TRANSFER FROM KANDY TO KITHULGALA WITH STOPS ALONG THE WAY – BIRDING THE TRACKS LATE AFTERNOON
WEATHER: very hot and humid on arrival at Kithulgala, cooler later.
Another transfer went smoothly and efficiently. We saw a few species from the breakfast table, nothing new or spectacular but plenty to watch. Purple and Purple-rumped Sunbirds, White-rumped Munia, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-backed Woodpecker, Red-vented Bulbuls and more Common Mynas.
a male Purple-rumped Sunbird seen from the hotel balcony in Kandy
It was a 2 ½ hour drive and we made several stops along the way. We passed through Kandy and took minor roads, it was slow driving with twists and bends non-stop along the way. We also passed many areas that had been devastated by land-slides after the recent catastrophic monsoon rains.
We stopped briefly to look at a pair of Black Eagles circling over a valley and not long afterwards Saman stopped the bus because he spotted a couple of Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters on a roadside wire. We all saw them well and whilst out of the bus we found a small group of Hanging Parrots, feeding in the canopy along with Purple Sunbirds and Square-tailed Bulbuls.
Saman spotted a pair of Thick-billed Flowerpeckers but they flew off before the majority of the group could find them. Our next stop was further up in the tea plantations, Saman had seen a raptor circling high above the road, it turned out to be a Mountain Hawk-Eagle, wowza! That’s a good on to see.
We arrived at Kithulgala around 11:30am, it was very warm on arrival. We spent some time in the front garden and watching bird-life over the River. A pair of White-bellied Eagles nest nearby, and a third bird arrived causing a lot of consternation and noisy passes from the resident male.
a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles in the gardens of the Hotel
In the gardens we found a few birds but it was now the hottest part of the day and activity was at a minimum. Purple-rumped Sunbirds, a Red-backed Woodpecker and a few common species was all we saw.
Lunch was taken at 1pm, we reconvened after lunch at 2:30pm for our afternoon walk, rain clouds had gathered and it looked like we might have to cut short our walk. The rain didn’t happen but we had very hot and humid weather conditions for the rest of the day.
We drove a short way from the hotel and took a track down towards the river. What a fantastic birding session we had, it was birds galore and many most-wanted species went onto the list. It took us nearly an hour to move away from the bus, the bushes and trees were buzzing with all kinds of species, we didn’t know which way to turn as Saman called out the names.
Goilden-fronted Leafbird
I suppose its best to start with the most wanted species, that is endemics. Sri Lanka Orange-billed Babbler was first, Black-capped Bulbul was next, we found that one whilst following a Pied Flycatcher-Shrike. A Common Iora grabbed our attention before a mixed party of Minivets moved in, we saw both Orange and Small types. Golden-fronted Leaflove and another endemic, the Yellow-fronted barbet, sat just a few feet apart in the same tree.
Orange-billed Babbler
Common Iora
Dozens of other birds were milling about too, the Black or Square-tailed Bulbul, Black-hooded Oriole, Yellow-billed Babblers and more common species showed up.
a record shot of the Pied Flycatcher-Shrike
We finally got to walk down the track and spent another couple of wonderful hours birding the trails. We hit on a few target birds and found one or two more unexpected species.
The Chestnut-backed Owlet turned up relatively easily unlike some years, it showed well for the group just after Saman had found the endemic Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill. Then Saman led us down a side track into some small scrubland areas where he promptly produced another endemic, the Green-billed Coucal. This bird gave us the usual run around but it did show well for short spells.
two shots of the Owlet
The Indian Pitta came next, it showed extremely well, everyone got great views of it. A large amount of time was spent trying to get everyone to see the Tawny-bellied Babbler, it is a bit of a skulker, we will have put that down as a ‘job in progress’.
Indian Pitta
Endemic Layard’s Parakeet came next, we had two of them flying around and perching in good light, then followed the endemics, the Hanging Parrot and Sri Lanka Swallow.
Yellow-fronted Barbet
It was now approaching 5pm and the light was fading, we had great views of another endemic Yellow-fronted Barbet before we began the walk back up the hill to the bus. We were all pretty much exhausted in the temperature and the humidity.