Sri Lanka Jan/Feb 2016 (1 Viewer)

[PeterBird]

I have recently returned from a three-weeks' trip to Sri Lanka with my wife. A first-time visit for us, in fact a first-time visit to Asia. We wanted to get a good taste of the country and specifically its birds. Nothing like ' cleaning up the endemics' or anything like that. Just see a lot of variety and hopefully return with some good pictures. I owe many thanks to people, who posted trip reports here before ( some inspiring ones by Dave Williams) as they helped us in preparing our itinerary.
We made use of a driver/guide, who travelled with us for the better part of our stay, a pleasant man, who told us a lot about the history and culture of the country and could help us identify quite a few birds.
My equipment consisted of the Canon 7DII with the 100-400II. All the photos were taken hand-held, as I did not want to carry a tripod on our walks and the portability of the combo, plus the excellent IS of the lens, certainly made this a viable option. Of course, in the darker parts of the rainforest, the people with tripods had a distinct advantage, but that was a price I willingly paid. I am not very strong, but, with the aid of a Black Rapid strap, I could easily carry this set-up for quite a while.
The dual card slot of the 7DII allowed me to take a large number of shots, before having to switch cards. To my dismay, upon returning from the trip, I found that the largest of my CF cards (32GB), could not be read anymore, whichever method I tried. Fortunately I always make backups, for which I use an iUSB port with HD. Not for the first time, I was grateful I had done so. It would have cost me some 1000 photos
We used KLM and Sri Lankan Airlines for our flights, with a change-over at Heathrow on the way there and a change-over at Paris, Charles de Gaulle on the return flight. The latter was a mess. We were directed to the wrong terminal, appeared to have been transferred to another flight nobody had told us about and, consequently, arrived in Amsterdam without our luggage. This was delivered to our home address the day after, so no big deal, but I was a little worried since my suitcase contained both my telescope and the backup disk. ( Only 7kgs of hand luggage are allowed with Sri Lankan Airlines)
We found people in Sri Lanka to be friendly and helpful. We were impressed with some of the cultural sites we visited (e.g. Pollonaruwa) and we saw 182 species of birds, of which 20 were endemics.

 

[PeterBird]

Our flight, starting in Amsterdam on January 22nd with a stop-over at Heathrow, duly arrived in Colombo noon the next day. There we were met by our driver, a pleasant and energetic man in his fifties who transported us to our first destination. We had decided to take it easy for a few days after the flight, by staying ar a beach location for the first three nights: Villa Sunbird, located in a quiet part of Negombo.
We soon realized why it is common practice to make use of a local driver in Sri Lanka. I have no doubt that the traffic lights, the lines on the road and the speed limit signs are meant to regulate the flow of traffic, but nobody seems to take much notice. While constantly changing lanes, blocking any other vehicle that was trying to get to the crossing before him, our driver happily informed us of the ins and outs of Sr Lankan politics. The most essential part of the car appears to be the horn. If that were to fail, no Sri Lankan driver would venture into the traffic. Our guide was a gifted honker. I soon learned that, when approaching a zebra crossing, honking might indicate any of the following:

I have seen you and it is safe to cross
B. I have seen you, but if you dare take even one little step, you're dead.
C. I haven't seen any zebra crossing at all, but it's been two minutes since I last blasted my horn

Strangely enough, we felt quite safe throughout the trip, though we often missed the bumpers of oncoming traffic by mere inches, when our driver decided on overtaking, where even the French would hesitate.
The hotel was quite nice and the people very friendly, as they were in almost all places. The garden offered our first Asian species: Scaly-breasted Munia, Black Drongo, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Brown-headed Barbet, Red-vented Bulbul, Purple-rumped Sunbird. House Crows and Large-billed (Jungle) Crows were everywhere and so were the Common Mynas. Overhead we saw Palm Swift and Barn Swallow ( ok, not all were Asian..) and mornings on the beach yielded Blue-tailed Bee-eaters hunting from the rocks. Just outside the gate was a canal, perfect for a little walk, with species like White-throated Kingfisher, White-breasted Waterhen, Red-wattled Lapwing, and even Yellow Bittern and Black Bittern. Once or twice a White-bellied Sea Eagle could be seen, flying in from the sea and a huge Water Monitor proved there was more than just birds. All in all a good start to our trip and a good decision to start in a leisurely fashion.

