Kandy

Trip Report Sri Lanka 2003

Simon Plat, Maaike Poppinga
Dates: 24-02-2003 till 13-03-2003
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Kandy and Udawattakele Sanctuary

Location: Kandy is situated in the northern parts of the central highlands, being one of the most touristical of all cities in Sri Lanka, primairily because of the presence of the Temple of the Tooth. It is about 4 hours drive east of Colombo. Udawattakele is situated alongside the town just north of the Temple of the Tooth. The Royal Botanical Gardens are a bit further: about 7 kilometer west of Kandy on the road to Kegalla.

Costs: Entrance to Udawattakele is Rs575/- per person. Entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens was Rs300/- per person.

Date(s): 6, 7 and 8-03-2003 (12 birding hours)

Notes: In Kandy there was only one endemic to go, so we loosened up with the birding activity. The town is a major touristical attraction, but the surroundings of our hotel (McLeod hotel, see Itinerary) were green en pretty good for birdind. I was told that a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl holds its residence on the hills near McLeod hotel but I coudn't find it. Udawattakele is a good and charming forest. We visited the Royal Botanical Gardens for Crimson-fronted (Ceylon Small) Barbet and found it relatively easily. Remember that this park will get crowded during the day.

Highlights: Spot-billed Pelican (1), Layard's Parakeet (V - Udawattakele), Alexandrine Parakeet (V - from the hotel), Collared Scops-Owl (2 - at a roost in the garden of the hotel), Crimson-fronted (Ceylon Small) Barbet (V - Royal Botanical Gardens), Greater Flameback (1 - Udawattakele), White-rumped Shama (2 - Udawattakele), Indian Blue Robin (1 - Udawattakele), Pied Thrush (1 - forest near the hotel), (Southern) Hill Myna (V - Udawattakele).

Pics:

	Kandy as seen from the balcony of our hotel. The forest on the far right side of the picture is Udawattakele.
The Spot-billed Pelican that was present at the artificial lake in Kandy is pretty much used to people.
	The same bird preening.
The eastern part of Kandy lake holds a few waterbirds, like this Great Egret.
	A Water Monitor sunbathing above one of the lakes in UdaWattakele.
Fruit Bats are very common in Royal Botanical Garden. In some areas trees are loaded whit them. There are so many that the shit piles up in layers on the ground.
	A Red-wattled Lapwing in the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Bird List:

Column 1: S= endemic species; R=endemic race/subspecies
Column 2: N=Near-threatened; V=Vulnerable

	V	Pelecanus philippensis	Spot-billed Pelican	1
		Phalacrocorax carbo	Great Cormorant	1
		Phalacrocorax fuscicollis	Indian Cormorant	V
		Phalacrocorax niger	Little Cormorant	V
		Ardeola grayii	Indian Pond-Heron	V
		Bubulcus ibis	Cattle Egret	V
		Egretta alba	Great Egret	1
		Egretta garzetta	Little Egret	V
		Accipiter badius	Shikra	1
		Haliaeetus leucogaster	White-bellied Fish-Eagle	1
R		Spilornis cheela spilogaster	Crested Serpent-Eagle	1
		Vanellus indicus	Red-wattled Lapwing	2
		Columba livia	Rock Pigeon	X
R		Streptopelia chinensis ceylonensis	Spotted Dove	XX
S		Loriculus beryllinus	Ceylon Hanging-Parrot	1
S		Psittacula calthropae	Layard's Parakeet	V
		Psittacula eupatria	Alexandrine Parakeet	V
		Psittacula krameri	Rose-ringed Parakeet	X
		Centropus sinensis	Greater Coucal	V
		Eudynamys scolopacea	Asian Koel	X
		Otus bakkamoena	Collared Scops-Owl	2
		Apus affinis	Little Swift	XX
		Collocalia unicolor	Indian Swiftlet	V
		Cypsiurus balasiensis	Asian Palm-Swift	V
		Alcedo atthis	Common Kingfisher	1
		Halcyon smyrnensis	White-throated Kingfisher	V
		Pelargopsis capensis capensis	Stork-billed Kingfisher	1
S		Megalaima flavifrons	Yellow-fronted Barbet	1
		Megalaima haemacephala	Coppersmith Barbet	1
S		Megalaima rubricapilla	Crimson-fronted (Ceylon Small) Barbet	V
R		Chrysocolaptes lucidus stricklandi	Greater Flameback	1
		Anthus rufulus	Paddyfield Pipit	1
		Dendronanthus indicus	Forest Wagtail	1
		Pericrocotus flammeus	Scarlet Minivet	1
R		Hypsipetes leucocephalus humii	Black Bulbul	2
R		Iole indica guglielmi	Yellow-browed Bulbul	2
R		Pycnonotus cafer cafer	Red-vented Bulbul	XX
		Lanius cristatus cristatus	Brown Shrike	1
R		Copsychus malabaricus leggei	White-rumped Shama	2
r?		Copsychus saularis ceylonensis	Oriental Magpie-Robin	X
		Luscinia brunnea	Indian Blue Robin	1
		Zoothera wardii	Pied Thrush	1
S		Pellorneum fuscocapillum	Brown-capped Babbler	V
		Pomatorhinus horsfieldii melanurus	Indian Scimitar-Babbler	1
R		Rhopocichla atriceps nigrifrons	Dark-fronted Babbler	V
R		Turdoides affinis taprobanus	Yellow-billed Babbler	XX
		Acrocephalus dumetorum	Blyth's Reed-Warbler	1
R		Orthotomus sutorius sutorius	Common Tailorbird	X
R		Cyornis tickelliae jerdoni	Tickell's Blue-Flycatcher	3
		Muscicapa dauurica	Asian Brown Flycatcher	1
R		Hypothymis azurea ceylonensis	Black-naped Monarch	2
		Terpsiphone paradisi paradisi	Asian Paradise-Flycatcher	1
R		Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis	Asian Paradise-Flycatcher	1
R		Dicaeum erythrorhynchos ceylonense	Pale-billed Flowerpecker	1
R		Nectarinia lotenia lotenia	Loten's Sunbird	V
R		Nectarinia zeylonica zeylonica	Purple-rumped Sunbird	V
		Zosterops palpebrosus	Oriental White-eye	2
		Lonchura punctulata	Scaly-breasted Munia	1
		Lonchura striata	White-rumped Munia	V
		Passer domesticus	House Sparrow	X
R		Acridotheres tristis melanosternus	Common Myna	X
		Gracula religiosa	Hill Myna	V
R		Oriolus xanthornus ceylonensis	Black-hooded Oriole	V
		Dicrurus caerulescens insularis	White-bellied Drongo	1
		Corvus macrorhynchos	Large-billed Crow	XX
		Corvus splendens	House Crow	XX

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