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Trip Report Sri Lanka 2003 Simon Plat, Maaike Poppinga |
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The following
is based on my own experience. All sightings are my own in March 2003 except
with Serendib Scops-Owl. I added the 2005 experience of Ian
Merrill where he and his team found Serendib Scops-Owl. Birds with an *
are endemic species. Birds with an S are endemic subspecies.
Spot-billed
Pelican (Pelecanus
philippensis, Grijze Pelikaan - Vulnerable): Easily found at several spots,
most obvious in Ruhunu (Yala) NP, with
a breeding colony. A single bird was resident and tame at the lake in Kandy.
Should pose no problems
Grey-headed
Fish-Eagle (Ichthyophaga
ichthyaetus, Grote Rivierarend - Near-threatened): not too hard to find
in Sri Lanka. I’ve seen about five birds on several locations (see checklist).
*Ceylon Spurfowl (Galloperdix
bicalcarata/Ceylondwergfasant): one of the hardest to get, especially if you
want to see it. Not very rare but extremely secretive. I saw this species only
in Bodhinagala. Another
good spot in Sinharaya appears to
be near the village, down the hill. Best strategy: patience at a good spot.
*Ceylon Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii/Ceylonhoen): very common and tame in Sinharaja.
Also seen in Uda Walawe, Ruhunu
(Yala) NP, Arrenga Pool en
Sigirya. There should be no problem
to find this one
*Ceylon Woodpigeon (Columba
torringtoni/Sri Lanka-houtduif – Vulnerable): best found in Sinharaja
and at the Arrenga Pool. Only with
limited time this might be a tricky one. Best found by its call, sometimes hard
to see.
SOrange-breasted Green-Pigeon (Treron bicincta
leggei, Orangeborstpapegaaiduif): Can by found in the
dryer parts of the island where it is the most common ‘green’pigeon. Common
in Uda Walawe and around Nilaveli.
*Ceylon Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus/Ceylonese Vleermuisparkiet): my first endemic
to be found, only a few hours after our arrival. Pretty common in the wet region,
south west of the island. Active and focal, thus easily found.
*Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae/Smaragdparkiet): local in the wet region but
in large numbers. Very common in Sinharaja
with flocks of up to 20 individuals flying past Martin’s place. Also a group
of 10 noisy birds in Uda Wattakele.
*Green-billed Coucal
(Centropus
chlororhynchus/Ceylonspoorkoekoek – Vulnerable): this is a tricky bird to
find. The best spot is Bodhinagala,
near the monastry. If you walk back from the monastry, you’ll pass a concrete
stairs at about 100 m. We found two birds down those stairs, near a water basin.
In Sinharaja two birds were very
vocal along the path, about 200-400 meters from the entrance. These were hard
to get visually.
*Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus
pyrrhocephalus/Roodwangmalkoha – Vulnerable): proved not hard to find in
Sinharaja with several birds in almost
all large feeding flocks. Though there are more spots to find this great bird,
I advise not to leave Sinharaja before finding this one.
Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus
viridirostris, Kleine Groensnavelmalkoha): best chances in the dryer south
eastern parts of the island. I found two birds just outside our hotel in Tissamaharama
and another three birds in Ruhunu (Yala) NP.
*Chestnut-backed Owlet
(Glaucidium castanonotum/Kastanjerugdwerguil
– Near-threatened): this charming but tricky owl is pretty active during the
day. Best spots are Bodhinagala
and Sinharaja, at the latter especially
near the research station. I had great views of a mating pair from the wooden
platform near a monumental tree.
*Serendib Scops Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni): this owl has only been
discovered in 2001 and is not easy to twitch. Your best chances are with the
professional guides from Baurs. Our driver Sunil did not know where to find
this species. Consequently we missed it.
(IM2005: After nine hours active searching in the field over three successive
nights, plus eight hours of travelling over some very rough terrain, we were
rewarded with unprecedented views of this stunning little owl. It was ultimately
seen at Sunil’s site above the village of Athwelthota, some two hours
drive from Sinharaja. The fact that we heard no less than six Serendib Scops-Owls
in this time would seem to suggest that this species may not be as scarce as
was originally thought. Seeing the bird is, however, a different matter in it’s
preferred habitat of tall, dense montane forest. When our bird finally did appear
all of the effort was worthwhile as it sat on a bare bough at a height of two
metres above the ground at a range of eight metres for over five minutes; certainly
the highlight of our trip.)
SBrown Wood-Owl (Strix leptogrammica ochrogenys, Bruine
Bosuil): there’s a stakeout at Surres Tea Estate near Welinada but your chances
are slim without a guide since it is very secretive. We had good views of a
bird after skulking through a lot of shrubs.
Ceylon Frogmouth (Batrachostomus
moniliger, Ceylonkikkerbek): Best areas are (again) Bodhinagala
and Sinharaja. We found a calling bird near the visitors centre at Sinharaja.
SMalabar Trogon (Harpactes fasciatus fasciatus, Malabartrogon):
a most charming bird, not uncommon in Sinharaja,
where it joins feeding flocks.
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher
(Ceyx erithacus, Jungle-dwergijsvogel): we had
a very short meeting with a flying bird at Sigiriya.
Malabar Pied-Hornbill
(Anthracoceros
coronatus, Malabarneushoornvogel - Near-threatened): rather common
in the large nature parks in the south east. We saw 4 birds in Uda
Walawe (2x2) and 2 birds in Ruhunu (Yala)
NP.
*Ceylon Grey Hornbill
(Ocyceros
gingalensis/Ceylontok): easy to find all over the island. Largest numbers
were in Sinharaja. Don’t worry about
this one until you’re about to catch your plane within three hours.