1. Scaly-breasted Munia
2. Stork-billed Kingfisher
3. White-breasted Waterhen
4. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
5. Yellow Bittern

 

[Dave Williams]

Looking forward to this report, some cracking shots to kick it off with !

 

[PeterBird]

On day 2 we had planned a boat trip on the canal and lagoon near Negombo. The very enjoyable two-hour trip started off with great views of a beautiful Stork-billed Kingfisher, the only one we saw during our three weeks. A little further down the canal a Yellow Bittern and a Striated Heron showed well, as well as Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, White throated Kingfisher, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Indian Swiftlet and Brahminy Kite. In the lagoon were numerous Whiskered Terns, Indian Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Purple Swamphen and Purple Heron. Our guide insisted that it was a Goliath Heron and during the remainder of our trip he repeated the claim with other Purple Herons. The Goliath Heron is, as far as I could find, a vagrant in Sri Lanka and I have seen it on numerous occasions in South Africa, so I stuck to my own opinion. It seemed that whenever we got close to a Puple Heron, it magically turned into a Golath Heron. Well that makes sense, does't it?
After another relaxing day in our beach hotel, we set out on our drive to Wilpattu, in the north of the country. We made a stop at the Anawilundawa wetlands, a Ramsar site an hour from Negombo. No lack of birds there, though the harsh light at noon made photography almost impossible. We did see Asian Openbill, Black-headed Ibis, Cattle Egret, the graceful Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Spot-billed Pelican, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-bellied Sea-eagle and Whiskered Tern.

Later in the day we arrived at our cottage, close to Wilpattu National Park. Pretty basic, but with a nice garden, with some new birds for us: Common Iora, the bright yellow Black-hooded Oriole, the bright green Jerdon's Leafbird, Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike, White-browed Bulbul and Indian Robin. A more familar sight was a pair of Common Kingfishers who had no trouble competing with the tropical colours of the other birds. Impressive and noisy were the Malabar Pied Hornbills that frequented he trees behind the garden. I managed some satisfying flight shots when they passed close by.
Our programme for the next day stated that we would do a safari drive in Wilpattu NP in the morning and a boat trip in the afternoon. It appeared the boat was out of order, so our guide arranged for us to spend a full day in Wilpattu. More about that in the next episode.

1. Striated Heron
2. Stork-billed Kingfisher
3. Little Cormorant
4. Oriental Darter
5. Purple Swamphen

 

[PeterBird]

And a few more...

1. Lesser Whistling Duck
2. Brahminy Kite
3.Jerdon's Leafbird
4. Common Kingfisher
5. Malabar Pied Hornbill

 

[PeterBird]

Originally our programme for the next day was to include a morning safari in Wilpattu NP and an afternoon boat ride somewhere in the area. I couldn't really imagine where, but it turned out the only available boat was out of order, so our guide proposed a full day safari in Wilpattu as an alternative. Although spending sone 11 hours in an uncomfortable jeep on bumpy sand roads left us battered, it was a good decision. Wilpattu is a large park and now we had more time we could venture further away from the 'main' tracks and take enough time to stop a number of the lakes and tanks. There is no shortage of those and they would quite often produce some interesting birds. The first one we stopped at, still in almost pre-dawn light, had Painted Storks and Asian Openbills in some bare trees. On the far bank, a few Spotted Deer appeared in the morning mist and the first Green Bee-Eaters were already hunting insects. A peaceful and special scene to start the day with.
Many of the tracks wind through pretty dense forest, so it is not always easy to spot the birds, but there are open areas, too, so we did get to see a fair number in the end. When I told our guide, jokingly, that we had yet to see our first endemic, he got a little worried. Being in Asia for the first time, many of the species were new to me, so this was no particular aim of mine, but I know, of course that many birders travel to Sri Lanka especially to see the endemics. Fortunately for him it wasn't long before we hit upon our first on: Sri Lanka Junglefowl. In forests where it belongs it looks quite different from our domesticated farm birds and when it is lit up by the sun, it's quite spectacular. The same goes for the Indian Peafowl, really. The high five with our relieved guide could be repeated a few times that day with other endemics: Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill ,Sri Lanka Woodshrike and Sri Lanka Green Pigeon.
Other birds we saw included: Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Black- hooded Oriole, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Brown Shrike, Crested Treeswift, Greater Coucal, Common Iora, Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Orange- breasted Green Pigeon and Small Minivet.
The tanks and lakes held quite few waders: Pin-tailed Snipe, Pacific Golden Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Lesser Sandplover, Black- winged Stilt, Greenshank, Red-wattled Plover, Little Stint and Black-tailed Godwit. In the open fields adajacent to the water we saw Jerdon's Bushlark Paddyfield Pipit and Greater Stone Curlew (Great Thick-knee). One of the tanks held a couple of Cotton Pygmy Geese and some Whiskered Terns.

