant & Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184070 Spotted-billed Pelicans,  Lesser Adjutant & Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184062 Spotted-billed Pelicans & Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184079 Spotted-billed Pelicans by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184167_02 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184171 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

By now it was getting on for lunchtime and the heat haze was getting really harsh. We started to head back to the central picnic point for lunch.  In the haze in the distance we did find a small herd of elephants but the punishing haze killed any chance of getting a good view or decent shot. 

 

P2184168 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184163 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184172 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184160 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184187 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184196 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184189 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184230 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184249 Lesser Adjutant & Painted Storks, White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184272 Spotted-billed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184303 Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184320  Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184324 Lesser Adjutant & Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184331_01  Painted Stork & Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184330_01  Painted Stork & Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184337  Painted Stork & Lesser Adjutant, Spot-billed Pelicans by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184351  Painted Stork & Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184360  White Ibis, Painted Stork & Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184391_01 Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184403 Painted Storks & White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184408 Painted Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184415 Indian Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also had a mystery bird, which after further examination of photos was identified as a steppe Buzzard. Crested Serpent Eagles were clearly also feeling the heat and one was flat on the road sunbathing. We encountered another White-rumped Shama. 

 

P2184470 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184501 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184505 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184536 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184553 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184593 Crested Serpent Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240218_133921 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240218_150410 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184602_02 White-rumped Shama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184632 White-rumped Shama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184642 White-rumped Shama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We did get word of another leopard but it was flat and very obscured when we arrived on the scene so we didn’t linger on the sighting. 

 

P2184669 Very obscured leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

An Indian Star Tortoise gave us a nicer view as it ambled along a shortly cropped area of grass. It was a fairly quiet afternoon otherwise and it was soon time to leave the park. 

A herd of chital were feeding opposite the lodge and I also thought I heard an elephant crashing around in the undergrowth some distance away. It did not materialise however.    

 

P2184706 Indian Star Tortoise by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Our last night drive produced Brown Fish Owl, Indian and Jerdon’s Nightjars, another Indian Crested Porcupine and a Small Indian Civet. Chin was clearly really very tired this night (as were we all) and kept drifting off in the car. In the end we decided to call it a night. As we were heading back into the lodge we spotted the eyeshine of another cat, Eric and I quickly identified it as one of the feral lodge cats but I think in desperation Chin really tried to turn it into a rusty-spotted cat! I think if we had given it any longer Eric would have got out of the jeep and walked the short distance back to the lodge, but at this point Chin admitted defeat and we returned to our beds in the knowledge that our last chances for fishing cat, rusty spotted cat and pangolin were now gone.

 

P2184720 Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184726 Chital (Spotted deer) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184726 Chital (Spotted deer) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184755 Brown Fish Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184779 Small Indian Civet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184800 Indian Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2184807 Jerdon's nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Day 17 Wilpattu to Colombo

 

We had originally been meant to be leaving today on the lunchtime flight, but having looked at Google maps it was suggesting that we would have needed to leave very early in the morning (probably as soon as we got back from our night drive) in order to make that connection, so we judiciously decided to add an extra night and spend that close to the airport. This meant that we had time to have a final morning in the park. Had I just had myself to consider I would have been even happier having a full day in the park and getting to the hotel later at night but Eric wanted a more leisurely end to our stay so a half day it was!

 

P2194839 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Before we even entered the park we had nice views of a pair of woodpeckers, one was a Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback, one was a  Red-backed Woodpecker. It was interesting to see the two together on the same tree. Apparently they sometimes intergrade in the north west of Sri Lanka.

 

P2194843 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2194908 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2194943 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2194946 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2194977 Golden-backed woodpecker aka Black-rumped flameback by Jo Dale, on Flickr

On entering the park we first encountered some chital, White Ibis and a lovely Peacock posing on a branch. A pair of  Orange-breasted Green Pigeon glowed in the morning sun. We stopped for a perched Grey-headed Fish Eagle and then a pair of Indian Grey Mongoose entertained us for a while. I tried to focus on getting some scenic shots of Wilpattu, knowing that this was our last chance to do so and it was such a pretty park. 

 

P2194988 Chital (spotted deer) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195001 White Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195005 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195046 Indian Peafowl / Peacock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195096 Chital (spotted deer) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_072344  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_072419  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195112 Orange-breasted green pigeon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_073141  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_073148 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_073154  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195148 Grey-headed fish eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195286 Indian Grey Mongooses by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195290 Indian Grey Mongooses by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195304 Indian Grey Mongooses by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_074618 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_074626  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_074640 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_074647  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195350 Pelicans by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195355 Pelicans by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195364 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195365 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195369 Lesser Adjutant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195409 Water buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[AndrewB]

Peacocks up in trees is one of my abiding memories of a lovely trip to Sri Lanka a few years ago.

