We travelled down from Nuwara Eliya to Tissamaharama where we stayed for a couple of nights and used it as a base to visit Yala National Park. We stopped off at a baby elephant sanctuary on the way where I added a Painted Stork, Yellow Wagtail, Green Bee-eater and White-browed Fantail to my list.
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Green Bee-eater - Merops orientalis |
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White-browed Fantail - Rhipidura aureola |
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Painted Stork - Mycteria leucocephala |
There were also a few other birds that I had already seen and of course, lots of baby elephants.
We had a couple of trips into Yala. The early morning visit was quite productive and I picked up a number of new birds. The late afternoon visit was less successful. There seemed to be a lot less activity from birds and mammals, possibly due to the heat, although we were also in an area of denser undergrowth and so less visibility.
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Crested Hawk Eagle - Nisaetus cirrhatus |
We saw two Crested Hawk Eagles. You always hope for one sitting out in the open but both had picked spots where they blended into the background.
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Crested Hawk Eagle - Nisaetus cirrhatus |
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Crested Treeswift - Hemipprocne coronata |
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Great Thick-knee - Esacus recurvirostris |
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Pin-tailed Snipe - Gallinago stenura |
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Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus Himantopus |
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Blue-faced Malkoha - Rhopodytes viridirostris |
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Brahminy Starling - Sturnia pagodarum |
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Indian Robin - Saxicoloides fulicatus |
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Marsh Sandpiper - Tringa stagnatilis |
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Orange-breasted Green Pigeon - Treron bicintus |
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Pheasant-tailed Jacana - Hydrophasianus chirurgus |
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Sri Lanka Junglefowl - Gallus lafayeti |
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Sri Lanka Swallow - Cecropis (daurica) hyperythra |
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Yellow-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus malabaricus |
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Asian Openbill - Anastomus oscitans |
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Black-headed Ibis - Threskiornis melanocephalus |
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Emerald Dove - Chalcophaps indica |
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Purple Heron - Ardea purpurea |
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Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata |
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Spot-billed Pelican - Pelecanus philippensis |
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White-throated Kingfisher - Halycon smyrnensis |
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Woolly-necked Stork - Ciconia episcopus |
and lots of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters
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Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Merops philippinus |
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Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Merops phillippinus |
I would have liked to visit the Bundala National Park but was advised that it that it had been badly degraded by flooding. Checking later I found mixed reviews of the park, some reporting the damage others saying it is the best location in Sri Lanka for waders.
Maybe next time I visit Sri Lanka!
In total for the holiday I saw 87 birds, managed to get record shots for 71, and will probably have between 45 and 50 life ticks once I get round to checking them. Not too bad but trips like this always leave you wanting more.
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