Yala seems to be the best spot to see leopards, but Wilpattu did not disappoint. Suddenly we came upon another jeep and were beckoned closer. A male and a female Leopard were slowly making their way through the bushes and gave us short, but good view. When the female lifted her head for a moment I managed to grab a few quick photographs. Pretty dark in the forest of course, but still a nice portrait. Magical moments, with only two jeeps at the scene. That is slightly different from Yala. In the mammal department we further encountered a pair of Jackal, Ruddy Mongoose, Spotted Deer and Barking Deer (Muntjac), Wild Pig, Water Buffalo and one Elephant. When the light was starting to fade a little and we headed back to the gate, we suddenly came upon another leopard, a male that showed very well in a clearing of the forest. A beautiful ending to a very rewarding day.
1. Changeable Hawk-Eagle
2. Crested Serpent Eagle
3. Leopard (female)
4. White-rumped Shama
5.Leopard (male)

 

[PeterBird]

And some more:
1.Great Thick-Knee
2.Spotted Deer
3. Jackal
4. Ruddy Mongoose
5. Water Buffalo

 

[Dave Williams]

Superb Leopard shots Peter. Wilpatu is indeed more difficult than Yala in which to get open views but it's more pleasurable when you do as you don't have the bunfight that Yala is whenever a Leopard or Sloth Bear is sighted.
As for opportunities, well I have been to both parks twice. I have had excellent photo opportunities at both parks just the once, one visit to Wilpattu drew a blank for Leopard, one at Yala offered the briefest of sightings. Bear I saw both times at Yala but not Wilpattu.
Which is best ?
Park vs park, IMO Yala does edge it because if you are not bothered about Bears and Leopards you can have the rest to yourself because most visitors are not that interested in birds. Yala is also near to Bundala. On the other hand Wilpattu is near to Kalpatyia and some fantastic Dolphin watching opportunities.
The jury is still out!

 

[PeterBird]

Thanks, Dave, I quite agree the jury is still out. We went to Yala and Bundala later in the trip.We did not see a leopard there ( nor any bear, unfortunately) and that was mainly because we told our driver to leave the bunfight and go somewhere quiter to see some birds. The scenery is very attractive and quite open. Perhaps Bundala was even a little more of a favourite spot for us. Both well worth visiting!

 

[Dave Williams]

Thanks, Dave, I quite agree the jury is still out. We went to Yala and Bundala later in the trip.We did not see a leopard there ( nor any bear, unfortunately) and that was mainly because we told our driver to leave the bunfight and go somewhere quiter to see some birds. The scenery is very attractive and quite open. Perhaps Bundala was even a little more of a favourite spot for us. Both well worth visiting!

Agreed! Of course much can depend on the time of year and weather too. I was so looking forward to Bundala,( my favourite too after my previous visit), on our trip last November but it was largely under water and inaccesible and was a huge disappointment. Luck of the draw I guess!

 

[dandsblair]

Nice report and some great photos

Nice report.

Like you we told our driver to ignore the calls for Leopard or Bears and had a much more relaxed and enjoyable time.

