Another very successful trip, this time to Sri Lanka with Ian Barnard, Adam Bowley & Dan & Mike Booker organised by myself, but this only really was the booking of the flights, arranging and keeping in correspondence with the guide, visas etc etc.
Despite a short length of time, my total bird species list was 246, of which all endemic species were seen, which at current is 33 (not including Sri Lanka Bay Owl that no one sees unless going in the month of March when they are calling). A couple of endemic sub-species were all seen so maybe one day the endemic list will rise.
Chaminda was an excellent guide and in the jungle he was unstoppable. I couldn't have imagined doing this country on our own back, the jungles are huge and birds are very difficult to find, especially those nocturnal ones that we would never have seen. Out of the jungle was fine for us, but once again knowing the exact sites where particular species are would've taken up so much more of our time, so paying that little bit extra probably paid off.
Chaminda was an excellent guide and in the jungle he was unstoppable. I couldn't have imagined doing this country on our own back, the jungles are huge and birds are very difficult to find, especially those nocturnal ones that we would never have seen. Out of the jungle was fine for us, but once again knowing the exact sites where particular species are would've taken up so much more of our time, so paying that little bit extra probably paid off.
It wasn't just the birds however, we notched up a very healthy mammal/reptile list, with the highlight obviously being the female Leopard in Yala NP.
Please scroll down to further posts for daily species lists (noteworthy species only) and a whole set of photographs.
my main target bird, an Owl that I've been wanting to see for years - the Serendib Scops Owl
