Sri Lanka Dec 26, 2005—Jan 10, 2006
Posted by Susan Myers
Susan Myers
Susan Myers absolutely loves birding and traveling in Asia. As she says, "The combination of incredible and diverse wildlife, ancient and fascinating cultures, and the...Related Trips
It doesn't happen very often, but I would happily have turned around and done it all again at the end of this truly enjoyable tour. And I wouldn't have changed any of it! Every aspect of our tour was not only lots of fun, but very birdy as well. Sri Lanka really is the Pearl of the East—magical scenery, wonderfully friendly people, superb food and, not least, magnificent birds and wild places combined to make this a very special birding trip.
The birding started almost immediately; just outside our hotel on the river we found the threatened Spot-billed Pelican to be common. One of the joys of Sri Lanka is the sheer abundance of birds almost everywhere—from the cities to the rice paddies and, of course, in the magnificent national parks. As we traveled through the island, the opportunities for distractions along the way abounded, so even our long drive to Yala on the first day of our tour seemed to pass quickly, as a brief pit stop turned into an excellent birding session and a great start to our list! In the gardens of a small guesthouse in an obscure village, we took a break from the bus and soon found Sri Lanka Hanging-Parrot, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Brown-headed Barbet, Black-hooded Oriole, Orange Minivet, the remarkable Loten's Sunbird, the endemic Legge's Flowerpecker, and nesting White-rumped Munias. Another birding stop saw us admiring a tree full of Southern Hill Mynas and White-bellied Drongos. This was all well before we had reached our home for the next four days, the legendary Yala National Park.
Four days in the southeastern dry zone allowed us to fully appreciate the wonderful diversity and incredible density of the birdlife of these woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands. The saltpans and lagoons of Bundala offer a rare opportunity in Asia—a full-on spectacle of a teeming myriad of waterbirds and waders. The coastline of southeastern Sri Lanka is truly a birding paradise. We saw evidence of the devastating effects of the recent tsunami, but there is no doubt that the natural world has totally recovered from any negative impacts. Yala National Park is surely one of the most exciting reserves in Asia, and two days of exploration by jeep was a fabulous experience. Our very skilled drivers assisted us in achieving our goal of finding some of the more shy and retiring birds we were looking for. An added bonus in Yala is the mammal spectacle, which is often compared to that of the African plains, with large congregations of Asian elephant, spotted deer, and grey langur. Strutting peacocks and open-gaped crocodiles completed the picture. In the evenings we returned to our very pleasant lodge to enjoy drinks over the bird list, and strolls through the woodlands to our cabins, in company with lots of great birds! There is nothing better than living on-site for a few days.
Our next destination was the Sinharaja rainforest in the wet zone of the southwest. These precious forests are home to many of our main targets in Sri Lanka—those wonderful endemics. Sure enough, on our first foray into the forest, we immediately encountered a very exciting mixed flock containing not only two Red-faced Malkohas (a personal favorite), but a very close White-faced Starling, one of the most difficult to find of the Sri Lankan endemics. That same evening we went in search of the recently discovered Serendib Scops-Owl. Our hopes were high, but rapidly faded as a calling bird just refused to respond, or so we thought. Just as we were about to give up hope, the bird called again, a little bit closer. Then, closer again—and then there it was, in all its glory in the middle of the spotlight beam! Serendipitous indeed! We watched this little gem for about half an hour, admiring every subtle plumage marking and savoring the company of a bird that was only discovered in 2002, and a first for a VENT tour.
From the warm, humid forests we ascended to the central mountain range and the cool respite of the highland cloud forests. Based at the wonderfully retro-colonial and aptly named Grand Hotel, we stepped out at the crack of dawn to the cloud forests and montane grasslands of Horton Plains in search of the remarkable montane endemics. In howling wind and intermittent rain, our persistence was again rewarded with great views of the scarce Sri Lanka Wood-Pigeon, the very attractive Yellow-eared Bulbul, and, very briefly, a Sri Lanka Whistling-Thrush, amongst others. Unaccountably, the usually confiding Dusky Blue Flycatcher, now forever to be known as Horrible Blue Flycatcher, was nowhere to be found. He redeemed himself as soon as the sun appeared, well after lunch, when he appeared as though nothing had happened and cavorted in the treetops, much to our delight!
En route to Kandy and Sigiriya, a roadside stop at a large tank (reservoir) had us admiring the rather showy Sri Lanka Swallows, with their reddish chestnut underparts. At Kandy we visited the world-famous Botanic Gardens, a super birding spot with large congregations of Alexandrine Parakeets and a number of want-birds such as Sri Lanka Small Barbet (what a super bird!), Common Hawk-Cuckoo, and Tickell's Blue Flycatcher. Sigiriya is about history and birding. Located at the geographic center of the island, the Lion Rock Fortress of Sigiriya dates from AD 477 and is surrounded by bird-rich woodlands and ancient tanks. Just outside our hotel we found gorgeous Orange-headed Thrushes and Jerdon's Nightjars. A stroll in the ruins of the water gardens of the rock in company with a pair of patrolling resident Shaheen (Peregrine) Falcons was a wonderful conclusion to our birding in Serendib—a not so unexpected and very pleasant surprise!
In total we saw a remarkable 32 of 33 endemic bird species, plus a number of endemic subspecies and near-endemic species, not to mention a whole suite of wonderful Asian (and more widespread) birds, as well as many enchanting mammals, reptiles, and butterflies. Out of a possible country list of approximately 340 bird species, we saw 245—well over 70% in two weeks! But any tour is about far more than numbers, and there were so many highlights it is hard to single out just a few. How about that European Bee-eater at Yala, only seen in Sri Lanka every three or four years; five species of stork in the first four days; our ultimately successful stalking of Sri Lanka Spurfowl, seen so well at the apogee of its trajectory; those feeding Sri Lanka Blue Magpies at Sinharaja; the less than salubrious setting in which we watched a very close Slaty-legged Rail strutting the platform to make sure we could really admire those legs; and, best of all, close, long views of a simply superb Serendib Scops-Owl. All the nightbirds were a real treat this year; we had very special looks at Chestnut-backed Owlet, Indian Scops-Owl, Brown Fish-Owl, and Jerdon's Nightjar amongst others. Could you ever tire of seeing an Indian Pitta, the comb of a Sri Lanka Junglefowl, or a male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher in flight? There were moments of great excitement—our first mixed flock, with eye level looks at Red-faced Malkoha and the normally shy and retiring White-faced Starling, as soon as we entered Sinharaja rainforest, and of frustration—I will never forgive that Horrible Blue Flycatcher!
The backdrop to all this is, of course, Sri Lanka itself, and it is difficult for the birder not to be influenced by the thread of this nation's long and proud history and culture which is evident everywhere. As we birded around Tissa, for example, we may not have been acutely aware of the importance of this history as we watched, enchanted, the spectacle of the waterbirds of the Tissawewa Tank. These irrigation reservoirs are over two thousand years old, and it is thanks to the Sri Lankans' willingness to preserve their culture and live in harmony with wildlife that we enjoyed the privilege of experiencing this genuinely extraordinary place. The same could be said of places like Sigiriya and Kitulgala. Even as people go about their business, be it agriculture, tourism, or recreation, the birdlife and other wildlife abound. There really can't be too many places like this in the world!
Do check out Romney's terrific website: http://www.the-bathursts.net/gallery/sri_lanka/index.html