5th March - Kumana National Park, Sri Lanka - Part One

 We had about an hours drive from the hotel to meet our driver for today's all day safari.  This meant an early start and we left the hotel just before 5:00 am.  The drive took us through more paddyfields and just before reaching the closest town, Panama we stopped for a Jerdon's Nightjar sitting on the road.

As this is an all day trip and we saw an awful lot I am going to split the day in the blog into three parts.

We met our driver and Hilux, and then set off into the park.  All was well to start with, then we turned onto an ungraded road.  It was apparently only sixteen kilometres to the park, but very quickly we realised that this was not going to be a quick journey.  With gullies and holes it was very slow going and very uncomfortable.  There were kilometre markers by the side of the road and we seemed to take ages to go one kilometre, let alone sixteen.  Still the sun was coming up and we could see around us when we were not hanging on for dear life.

The sun rose into the sky just after dawn appearing like a big red ball as we looked back across the many paddyfields.

Early morning the Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl are not so elusive, this one of several males we saw on the journey.

A displaying Peacock, not sure what was the subject of its attention.

As the kilometre markers passed sixteen we passed through some open grassland.  A Stripe-necked Mongoose ambled across the grass towards the woodland scrub.

This was the second species of Mongoose we had seen, this one a lot more hairy than the Ruddy Mongoose.

Finally we stopped at the park entrance.  The offices were along side a large lake and a large Crocodile was laying on the rocks.

Helen negotiated the Macaques to get to the bathrooms, these are Toque Macaques, so called because their ruffled fur on the head looks like a Toque cap.

It was quite a large troop around the offices with quite a few babies, although you have to hope their mothers love them.

All checked in and we were on our way.  We had been told that the roads were better in the park, it didn't seem so.

A Great Thick Knee by the side of the road.  The name "thick knee" comes from the swollen joint that in all birds is actually the ankle, but assumed to be a knee!

An Open-billed Stork in a pool by the side of the road, not bothered at all by us.

If you wondered why its called Open-billed?

The Sri Lankan Grey Langur monkey, the other monkey species found in Sri Lanka.  I have commented before how they appear to be dressed like local costumes.  The long tail held high here in a question mark.

A female Asian Flycatcher.

We headed into the park and I asked the driver to stop while I tried to photograph a Pacific Golden Plover.  But news then came in that a Sloth Bear had been seen, so we were off, bouncing and bumping along the roads.

When we arrived at the place the bear had gone, but we drove up and down looking for the bear and Leopard as the driver had seen paw marks in the sand.  We seemed to drive up and down for ever, passing a very nice yellow cement mixer at least four times!

Finally the driver conceded and we moved on and came across a beautiful piece of open water.

With Water Buffalo in the water.

A Painted Stork close to the road, like the Open-billed completely oblivious to us.

A Black-winged Stilt with some lovely reflections.

A Curlew Sandpiper feeding on the margins of the lake.

Then a cow buffalo appeared with a very young calf.

Who were then joined by a Cattle Egret!

The calf licking it's mother ears.

Then another cow and calf appeared in the water.

A Land Monitor lizard made its way across the path.

We were sitting enjoying the scene with the buffalo and the many birds when a Common Kingfisher landed in the tree alongside us.

One of the dead trees had a Brahminy Kite sat in it.

And a Marsh Sandpiper dropped in, again, ridiculously close.

Kumana is not a busy park, we were told that today there were only ten cars booked in.  Contrast this with the hundreds of jeeps that would be driving around Yala at the same time.  There was a car in front of us and they were signalling for us to come closer.  Our driver did so and they pointed to a tree and in the tree this is what we saw.

This is a convenient point at which to close Part One.

4th March - Gal Oya to Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Another beautiful morning and a much more expected warm night.  Today we were off to Arugam Bay on the south east coast, apparently a very special surfing area, but we are in the close season so we expect it to be quiet.  We are going here to visit another national park, Kumana.

But first breakfast and the highlight here after the food was surrounding scenery in the morning sunshine

This Oriental Garden Lizard was sunning itself just outside the restaurant.

After a confusing handover by the camp's jeep we were eventually on our way.  The journey took us through a strikingly diverse landscape, with forested hills, savannahs, turtleback rock formations and low grasslands, providing a serene, varied environment that remains blissfully undeveloped by mass tourism.

It was clear as we reached the coast that this flat land was important for rice growing with endless paddyfields stretching out on both sides of the road.  The local farmers spread the rice husks out on the roads to dry them out.  The traffic is very good and avoiding driving over them and will even stop to let other pass rather than driving over the rice.  Once dry the rice is bagged and then sent for processing.

Just outside one of the towns we passed through, Viraj stopped the car and pointed out an Indian Roller on the overhead wired.  At first the light wasn't too good, but I took a record shot.

I then slowly moved to get the sun in a good position,but the Roller flew, fortunately to another wire in much better light.

