9th - 11th March - Tissamaharama - Yala NP - Bundala NP
9th March
Today we bade farewell to the owner of the Binota Residency and its attentive staff and set off for the long transfer to Tissamaharama in the south-east of the island. En route we had Black Eagle, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Plain Prinia, Purple-rumped Sunbird, and Pale-billed Flowerpecker to name a few. We travelled via the town of Ella and made a stop at the Ravana waterfall, which is around 25m high and is named after the legendary king Ravana. We stopped for a pleasant lunch in a roadside café, and eventually arrived at our lovely hotel, the Hibiscus Garden Hotel, where comfortable accommodation was in separate bungalows located in well-tended gardens with a central swimming pool. After settling in we drove the short distance from the hotel to the large Lake Tissamaharama [Lake Tissa for short], and had a very productive session scanning at various points. According to my notes we logged around 52 species! New additions included Black-, Yellow-, and Cinnamon Bitterns, Pied Kingfisher, Watercock, White-breasted Waterhen, Painted Stork, Caspian-, White-winged-, and Gull-billed Terns, and a whole list of waders including Pintail Snipe, and a flock of 15 Oriental Pratincoles which I spotted flying in and settling. The other waders we saw the next day at Yala NP so I’ll mention those for that day. The gardens at the hotel were quite productive with Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Imperial Green Pigeon, and flowerpeckers and sunbirds.
10th March
Today comprised a full day jeep safari in Yala National Park located on the south-east corner of Sri Lanka. We took a picnic breakfast and lunch with us. This was an very productive day, producing a list of 90 bird species! On top of that we saw Sambar- and Spotted Deer, Grey-faced Langur, Golden Jackal, Wild Pig, Land Monitor, Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, and 3 Leopard. The list included 18 wader species, the star of which, for me, was Great Thick-knee – a mammoth Stone-curlew species. The others included numerous Lesser Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plover, Red-wattled- and Yellow-wattled Lapwings, many Little Stints, familiar species such as Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Grey Plover, and Marsh Sandpiper. The diminutive Small Pratincole was also present. Herons etc abounded of course and Eurasian Spoonbill was added to the list, and Brahminy Kites were common [as indeed they were throughout the trip]. We also had our only other sighting of Lesser Adjutant. Other species worth mentioning were Crested Treeswift, Greater Coucal, the awesome Malabar Pied Hornbill, Green-, Blue-tailed- and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters and Indian Roller, Large Cuckooshrike, White-browed Fantail, Jungle Prinia, and last but not least the attractive Ashy-crowned Sparrow/Finch Lark. By lunchtime we were by the beach, but seabirds were surprisingly absent despite the strong onshore wind. At this location was a poignant reminder of the forces of nature – a monument to the 25 Japanese tourists and many local people who drowned when the 2004 Tsunami from the Indonesian earthquake hit. They had been staying in beachside accommodation. In all around 250 people lost their lives in the park. The wave was 6m high. After lunch and a rest we gradually worked our way back through the park, quite surprised as to how far we had travelled along the many tracks.
11th March
Early morning Nandana took us to a minor road somewhere on the outskirts of Tissa, in search of woodpeckers. After some searching we were rewarded with excellent views of a pair of Black-rumped Flamebacks and then the scarce White-naped Woodpecker at a nest hole in a palm.
The main visit today was to the nearby Bundala Ramsar Wetland Reserve. This was the first wetland to be designated a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. It comprises scrub jungle, and large shallow saline pools [where salt is extracted]. Once again we were transported in jeeps and took a picnic lunch and once again the waders were numerous. At the lunch stop I was scanning around and a Red-necked Phalarope came into view. Also added to the wader tally were Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, and a Curlew. A huge Black-necked Stork dwarfed the other herons and water birds. Familiar species comprised Barn Swallow and Sand Martin, and on the ground we found Oriental Skylark, and the M.f.beema race of Yellow Wagtail. By the salt lagoons there were numerous resting Terns, including Little-, Greater Crested-, Lesser Crested-, Caspian-, Gull-billed, 1 Common, and many Whiskered. I’m pretty sure there must have been Roseate there too but the main groups were quite distant and tightly packed, and also not in full adult plumage, plus it was very hot and the heat haze made ‘scoping difficult. Another good bird here was Ashy Woodswallow.
We chilled at the hotel afterwards and then late afternoon had another foray around Lake Tissa. Black- and Yellow Bitterns showed well again. We scanned for some time under some large trees, which were heaving with roosting Fruit Bats. These were the Indian Flying Fox species, otherwise known as Greater Indian Fruit Bat Pteropus giganteus. In reeds here we clinched Clamorous Reed-warbler, good numbers of Streaked Weaver and also Baya Weaver, plus the diminutive Scaly-breasted- and Black-headed [Tri-coloured] Munias. Whilst scanning as dusk at a further location a snipe flew into view in my scope and landed – expecting another Pintail Snipe I was surprised when it turned and revealed itself as a Painted Snipe. Soon everyone was on it and Christine and Clive were both pleased to clinch a lifer. Common Moorhen also caused some excitement as a new tick for the list!
