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Logistics
& money Intro During the time of our visit it was comforting to know that there was a ceasefire in the war between the government troops and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) that has plagued the country for many years. We would have gone anyway as this has never really effected the areas we planned to visit but we can only hope that the war will end soon. That said, everywhere we went there are unnerving reminders of the war in this truly beautiful place. At the time of our visit, security at the airport was impressively tight with a vehicle check prior to entering the area, two x-ray machines, two manual searches of hand luggage and a body check! I won't go into a great deal of detail here as there are a number of detailed trip reports available (see references below) on the web and I don't want to bore you! I will just try to fill in some of the gaps I found and give a general overview of what we did. Logistics
& money Baur's are very reasonably priced but - be warned - as you travel around a lot of your money may disappear in the form of tips, which seems to be universally expected of rich foreigners. Getting in to and out of Sinharaja was the most expensive exercise we encountered as it is necessary to hire a 4WD vehicle which has to come from Ratnapura. The entrance fees for many of the national parks and archaeological sites were surprisingly over the top! For example, the fee for Horton Plains was $US12, the fee for Sri Lankans is 50 rupees. In other words, foreigners pay around 30 times the rates for locals!! We decided to bird outside the park. The rock fortress at Sigiriya is $US15 and the entry fee for Sinharaja, which is charged daily, is the equivalent of $US5. References Notes
on Endemics seen Sri Lanka Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii - common almost throughout. Sri Lanka Wood-Pigeon Columba torringtoni - we saw two birds very well at the Surrey Tea Plantation on the way to Nuwara Eliya but no sign of it at any other site. Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Sri Lanka Hanging-Parrot Loriculus beryllinus - also common at most lowland sites. Layard's Parakeet Psittacula calthropae - not uncommon. Red-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus - the best way to find this spectacular bird is to look for mixed feeding flocks with which it associates at Sinharaja. The feeding flocks are dominated by Orange-billed Babblers and thus relatively easy to find. The malkoha tends to be rather shy though and, for such a large bird, quite easy to overlook. Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Green-billed Coucal Centropus chlororhynchus - this bird can be elusive but once found gives good looks. Seen well at both Kitulgala and Sinharaja.Classified as Endangered by Birdlife International. Chestnut-backed Owlet Glaucidium castanonotum - only seen at Kitulgala; may well be hard to find without the help of someone with local knowledge. Sri Lanka Grey-Hornbill Ocyceros gingalensis - quite common at Sinharaja, also seen flying over the Kelani River at Kitulgala. Yellow-fronted Barbet Megalaima flavifrons - common and, for a barbet, very easy to find. Crimson-fronted Barbet Megalaima
rubricapilla Sri Lanka Magpie Urocissa ornata - not difficult to find at Sinharaja. Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Black-throated Munia Lonchura
kelaarti Legge's (White-throated) Flowerpecker Dicaeum vincens - seen frequently by us at Kitulgala and Sinharaja. Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus
melanicterus Yellow-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus penicillatus - a really attractive bulbul that is restricted to higher altitudes, no problem at the Victoria Park, also at Horton Plains. Sri Lanka Bush-Warbler Bradypterus palliseri - a montane specialist, not hard to find at Horton Plains if you are familiar with the call (a typical Bradypterus call). Ashy-headed Laughingthrush Garrulax cinereifrons - common at Sinharaja, not seen at Kitulgala where the habitat looks suitable. Classified as Vulnerable by Birdlife International. Brown-capped Babbler Pellorneum fuscocapillum - we only saw this species at Kitulgala and Sigiriya. Orange-billed Babbler Turdoides rufescens - common at Kitulgala and Sinharaja, it is the dominant species in mixed flocks. Sri Lanka White-eye Zosterops ceylonensis - common in the highlands. Sri Lanka Whistling-Thrush Myiophonus blighi - seen eventually at the usual spot near Horton Plains NP. (The site is easily found on the entrance road to the N.P. by looking for the "Have you seen a leopard yet?" signboard). Classified as Endangered by Birdlife International. Spot-winged Thrush Zoothera spiloptera - particularly common and easy to see at Sinharaja but also seen well by us at Kitulgala. Dull-blue Flycatcher Eumyias sordida - despite some initial trouble