8th March - Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka - Part One

Our last safari drive in a park that is well known for its birds.  It is known as an important site for migrating birds both north and south.  Primarily consisting of scrub and large lagoons, many of which were once used to produce salt.

An early start we drove through the villages in the dark arriving at the entrance to the park just before sunrise.  We transferred to our jeep, settled in and hoped it wasn't going to be a bumpy as the last drive.  Once again this was a very fruitful place and I was able to photograph a lot of good birds, as a result I am splitting this day into two parts, this Part One starting from sun rise.

The usual bureaucracy at the park offices and then we were off, the tracks were very sandy, winding through the scrub.

 

As is always the way as the sun rises the Bee-eaters are busy by the side of the track.  This a Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

I haven't photographed this one before, the Oriental Magpie Robin, so called because it looks like a Robin and is black and white.

Taking in the early morning sunshine while having breakfast, the Sri Lankan Grey Langur.

In amongst the rocks by the side of the track was a Ruddy Mongoose.

In the same area a new bird for the trip a Common Iora.

At the top of a dead tree a pair of morous Rose-ringed Parakeets.

We turned into an area of open water and mud where the lake had dried up.

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater on one of the fallen branches littered around the area.

Our guide pointed out a single Glossy Ibis that immediately flew off.  There was also a Purple Heron hunting amongst the vegetation.

As we drove around the water the aspect improved with the light.  Some lovely reflections with this Black-winged Stilt.

A White-throated Kingfisher.

A White-breasted Waterhen, you have to be quick with these because are really shy and do not stay out in the open for long.

A Grey Heron silhouetted against the morning sky.

Another Sri Lankan Grey Langur feeding on the leaves in the sunshine.

Then a target bird, the Orange-bellied Green Pigeon, a beautiful bird, enhanced by the morning sunshine.

A little further along a Jacobin Cuckoo.

Then an even better view.

A breeding resident bird that is found in the dry lowlands such as these.

A Rose-ringed Parakeet enhanced by the surrounding foliage.

We then came across a small pool with a large dead tree.  It was alive with an excellent selection of birds.  A Painted Stork sat in the dead tree.

An Indian Darter, sometimes known as a Snake bird due to the sinewy neck and dagger like beak.

A White-throated Kingfisher in the dead tree.

And a Great Egret, as I said the tree was very busy.

There were three Spoonbill feeding along the margins of the water, while one more was standing on the track in front of the car.

A Pied Kingfisher trying to hide amongst the pattern of the bark of a fallen tree.

And another Great Thick Knee.

The driver then found a Striated Heron, another new bird for the trip.  A little bigger than an Indian Pond Heron it was positioned on a dead trunk and peering into the water below.

A little later it moved to a lower bough.

Epic concentration as it waits for a fish to come to the surface.  I missed every stab into the water, so had to be content with a nice reflection.

We left the pool and this is a good time to close on Part One

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.