As we approached the hotel, which was located on the coast in the town of Pottuvil Viraj received a phone call.  I could see that it was from the Jetwing offices.  The conversation was in Sinhala, but I was able to understand our names and the reference to Singapore.

We had been booked on a Singapore flight out of Colombo to Singapore, and then on to London Heathrow on the 15th March, two days after we were supposed to leave.

As we pulled into the hotel I received an email from Audley confirming the flight details and that they would be making the reservation and covering the cost of the two days hotel charges.  The relief was immense and we were able to relax a little more.

We checked into the hotel and had a wander around the grounds.

Cattle were grazing around the cabanas accompanied by Cattle Egrets.

I then had a call with the travel agents, confirmed we were happy with the flights (we would be happy with any flights away from the Gulf states!).  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool.  A good thing considering the day we would have tomorrow.

3rd March - Gal Oya National Park, Sri Lanka

Today we were going into the Gal Oya National Park.  Located in Sri Lanka’s lesser-visited eastern region. The park was established in 1954, the park protects the catchment of the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir — the largest in Sri Lanka.

It is the only national park in the country where boat safaris are possible, offering the extraordinary chance to see elephants swimming between islands. This is a strikingly diverse landscape, with forested hills, savannahs, turtleback rock formations and low grasslands, providing a serene, varied environment that remains blissfully undeveloped by mass tourism.

Overnight it  became quite cold and with only a sheet on the bed I awoke in the night feeling very chilly.  But in the morning it was beautiful looking out across the paddyfields as we walked to breakfast.

There was plenty of activity around the restaurant.  A male Purple-rumped Sunbird feeding on the flowers of a banana plant.

Sri Lankan Swallows on some overhead wires.

A very vocal Indian Robin.

The bare granite escarpments of Monkey Mountain an important cultural site for the indigenous Veddah tribe.

It was a short drive into the national park, we were going on a boat safari around the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir.  The reservoir was opened in 1949 and was created by damming the Gal Oya river.  It is the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka.  Reservoirs are referred to as "Tanks" in Sri Lanka.  Interestingly Sri Lanka has no natural lakes all the inland water has been created by man, they do have many rivers.

We drove along the main dam of the reservoir to join the boat safari.  As we waited to board there were stunning views across the lake.  The water is dotted with many islands and rocks.

With very little breeze the water was like the proverbial mill pond, very welcome as we were in a very small boat with out any roof, we were given a life jacket though.

Cruising past a collection of rocks there were Whiskered Terns roosting.

On one of the islands we came a cross a pair of Great Thick Knees.  

They are larger than the Indian Thick Knee seen at Udawalawa and have a much more prominent eye and bill with definite black markings around the ear coverts and supercilium.

Away in the distance a large boulder in the water and there was something perched on the top.

As we approached the rock a White-bellied Sea Eagle was flying towards us.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Sri Lanka and as you can see they do not just restrict themselves to the coast.

As we approached closer to the rock it was clear another was sitting on the rock and we were able to get very close without disturbing it.

A portrait.

But it was the elephants you felt the guides wanted to show us and soon we could see several on one of the larger islands.  Here a bull elephant.

As we got closer to the island it became clear there was a large group of elephants including two youngsters.  As the elephants became aware of us the the mothers of the youngsters were quick to move them away from us.

But as the engines were cut they seemed to accept us and we could watch them closely, not the best light though.

They had been feeding on the grass, but started to move towards the water.

Where a mud shower was the order of the day.

Pretty soon all the herd came to the water to shower in the mud and to drink the water.

The elephants here have the security of the many islands and will swim between the islands, using the trunk as a snorkel. Seeing them do so is rare, taking the opportunity to so so at dusk or night.

We waited to see if they would enter the water and even try to swim, but they didn't, after drinking they moved away once again and returned to feeding on the grass.

We moved on, taking in the scenery of the reservoir.  Dead trees poking out of the water, not unlike the dead trees of Souvalei in Namibia.

And another White-bellied Sea Eagle at the top of one of the dead trunks.

We were to be treated to some coffee and cake, so found a small island where we could get out of the boat and paddle.  From here though we could see the bull elephant we had seen first.  Accompanied by four Cattle Egret it moved into the water.

When we left the island we made our way towards the bull, he had now moved into deeper water and was almost submerged, the trunk being held under water, until it was time to breathe, then blowing bubbles he would raise the trunk.

As we turned away from the elephant a Blue-tailed Bee-eater flew from the perches of the dead branches.

By the way we were searching the shorelines of the lake I think the guides were trying to find us crocodiles, but they didn't find anything.  We did come across this nicely posed Grey Heron.

So it was back to the camp and another afternoon of leisure.  I decided to spend it this time by the pool.

Another wonderful sunset as we walked to the restaurant for another lovely dinner, the food here has really been very good.

A distant view of the Monkey Mountain.

We move on again tomorrow, further east to coast.