2011 Tour Narrative
The two weeks of our 2011 tour produced all 33 of Sri Lanka’s endemic birds and another 42 Indian Subcontinent endemics. We were lucky with mammals, too: the tour’s 21 species included Asian Elephant and both of the island’s most sought-after predators, Leopard and Sloth Bear.
This was the first year for our whale-watching extension. Those who took part were lucky enough to see Blue and Bryde’s Whales and pods of Long-snouted Spinner and Bottle-nosed Dolphins, alongside eight seabird species.
After an early breakfast on our first morning, we eagerly set off for Sigiriya in our roomy and comfortable bus; we were joined by my experienced colleague Lester Perera as co-leader. We made a few stops along the way for such interesting birds as Wooly-necked Stork, Purple Swamphen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, and Ashy Woodswallow. We were at our hotel by lunchtime, and that first afternoon’s birding on the hotel grounds was superb, with the endemic Sri Lanka (Pompadour) Green Pigeon and Layard’s Parakeet among the many highlights. We then drove into the forest beneath the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya , where we found the endemic Sri Lanka Junglefowl and Ceylon Woodshrike, along with Jerdon’s Nightjar, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Common Iora, Jerdon’s Leafbird, and Gray-breasted Prinia.
The next morning found all of us out early for more exploring in the hotel garden and the adjoining woodland. By breakfast time we’d had excellent scope views of Indian Pitta, plus Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, Oriental White-eye, and the endemic Brown-capped Babbler. After breakfast we made a successful try for White-naped Woodpecker; the same site produced Large Cuckoo-shrike and many other birds. A return visit to the forest Sigiriya gave us scope views of Indian Pitta and an Orange-headed Thrush. By the time we returned to the hotel in the evening, we’d seen an impressive variety of birds, including the endemic Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill, Sri Lanka Small Barbet, Crimson-backed Flameback, and Sri Lanka Swallow.
It was hard to say goodbye to Sigiriya. After a last check of the forest near our hotel, where we had scope views of a pair of Brown-capped Woodpeckers and a Gray-headed Fish Eagle, we left for Kandy. Along the way we stopped at a roadside reservoir with many waterbirds, among them Cotton Pygmy Goose, Little Grebe, Oriental Darter, and Spot-billed Pelican. Before arriving at our hotel for lunch, we paid a visit to a spice garden to see how spices are grown and used in Sri Lanka. That evening we drove out to the dense, tall forest of Udawattekele, where we had our first encounters with such wet-forest species as the endemic Yellow-fronted Barbet, Southern Hill Myna, Yellow-browed Bulbul, and Square-tailed Black Bulbul. In the evening we found a Brown Fish Owl here, and later had distant views of a nesting pair.
After an early breakfast the next morning, we left for Nuwara Eliya, with a leisurely stop at the famous botanical garden in Peradeniya. Notable birds among the flowers included White-bellied Sea Eagle, Black Eagle , and the endemic Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and Sri Lanka Small Barbet. A stop at a tea factory gave us our first Hill Swallow and a look into the production and processing of tea—and a chance at refreshment with a fresh cup. After lunch at our Nuwara Eliya hotel, we set out for the hill country. We spent the evening in Victoria Park, where we had very good views of the endemic Yellow-eared Bulbul and Sri Lanka White-eye, along with Alpine Swift, Pied Thrush, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Great Tit (very different from the European form), and Forest Wagtail.
We made a very early start the next morning for Horton Plains National Park, atop a picturesque plateau checkerboarded with grassland and cloud forest. As dawn gave way to day, we were lucky enough to watch a male Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush singing at Arrenga Pool. We followed our experience of this shy crepuscular bird with several endemic Sri Lanka Wood Pigeons and a pair of Sri Lanka Bush Warbler. We celebrated with the breakfast we’d brought along, then walked along the road for very good views of such specialties as the endemic Dull Blue Flycatcher and Orange-billed Babbler. Out on the grasslands we saw Indian Swiftlet, Pied Bush Chat, and Paddyfield Pipit, while a stop on the way back to our hotel produced Black-throated Munias feeding unconcernedly in a vegetable patch. After a late lunch we explored some wooded areas near the hotel, where eventually a male Kashmir Flycatcher perched in the open for us.
We arrived in Kitulgala the next day in time for lunch. Lester crept into the forest and managed to find a roosting Serendib Scops Owl; this recently discovered endemic gave everyone scope views that evening.
The next morning we crossed the river again by dugout. Lester once again found a roosting Serendib Scops Owl, and several of us got views of a male Sri Lanka Spurfowl in the undergrowth; this very shy endemic is one of the most difficult Sri Lankan birds to see. That afternoon we located the endemic Chestnut-backed Owlet near the resthouse.
The next day started with a pair of endemic Black-caped Bulbuls, the last of the 14 rainforest endemics we saw at Kitulgala. The remaining specialties awaited us in the rainforests Sinharaja and Gilimale, which we would visit from our next base in Ratanpura.
We left our hotel very early for Sinharaja , where we walked the trails in search of feeding flocks. We managed to get very good views of many birds, including the remaining endemics: Red-faced Malkoha, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, and White-faced Starling. We eventually found Green-billed Coucal and also had good views of five endemic Sri Lanka Scimitar Babblers. On our way back to the hotel for dinner we observed a male Sri Lanka Frogmouth at its day roost.
On our last day in Ratnapurawe visited Gilimale in hopes of better views of Sri Lanka Spurfowl. It was hard work as usual, but we eventually had reasonable views of a pair. That evening we caught up with a Brown Fish Owl. The next day we returned to the island’s dry zone, at Embilipitiya. A short walk in the hotel garden before lunch produced Asian Koel, a roosting pair of Indian Scops Owls, and Forest Wagtail. After lunch we drove through Udawalawe National Park in open jeeps, giving us clear views of the park’s many birds, including Barred Button-quail, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Crested Treeswift, Malabar Pied Hornbill, and Blyth’s Pipit. We also saw many of the park’s famous wild Asian Elephants.
Leaving early from Emibilipitiya the next morning left us time for some good birding on the way to Tissa. We had wonderful views of a pair of nest-building Marshall’s Ioras, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Tawny-bellied Babbler, and three Black Bitterns. Our afternoon “safari” in Yala National Park was full of birds, but even the best were overshadowed by the sight of a Leopard asleep on a rock. An even rarer sighting was of a Sloth Bear moving through the bushes.
The next morning we visited Bundala National Park and the adjacent saltpans, where we encountered Yellow Bittern, Gray-headed Fish Eagle, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Small Pratincole, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Brown-headed Gull, Blue-faced Malkoha, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Ashy-crowned Sparrowlark, and Streaked Weaver. That evening we explored ponds and reservoirs around Tissa, ending up with about 30 Watercocks and a Cinnamon Bittern.
The next day was the last of our main tour, and we left Tissa after breakfast. But for those of us continuing on the extension to Mirissa, we still had two days of birding and “whaling” ahead. Our two excursions produced a total of nine Blue Whales, 40 Bottle-nosed and 60 Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins, and a mother Bryde’s Whale with her calf. The seabirds included seven species of tern and two Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.
- Deepal Warakagoda
Updated: September 2011