we eventually caught up with this bird at Horton Plains. It's not a bad looking little flycatcher and I think its alternative name of Dusky-blue Flycatcher is much better. White-faced Starling Sturnia albofrontatus - after giving us the runaround at Sinharaja we caught up with this rather tricky endemic at Sinharaja near the research station. Sri Lanka Myna Gracula ptilogenys - only seen well at Sinharaja. Near endemics (shared with India) Sri Lanka Frogmouth - we had super views of one at Kitulgala, often seen by others at Sinharaja. Not seen in India by us. Jerdon's Nightjar - we heard this at a couple of different locations just outside the Yala N.P. but never managed to see one, we eventually caught up with it at Top Slip in India. Indian Swiftlet - common throughout. Malabar Trogon - as is typical for trogons occurs at low densities and is quite retiring but found without too much difficulty at Kitulgala and Sinharaja. Malabar Pied Hornbill - quite common at Yala N.P., also seen at the Tanks at Tissa and Sigiriya. Now very rare in India and not seen by us. White-naped Woodpecker - great views of this excellent woodpecker in a coconut grove near Tissa. Also seen well at Mudumalai. Hill Swallow - looks exactly like a Pacific Swallow! Seen around Nuwara Eliya. White-browed Bulbul - mainly in the dry south west parks. It's a rather inconspicuous bird but quite handsome up close. Yellow-browed Bulbul - common in the wet zone. Jungle Prinia - we saw only one bird en route to Tissa near Udawalawe. Not seen by us in India. Indian Scimitar-Babbler - one of the characteristic sounds of the rainforest in Sri Lanka and a common component of mixed flocks especially at Sinharaja. Dark-fronted Babbler - Kitulgala, Sinharaja and Sigiriya. Yellow-billed Babbler - very common throughout although seems to be displaced by Orange-billed Babbler in the rainforest proper. Pied Thrush - this is a really stunning bird and fortunately easy to see in the Victoria Park at Nuwara Eliya. It is migratory so only present from about November to March. Kashmir Flycatcher - apart from being a particularly attractive Ficedula flycatcher the behaviour of this bird is fascinating. It migrates from Kashmir in India's far north to Sri Lanka (and occasionally recorded in the Western Ghats). We saw one or two birds in the Victoria Park at Nuwara Eliya. Long-billed Sunbird - not uncommon, seen at Kitulgala, Tissa, Yala and Sigiriya. Purple-rumped Sunbird - Kitulgala, Sinharaja, Kandy, Sigirya.
Kitulgala - although theoretically there is nothing here that cannot be found at Sinharaja this reserve is well worth a visit. Sunil has developed a rapport with the local villagers who very kindly put a lot of effort into helping us find some of the trickier birds. This is the only place where we saw the Sri Lanka Hill Munia, Chestnut-backed Owlet and Sri Lanka Small Barbet. Although we saw Green-billed Coucal in Sinharaja, it is almost certainly easier to see at Kitulgala. The most convenient accommodation is the Kitulgala Guest House (cheaper accommodation is available but it is 10km away), the cost was 1000 Rupees/per room (credit card accepted), the rooms are clean without being anything flash but the dining hall overlooking the river is wonderful. It is necessary to cross the river by canoe to get to the forest at a cost of 250 Rupees for the return trip. Sinharaja Forest Reserve - this site is not to be missed. The 4km track to Martin's Guest House (your only option) is only passable by 4WD. Baur's organised this for us but the cost is unbelievable! 7,000 Rupees for the one-way trip!! The explanation is that the vehicle must be brought from Ratnapura some 40 km away. Martin's also costs 1000 Rupees/room/night and you must take your own food. Here I'm afraid I must echo 's (see references) statement that "Accommodation at Martin’s was unreasonable at Rs1000/night as was his liberal use of the food that we had brought with us to feed other guests." Of course, it is not a great deal of money to be lost but at least one of our meals was definitely substandard and only a small proportion of the food we brought was actually consumed by us. You must pay an entry fee of $US5/person/day for the park but this includes the fee for the local guide. If you are able, try to employ the services of Thandula - we found him not only to be knowledgable about all aspects of the natural history of the park but also very personable. Tissamaharama - The drive from Sinharaja to Tissa is very rewarding from the birding point of view. We did not have time to go into Udawalawe NP but the drive takes you along the edge of the park and the birding was excellent. We passed a number of very large tanks, which have to be seen to be believed. The accommodation at Vikum Lodge was exceptional as was the food. I disagree with some on the issue of buffalo curd with kitul honey (made not by bees but from a palm) - it is fantastic!