Today we bade farewell to the owner of the Binota Residency and its attentive staff and set off for the long transfer to Tissamaharama in the south-east of the island. En route we had Black Eagle, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Plain Prinia, Purple-rumped Sunbird, and Pale-billed Flowerpecker to name a few. We travelled via the town of Ella and made a stop at the Ravana waterfall, which is around 25m high and is named after the legendary king Ravana. We stopped for a pleasant lunch in a roadside café, and eventually arrived at our lovely hotel, the Hibiscus Garden Hotel, where comfortable accommodation was in separate bungalows located in well-tended gardens with a central swimming pool. After settling in we drove the short distance from the hotel to the large Lake Tissamaharama [Lake Tissa for short], and had a very productive session scanning at various points. According to my notes we logged around 52 species! New additions included Black-, Yellow-, and Cinnamon Bitterns, Pied Kingfisher, Watercock, White-breasted Waterhen, Painted Stork, Caspian-, White-winged-, and Gull-billed Terns, and a whole list of waders including Pintail Snipe, and a flock of 15 Oriental Pratincoles which I spotted flying in and settling. The other waders we saw the next day at Yala NP so I’ll mention those for that day. The gardens at the hotel were quite productive with Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Imperial Green Pigeon, and flowerpeckers and sunbirds.
10th March
Today comprised a full day jeep safari in Yala National Park located on the south-east corner of Sri Lanka. We took a picnic breakfast and lunch with us. This was an very productive day, producing a list of 90 bird species! On top of that we saw Sambar- and Spotted Deer, Grey-faced Langur, Golden Jackal, Wild Pig, Land Monitor, Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, and 3 Leopard. The list included 18 wader species, the star of which, for me, was Great Thick-knee – a mammoth Stone-curlew species. The others included numerous Lesser Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plover, Red-wattled- and Yellow-wattled Lapwings, many Little Stints, familiar species such as Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Grey Plover, and Marsh Sandpiper. The diminutive Small Pratincole was also present. Herons etc abounded of course and Eurasian Spoonbill was added to the list, and Brahminy Kites were common [as indeed they were throughout the trip]. We also had our only other sighting of Lesser Adjutant. Other species worth mentioning were Crested Treeswift, Greater Coucal, the awesome Malabar Pied Hornbill, Green-, Blue-tailed- and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters and Indian Roller, Large Cuckooshrike, White-browed Fantail, Jungle Prinia, and last but not least the attractive Ashy-crowned Sparrow/Finch Lark. By lunchtime we were by the beach, but seabirds were surprisingly absent despite the strong onshore wind. At this location was a poignant reminder of the forces of nature – a monument to the 25 Japanese tourists and many local people who drowned when the 2004 Tsunami from the Indonesian earthquake hit. They had been staying in beachside accommodation. In all around 250 people lost their lives in the park. The wave was 6m high. After lunch and a rest we gradually worked our way back through the park, quite surprised as to how far we had travelled along the many tracks.
11th March
Early morning Nandana took us to a minor road somewhere on the outskirts of Tissa, in search of woodpeckers. After some searching we were rewarded with excellent views of a pair of Black-rumped Flamebacks and then the scarce White-naped Woodpecker at a nest hole in a palm.
The main visit today was to the nearby Bundala Ramsar Wetland Reserve. This was the first wetland to be designated a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. It comprises scrub jungle, and large shallow saline pools [where salt is extracted]. Once again we were transported in jeeps and took a picnic lunch and once again the waders were numerous. At the lunch stop I was scanning around and a Red-necked Phalarope came into view. Also added to the wader tally were Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, and a Curlew. A huge Black-necked Stork dwarfed the other herons and water birds. Familiar species comprised Barn Swallow and Sand Martin, and on the ground we found Oriental Skylark, and the M.f.beema race of Yellow Wagtail. By the salt lagoons there were numerous resting Terns, including Little-, Greater Crested-, Lesser Crested-, Caspian-, Gull-billed, 1 Common, and many Whiskered. I’m pretty sure there must have been Roseate there too but the main groups were quite distant and tightly packed, and also not in full adult plumage, plus it was very hot and the heat haze made ‘scoping difficult. Another good bird here was Ashy Woodswallow.
We chilled at the hotel afterwards and then late afternoon had another foray around Lake Tissa. Black- and Yellow Bitterns showed well again. We scanned for some time under some large trees, which were heaving with roosting Fruit Bats. These were the Indian Flying Fox species, otherwise known as Greater Indian Fruit Bat Pteropus giganteus. In reeds here we clinched Clamorous Reed-warbler, good numbers of Streaked Weaver and also Baya Weaver, plus the diminutive Scaly-breasted- and Black-headed [Tri-coloured] Munias. Whilst scanning as dusk at a further location a snipe flew into view in my scope and landed – expecting another Pintail Snipe I was surprised when it turned and revealed itself as a Painted Snipe. Soon everyone was on it and Christine and Clive were both pleased to clinch a lifer. Common Moorhen also caused some excitement as a new tick for the list!