 

[PeterBird]

We headed for Sigiriya the next day. Originally the idea had been to climb the 1200 steps to the rock fortress ( or at least comtemplate this), but just before the trip I was rather ill and still suffered from dizziness, so we decided to skip the challenge. As it turned out the hotel (Kassapa Lion's Rock) and its surroundings had some pleasant birding to offer. Just outside the hotel grounds were scrubs and paddyfields and our late afternoon walk gave us both Ashy and Plain Prinia, Common Iora, Blue-faced Malkoha, Common Tailorbird, Purple Sunbird, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Small Minivet and Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker. The ever-present call of the Black-hooded Oriole was heard and moments later I quite unexpectedly managed a flight shot, when the bird flew across the road.
The walk continued along the fields and took us to some stretches of water further on. There we saw Little Ringed Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Jerdon's Bushlark, Scaly-breasted Munia, White-rumped Munia, Tricolored Munia, Pin-tailed Snipe, Black-headed Ibis and Asian Openbill. Also a pair of Black-shouldered Kites showed beautifully.
Back at the hotel a Crested Serpent Eagle flew by and an Asian Paradise Flycatcher briefly landed in front of our cottage.
The next day we spent visiting the ancient and impressive city of Polonnaruwa. Our guide obviously knew the usual spot for the Barn Owl in one of the image houses and we did see two, high up in the dark building. One of the ponds in the complex held Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Lesser Whistling Duck and Little Cormorant. Near one of the temple ruins a Sri Lanka Woodshrike had decided to build a nest.
On our final day at the hotel, we repeated the walk of our first afternoon and saw many of the same species, but also Coppersmith Barbet, Green Imperial Pigeon, Paddyfield Pipit, Sri Lanka Swallow, Kentish Plover Indian Robin and Malabar Pied Hornbill. I managed to get a few shots of a Black Drongo, that was hunting insects. Like a true flycatcher it returned to the same perch every time and allowed me to predict its short flight to get both hunter and prey in the shot. Back at our cottage I got splendid views of my first Indian Pitta. What a magnificent bird!
1. Tricolored Munia
2. Jerdon's Bushlark
3. Black-hooded Oriole
4. Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
5. Black Drongo

 

[PeterBird]

And these:
1. Ashy Prinia
2. Plain Prinia
3. Blue-faced Malkoha
4. Black-shouldered Kite
5. Indian Pitta

 

[stuartvine]

Some very nice birds there I really wish we hadn't done Yala, far too many jeeps and a poor driver.

 

[PeterBird]

Sorry about the delay, but here is some more on the trip:
From Sigiriya we travelled south to Digana, east of Kandy. We stayed at the Polwaththa Eco Lodge, a friendly location, situated on some forested slopes. The sourrounding area was said to hold quite a number of endemics, we saw a limited number of them: Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Spot-winged Thrush, Black-capped Bulbul, Brown-capped Babbler. Hardly any decent photos, though, because of the dense foliage and dark conditions in the forest. Other than the endemics we saw: Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Balck Eagle, Forest Wagtail, Black-rumped Flameback (aka Lesser Goldenback), Golden-fronted Leafbird, Scarlet Minivet, Brown-breasted Flycatcher.
We also visited a local school in the village, talking to pupils and teachers and attended an English lesson. Having spent some 40 years in education myself, I was quite impressed with the way they managed to give their lessons, in spite of the limited resources. We were a little disappointed, though, with the fact that the on map of Europe that decorated the school wall, Holland had completely disappeared and was just an extension of Germany....
Further south we went, to Tissamaharama, where we stayed in the Hibiscus Garden Hotel. A nice location again, where we had a little cottage overlooking some fields. The hotel grounds offered some good birds, like Black-hooded Oriole, Red-wattled Lapwing, Coppersmith and Brown-headed Barbet, Asian Koel, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Prinia, Blue-faced Malkoha, Zitting Cisticola, Loten's Sunbird, Oriental White-eye, Pale-billed Flowerpecker, Scaly-brasted Munia, Green Bee-eater, Imperial Green Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, White-throated Kingfisher and Common Iora.
We were to stay here for four nights intending to visit both Yala and Bundala NP and do a little birding around some nearby tanks and lakes. And, of course, relax at the swimming pool and enjoy the glorious weather!