I had never thought of Peacock flying and then roosting high up in a tree before!

[kittykat23uk]

Overlooking the lake we came across a whole tree full of pelicans. A few Water Buffalo were feeding on the meadows. We took a route around a wooded pond where we found a Grey-headed Fish Eagle drying off. Suitably dry, it took off and flew away from us over the pond, backlit by the sun.

 

P2195474 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195511 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195514 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195552 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195546 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195549 Grey-headed Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Some large crocodiles were also spotted either in the lakes or on the shore. A Woolly-necked stork was seen sunning itself with its wings akimbo, his metallic purple plumage catching the light and sparkling in the morning sun.

 

P2195580 Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195610  Asian woolly-necked stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195629 Asian woolly-necked stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195629 Asian woolly-necked stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195640 Asian woolly-necked stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

As we carried on through the forest, we were delighted to see a Golden Jackal trotting straight towards us along the road. Seemingly uncaring of our presence, it trotted in and out of the forest as it partolled its territory.

 

P2195761 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195758 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195767 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195770 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195772 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195804 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195814 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We then arrived at the centre point for our breakfast. I asked Chin if there were any good spots for stripe-necked mongoose, the last of our daytime mammal targets. To my surprise, Chin said that the place where we’d had all those waterbirds the previous day was where he had been looking for the mongoose. It would have been helpful if we’d have known that at the time as I might have focused more on looking on the ground had I known this! 

 

P2195872 Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195886 Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2195912 Dryzone Toque Macaque by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_095444_1 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_095447 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_095537  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_095546 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_095555 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_100741 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_104438 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_104443  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_104450  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_104458  Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

On the way back we encountered either the same or another Golden Jackal as we drove the forest section. Birds seen included some nice views of an Oriental Magpie-robin.

We also had a nice view of a Red Muntjac.

 

P2196056 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196109 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196112 Golden Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196132 Oriental magpie-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196128 Oriental magpie-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196145 Oriental magpie-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_115045 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_115120 Wilpattu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196178 Red muntjac deer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196192 Red muntjac deer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A Ruddy Mongoose had caught itself a breakfast of a hapless monitor lizard. Views were a bit distant and obscured by branches.     

 

P2196229 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196220 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196243 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196270 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196273 Ruddy Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

With that last sighting in the bag it was time to leave the park and head back to the lodge for lunch and to pack. A Greater Coucal and the Malabar Pied Hornbills were hanging around. 

 

P2196366 Greater Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196373 Malabar Pied Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196385 Malabar Pied Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196406 Malabar Pied Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P2196419  Malabar Pied Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We spent our last night at the Goldi Sands Beach Hotel, Negombo. Chin said his goodbyes to us and advised us that Suresh would be back in the morning to take us to the airport. 

 

We had a little wander along the beach but there wasn’t a lot going on there and the constant pestering by hawkers didn’t really make for a pleasant experience. So I decided to have a swim in the pool instead. We enjoyed the buffet dinner and then got an early night. 

 

P2196485 House Crow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_174435 beach near Colombo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240219_174348 beach near Colombo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

IMG_20240220_070920  beach near Colombo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Our journey home the following day was uneventful and we arrived back in the UK on time. 

[kittykat23uk]

26 minutes ago, AndrewB said:

Peacocks up in trees is one of my abiding memories of a lovely trip to Sri Lanka a few years ago.

I had never thought of Peacock flying and then roosting high up in a tree before!

 

We are so familiar with them in stately homes and the like in the UK, but when you see them in their natural habitat that is something else!  

[TonyQ]

@kittykat23ukthank you for a very enjoyable report. You had really good sightings.

I have not been to Willapatu-it looks like a lovely park. Was it busy when you were there?

[kittykat23uk]

It didn't really feel anywhere near as busy as Yala. But that could have been due to the fact that everyone in Yala was concentrated at that leopard sighting whereas in Wilpattu, the only sort of crowded sighting was the leopard on the river bank. If I had to choose between the two I would rather go back to Wilpattu. 

[michael-ibk]

Sorry you missed some of your targets and were not totally happy with your guide but still looks like a very productive trip. I enjoyed reading the report, thanks for sharing. 

[xelas]

That was one very prolific trip to Sri Lanka. 
 

I have noticed a fair amount of birds in flight; what is your judgement about OM-1?!