Yala National Park - if your trip is purely a search for the Sri Lanka endemics then you could feasibly miss this park but you would be crazy to do that. It's a fabulous experience with plenty of large game - Asian Elephant, Water Buffalo, Chital Deer, Mugger Crocodile - and magnificent birdlife. Many people have also seen Sloth Bear and Leopard here. We opted for a full day jeep tour of the park and were pleased that we did. The entrance fee to this park is reasonable, though yet again considerably more than the locals pay. Bundala National Park - another wonderful park that should not be missed. As for Yala, it is necessary to hire a jeep as walking is not allowed. The large lagoons and salt pans attract big numbers of interesting waders. A scope is definitely necessary here. It is also good for close up views of Elephant and Mugger Crocodile. Deberawewa Tank near Tissamaharama - this area is truly magical and a real highlight of the trip. This is a good place for some excellent birds such as White-naped Woodpecker and Brown Fish Owl (see the Bird List for details) but it also just very beautiful. The tank is covered in luxuriant vegetation and just alive with waterbirds. Surrey Tea Plantation - we visited this small fragment of forest en route to Nuwara Eliya. We found of our target birds, the Sri Lanka Wood-Pigeon, immediately and then the Brown Wood-Owl with quite a bit more effort (involving a lot of bush-bashing). There is no charge to go onto this property but it is only polite to take lunch there. Nuwara Eliya/Victoria Park - in many ways this is a typical hill station - dank and cold with a strange nostalgic feel to it. I thought that as a botanic gardens Victoria Park was uninspiring (I wondered why many of the plants appeared to be half-dead - it turned out they were cuttings stuck in the ground!) but the birding was certainly interesting and a trip here is a must for the stunning Pied Thrush. [The contrast with the magnificent botanic gardens at Ooty in Southern India was marked] We stayed at the Yenisey Hotel, as recommended by Sunil, for 1000 Rupees/room/night (credit card accepted). The meals were good with a choice of Sri Lankan or Chinese food but the owner's habit of watching us eat was irritating. They will prepare a box breakfast for the Horton Plains trip as well.
Horton Plains National Park - there are a number of points to be made about this part of the trip. The first thing to understand is that there are two checkpoints for the park - one outside the park at a distance of some 10 km, the second at the entrance to the park. On our first attempt to see the whistling-thrush, on Sunil's advice, we left our accommodation about 3:30am in order to get to the park at around 6am. Naturally we arrived early to find the guards at the first checkpoint flatly refusing to open the gate even one second before 6am. The site for the thrush is a natural pond on the side of the road and can easily be recognised by the large "Have you seen a Leopard yet?" sign. Another highlight here was a confiding Common Otter playing in the pool. After putting in some hours here we went to the park entrance for a cup of tea and dosa for breakfast. This is where Sunil was given a lecture by the park manager on bringing birders to see the thrush without paying the entrance fee and apparently there was even talk of changing the rules in order to prevent this in future. We opted not to go into the park and instead birded in the buffer zone. Lastly, take some warm clothes for this part of your trip. Our second morning was milder but the first morning was exceptionally cold with frost on the ground. This area is renowned for its dairy products and I highly recommend the yoghurt which can be bought en route. Sigiriya - our main aim here was to see the Rock Fortress but the birding was also worthwhile. Even though the entry fee is a bit steep, this is really an amazing place and shouldn't be missed. |
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Sri Lanka, January 2002
