A superb day today which started by getting up and out before light and driving to someone's house where a 'feeding station' is situated in the jungle. After a couple of hours here, we left for Udawalawa arriving just after midday. Due to the heat we didn't start birding until mid-afternoon. From here on it was chaos. So many new birds in such a short space of time was incredible and a fine welcome into the dry zone of Sri Lanka. A successful Nightjar session was had but the highlight here was the site of 30 or so Sri Lankan Flying Foxes flying out of their daytime roost into the night. Around fifty trip ticks today, but plenty more still to see. The below list contains the main highlights, yet there is plenty that should warrant being listed, but not enough space to do so......signs of an excellent day.
Capitals = endemic lifers, highlighted species = lifers
Sri Lanka Hill Myna - 7
Sri Lanka Crested Drongo - 4
SRI LANKA SPURFOWL - 2
Green-billed Coucal - 2
Indian Blue Robin - 1
Spot-winged Thrush - 1
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill - 3
Legge's Flowerpecker - 2
SRI LANKA WHITE-EYE - 1
White-browed Fantail - 5
Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike - 1
Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot - 15
Little Green Bee-Eater - 1
White-bellied Sea Eagle - 8
Grey-headed Fish Eagle - 1
Alpine Swift - 10
Booted Eagle - 2
Grey-breasted Prinia - 3
Black-headed Munia - 2
Indian Peafowl - 9
Marsh Sandpiper - 5
Citrine Wagtail - 1
Bengal Bushlark - 1
Spot-billed Pelican - 4
Yellow-wattled Lapwing - 3
Coppersmith Barbet - 7
Purple Sunbird - 4
Logan's Sunbird - 1
Blue-faced Malkoha - 1
Jungle Prinia - 1
Indian Black Robin - 3
Paddyfield Pipit - 3
Orange-breasted Green Pigeon - 8
Gull-billed Tern - 2
Whiskered Tern - 6
Marshall Iora - 3
Baya Weaver - 2
SRI LANKA WOODSHRIKE - 1
Great Thick Knee - 1
Greater Painted Snipe - 2
Night Heron - 5
Indian Nightjar - 3
Sri Lanka Flying Fox - 30
Toque Monkey - 3
Purple-faced Leaf Monkey - 2
Golden Jackall - 2
Spotted Deer - 2
Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel - 4
Water Monitor Lizard - 1
Scarlet/Orange/Flame Minivet - whatever name you use, its only one tick
Sri Lanka Spurfowl - a very close encounter at a 'feeding station'.
Spot-winged Thrush
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill
Green-billed Coucal - a poor shot of this scarce endemic
Sri Lanka Giant Squirrel
Jerdon's/Bengal Bushlark
Indian Paradise Flycatcher - Asian Paradise Fly has recently undertaken three taxonomic splits, Indian being one of them, with this individual being the Sri Lankan form - Ceylon Paradise Flycatcher......all very confusing
Marshall's Iora - a scarce bird for Sri Lanka - fortunately our guide knowing this spot for them
Sri Lanka Woodshike
Sinharaja
our accommodation for two nights - a lovely place but certainly lacking in reliable electricity with frequent power cuts. One remembered power cut was when Ian had a shower, and just putting shampoo in his hair when the power went. I couldn't find a torch and could literally see nothing, Ian couldn't do anything other than saying 'I've just put shampoo in my hair', but thankfully a few minutes later it came on just as I had found a torch. Very comical.
in the afternoon we had reached a new habitat, which meant lots of new birds - Udawalawa
waiting for Indian Nightjars