1. Sri lanka Scimitar Babbler
2. Red-wattled Lapwing
3. Indian Pond Heron
4. Coppersmith Barbet
5. Orange-breasted Green Pigeon

 

[PeterBird]

An early start the next day for our Yala experience. The long queue at the entrance was a sure sign we were not going to be the only visitors to the park. It took quite a while for our guide to obtain tickets, but finally we managed to drive on and join all the other cars heading for unspoilt nature. Perhaps this sounds worse than it was. We did manage to see over 65 species of birds that day, including some very nice ones. The trick was to avoid the chaotic gathering of jeeps that happened wherever a leopard's tail had been spotted. We told our driver to move off and find some quieter tracks. Well, we'd already had splendid views of leopards in Wilpattu, so the decision was not difficult for us.
Birds we saw included: Blue-tailed and Green Bee-eaters ( numerous), Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters ( the only ones of the trip), White-browed Fantail, Indian Pitta, Indian Robin, Richard's Pipit, Brown Shrike, Ashy-crowned Sparrow- lark, Asian Koel, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Coppersmith Barbet, Common Tailorbird, Sirkeer Malkoha, Small Minivet, Black-winged Stilt and Yellow-wattled Lapwing.

The next day a late-afternoon trip to some wetlands on the road to Yala produced provided some decent birding, too, with: Spot-billed Pelican, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Kentish Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Eurasian Spoonbill, Garganey, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Painted Stork, Asain Openbill and Crested Treeswift

Another early start the day after for our Bundala trip. This park was really one of our favourite places in Sri Lanka. An open park with habitats ranging from dunes to saltpans was home to a large variety of birds. Also it was very quiet, compared to Yala. We saw 70 species of birds in Bundala, with six lifers. The tanks held many Herons and Egrets, like: Great, Intermediate and Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Black Bittern, Purple Heron, Indian Pond Heron and Striated Heron. Also present were: Painted Stork, Asian Openbill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Spot-billed Pelican and Black-headed Ibis. The Saltpans offered: Caspian Tern, Lesser and Greater Crested Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Pin-tailed Snipe, Lesser Sandplover, Grey Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Pied Kingfisher, Brown-headed Gull and the beautiful Small Pratincole. Other habitats produced: Clamorous Reed Warbler, Jacobin Cuckoo, Oriental Darter, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Watercock, Paddyfield Pipit, Brahminy Kite, Great Stone Curlew and Grey-headed Fish Eagle. Even with a half-day safari like we did this was an enjoyable and productive trip.

Some Yala birds:
1. White-browed Fantail
2. Green Bee-eater
3. Green Bee-eater
4. Sirkeer Malkoha
5. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

 

[PeterBird]

And some from Bundala and the hotel grounds:

1. White-throated Kingfisher
2. Small Pratincole
3. Black-winged Stilt
4. Black-hooded Oriole
5. Yellow-wattled Lapwing

 

[PeterBird]

The drive to Sinharaja took us past a large colony of Flying Foxes. We had seen some fly by at dusk at Tissa, but now we saw hundreds of them hanging from branches. Every now and then one of them would take flight and show its incredible wingspan. An amazing sight. About half an hour from Sinharaja we the road was blocked by some cars. We were told that a few kilometres further on a man had been killed by an elephant. As this was already the third death by an elephant attack in the last month, they had left the body in the road, forcing the authorities to finally do something about the matter. A gruesome thought. A kind young man on a motorcycle showed us a detour and soon after we arrived at the Blue Magpie Lodge, situated at the edge of the rain forest. Well, it did start to rain the moment we arrived, so no surprises there. Later in the afternoon, still damp and grey, but dry, we took a short walk near the lodge and found: Orange-billed Babbler, Yellow-fronted Barbet and Brown Shrike. From the restaurant area and near the feeders we saw Black Bulbul, White-browed Fantail, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon. . Reptile-wise we saw Water Monitor, Sri Lankan Green Pit Viper and Green Vine Snake.

