3rd March - Polonnawura & Kaugula NR
Today we visited Polonnawura historical site, which is near Sigiriya, and has ruins of various temples and Buddhist stupas, and also some huge Buddhas fashioned from solid stone in incredible detail, in the sitting, standing and prone positions. It was once a capital of Sri Lanka and is the site of the ancient city of the Polonnaru kingdom. There were birds here too, a valuable one being the endemic Brown-capped Babbler.
After spending some time here and being told a lot about the history by Nandana, we had lunch and then headed for Kaugula Reservoir National Nature Reserve, which we explored by jeep. In addition to the herons and egrets already seen we added Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple [Grey-headed] Swamphen, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Stone-curlew, and Black-winged Stilt. Another significant species here was the Lesser Adjutant [Stork], a very scarce bird in Sri Lanka. There were also many Whiskered Terns here. In addition we found a large herd of Asian Elephants and were entertained by a couple of young animals having a head-to-head tussle.
After spending some time here and being told a lot about the history by Nandana, we had lunch and then headed for Kaugula Reservoir National Nature Reserve, which we explored by jeep. In addition to the herons and egrets already seen we added Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple [Grey-headed] Swamphen, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Stone-curlew, and Black-winged Stilt. Another significant species here was the Lesser Adjutant [Stork], a very scarce bird in Sri Lanka. There were also many Whiskered Terns here. In addition we found a large herd of Asian Elephants and were entertained by a couple of young animals having a head-to-head tussle.