*Yellow-fronted Barbet
(Megalaima flavifrons/Ceylonese Baardvogel):
common in Bodhinagala en Sinharaja.
No problem but best to tick of in one of those two parks.
*Crimson-fronted (Ceylon
Small) Barbet (Megalaima
rubricapilla/Roodkeelbaardvogel): this recent split is not rare. Can be
found almost anywhere on the island except in the highlands.
SWhite-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus tantus, Witnekspecht):
best spot for this bird are the palm plantations around Tissa
Wewa Tank. We found a bird at about 500 meter before the lake, on the right
hand (seen when driving to the lake from the main road).
Indian Pitta (Pitta
brachyura, Negenkleurige Pitta): this great bird proved very easy with several
sightings throughout the island. Pretty obtrusive and actively calling. This
bird was promoted to Bird Of The Trip!
*Black-capped Bulbul
(Pycnonotus
melanicterus/Goudborstbuulbuul):
another recent split. Should be possible on the whole island but I only
found it in Sinharaja, where common.
*Yellow-eared Bulbul
(Pycnonotus
penicillatus/Geelpluimbuulbuul – Near-threatened): one of the highland endemics.
Can be found in Victoria Park
in Nuwara Elya and around Arrenga Pond
where it was rather common.
Indian Robin (Saxicoloides
fulicata, Indisch Paapje): another beautiful migrant. I only found two birds,
one in Victoria Park in Nuwara
Eliya and one in Uda Wattekale in Kandy,
both males.
*Ceylon Whistling Thrush
(Myiophonus blighi/Ceylonfluitlijster
– Endangered): certainly the most special of the endemics, mostly because of
it’s secretive behaviour. It hides during the day in thickets near streams and
your only chance is at dawn (before sunrise) or dusk. Best spot is at Arrenga
Pond, named after the bird. The pond can be found when driving to Horton
Plains National Park, before entering the park, just before a big sign with
“Have you seen a leopard yet?”. Keep in mind that this is one that might need
a second or third try!
SScaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma imbricata, Goudlijster): a highly
distinctive subspecies that might be split in the near future. We found one
bird with great effort of the two accompanying bird watching guides, just behind
the research station, along the stream in Sinharaja
NP.
*Spot-winged Thrush (Zoothera
spiloptera/Vlekvleugellijster – Near-threatened): not at all hard to find
in Sinharaja. In the morning often
beside the path. Sinharaja certainly is the best spot on the island to find
this bird.
Pied Thrush (Zoothera
wardii, Eksterlijster): this is another treat for the eye. Best spot is
Victoria Park in Nuwara Eliya where
I found 8 male birds along the stream. A bird flying by in a forest near Kandy
was a surprise.
*Ashy-headed Laughingthrush
(Garrulax cinereifrons/Grijskoplijstergaai
– Vulnerable): best found in Sinharaja.
Here this species is rather common, working the lower storey in active and vocal
groups.
*Brown-capped Babbler
(Pellorneum fuscocapillum/Bruinkapjungletimalia):
can be found in forests all over the island. Rather secretive but not too hard
to find, especially by the sound.
*Orange-billed Babbler (Turdoides
rufescens/Ceylonese Babbelaar – Near-threatened): by far the best spot is Sinharaja,
where it is very common with good numbers
in almost every feeding flock.
*Ceylon Bush-Warbler (Bradypterus palliseri/Ceylonese Struikzanger – Near-threatened): like
most bradypterus species a good skulker. We found one bird along the road to
Arrenga Pond, about 200-300 meter
before the pool.
*Dull-blue Flycatcher
(Eumyias sordida/Ceylonvliegenvanger
– Near-threatened): found in almost all forests in the highlands. We saw this
bird only around Arrenga Pond.
Kashmir Flycatcher (Ficedula
subrubra, Kasjmirvliegenvanger): don’t forget to target this charming little
flycatcher. Sri Lanka is the best area in the world to find it. A consistent
spot is Victoria Park in Nuwara
Eliya, with two birds wintering in 2003 of which I saw one.
*White-throated (Legge’s)
Flowerpecker (Dicaeum vincens/Ceylonese Honingvogel
– Near-threatened): this bird might prove difficult. Again Sinharaja
is by far the best park. We found several birds a day here.
*Ceylon White-eye (Zosterops
ceylonensis/Ceylonese Brilvogel): pretty common all over the highlands.
Among other areas Victoria Park
in Nuwara Eliya and Arrenga Pond
are good enough to find them.
*Ceylon Hill Munia (Lonchura kelaarti, Zwartkeelbronzemannetje):
a highland species that might prove difficult. We found a group of 4 individuals
near the town of Patipola.
*Ceylon Myna (Gracula ptilogenys/Ceylonbeo – Near-threatened): only with cerainty seen in Siharaja, but possible at other spots on the island.
*White-faced Starling (Sturnus senex/Maskerspreeuw - Vulnerable): the only spot in the world where you can find this bird is Sinharaja. During our stay we had several meetings with this bird, including a pair in a feeding flock showing extremely well and a group of 5 birds in a small tree, seen from Martin’s Place. You need a bit of luck to get a good sighting of this one.
SGreater Racket-tailed (Crested) Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus
lophorhinus, Vlaggendrongo): watch out for this distinctive subspecies with
its deeply forked tail instead of the rackets. I only saw two birds in Sinharaja,
near the research station, but it can be found almost anywhere on the island.
*Ceylon Magpie (Urocissa ornata/Blauwe Kitta – Vulnerable): you can find this great bird even from the balcony of Martin’s Place in Sinharaja. The high trees, a bit right of the balcony early in the morning are a good spot to find them. They can also be found in the park.
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