The morning was dry and quite sunny, as we started our walk through the rainforest. It was only later in the day that the clouds started gathering and the rains came again. Apart from our own driver/ guide, we were also accompanied by a Sinharaja guide, which is obligatory. A nice young man, perhaps not too experienced, but with sharp eyes and ears. The birds not not come easily and, unfortunately, we did not encounter one of the 'feeding flocks, the rainforest is known for. Even so, after the first few hours we ticked off some endemics, like: Sri Lanka Drongo, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Dark-fronted Babbler, Orange- billed Babbler, and Spot Winged Thrush. Our young guide found us a Sri Lanka Frogmouth, hidden in some bushes on the slopes beneath the track. At the visitor centre we found the endemic I had been hoping to see most of all: the Sri Lanka Blue Magpie. What a spectacular-looking bird. Although photography was hard in the forest, I managed to get some nice shots of the Magpie. When it moved to a less shaded spot,I thought I had my chance to get some well-lit pictures and I crouched down with my 400mm lens and patiently waited for the bird to approach me. A party of Swedes, however, had also spotted the Magpie and started to crowd it, taking shots with their phones and thus chasing it of within seconds. I thanked them, of course, but their blank looks told me they had no idea what for.
We continued our walk, which overall took some six hours, and, though birds still did not show easily, managed to see some nice ones: Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch, Layard' s Parakeet, Southern Hill Myna, Scarlet Minivet, Sri Lanka Thrush, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush, Lesser Yellownape and Malabar Trogon. Just we reached the end of our walk we saw a beautifully coloured male Oriental Garden Lizard.
1. Flying Fox
2. Blue Magpie
3. Sri Lanka Junglefowl
4. Oriental Garden Lizard
5. Sri Lanka Frogmouth

 

[PeterBird]

With only a few days left, we headed south to Mirissa, to try and book a whaling trip there. The road along the coast did not produce much of interest, apart from a White-bellied Sea-eagle being harassed by a House Crow. We hastily parked the car on the shoulder and I jumped out just in time to catch the moment with my camera.
Whale watching is big business in Mirissa and a short walk along the local beach took us past several stalls offering the best and cheapest boat rides. One of the local companies even uses the name Whale Warriors. A search on the internet back home had led us to a firm (Mirissa Water Sports) with good reviews, also stating that they had a more responsible take on the whale watching trip than many of the competitors. This turned out to be true. There was quite a fleet leaving the harbour at six the next day. We found ourselves in a pod of about 300 Spinner Dolphins, which was an amazing sight and every now and then some Flying Fish would come sailing by. After a few hours a whale was spotted, which turned out to be the Blue Whale we had hoped for. It came up every few minutes for air and the moment its spout was seen many boats rushed in the direction of the whale. The result was that it was totally unpredictable where it would come up the next time. Our captain, keeping more distance to the whale than many of the others, explained that the whale would just swim in a more or less straight line if it wasn’t disturbed by the boats all the time, but this was what happened almost every day. Still, an impressive sight!

We spent the last days of our stay at a hotel in Tangalle, right by the beautiful beach. Swimming was not possible, or recommended anyway, on most stretches, due to the strong currents. Not too much birding to be done either, but a morning walk still brought Greater Coucal, Ashy Woodswallow, Black-rumped Flameback, Gull-billed Tern, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Brahminy Kite, Common Tailorbird, Loten’s Sunbird, Green- and Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Sri Lanka Swallow, Scaly-breasted Munia and Asian Palm Swift.
We were picked up by our driver on the final day and taken to Horakelle Estate in Negombo, set in a coconut plantation. Evening meals there are prepared with the help of local families and it proved excellent! Possibly the best of our trip. A last farewell by a beautiful Shikra and the we were driven to the airport, where we departed at 0:30 am. The flight home was fine up to Paris, Charles de Gaulle airport. There it turned out we had been book on another flight to Amsterdam, leaving half an hour later. No-one could tell us why, but we were not surprised that our luggage had not made it on the same flight. Well we got it back two days later, but this is a story I have heard quite a few times about this airport.
All in all we had a great trip. Lots of birds, lots of photographs, amazing leopard sightings, friendly people, rich culture and beautiful beaches.

 

[PeterBird]

The last photos of the trip..
1. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
2. Spinner Dolphin
3. Blue Whale
4. Greater Coucal
5. Shikra