SINAHARAJA RIVER AND VILLAGE - TRANSFER TO COLOMBO
WEATHER: dull and overcast and misty, no wind.
Ouir last birding session of the tour had arrived, we still had a few species missing from our 'most-wanted' list and so that is what we concentrated on this morning.
Having missed out last night on a sighting of a dwarf Kingfisher we made a second attempt this morning at the same place just above the river near the village. Although most of us were sceptical about getting a sighting Saman our guide was not. Well, after just ten minutes he produced the goods, the tiny, most colourful, kingfisher, appeared below us in full view! It flew around and perched in several places before finally disappearing! Well, that was a great start to our final session.
Dwarf Kingfisher seen at last! Photo taken in poor light
We also watched a dozen or so other species including Sri Lanka Drongo, Brown Shrike, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Black-hooded Oriole and Black Bulbuls.
A quick walk down to the river was made to check out a site where Saman had seen Scaly Thrush in the past. We spent about 15 minutes there without success, that really was our last chance for that bird.
a tailorbird in full song
Next we baorded our two jeeps and drove for a couple kilometers out of the village up into the hills on a narrow concrete track. We parked up outside the house of one of the local birders, the 'Owl Man', is what Saman called him.
For the next two hour we spent a great time walking up the track and down again and then back up a little way and down again. The birdlife around this area of small tea-planatations was prolific. We must have listed 30 species it was incredible. Flying above us were Bee-eaters, White-faced Starlings, Sri Lanka Swallows, Crested Treeswifts and groups of babblers. We watched Black-capped Babblers, White-browed Babblers, Tailorbirds, Orioles, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike, Greter Coucal and many more species.
Whiet-throated Kingfishers
Our main target species in this area was the Plum-headed Parakeet, it can be a little tricky trying to find this species. After a while Saman and his 'Owl-Man' friend found a single parakeet it was a male Plum-headed!! It flew from one tree to the next, most of the group got glimpses of it.
At this point we sat around a table and ate our packed breakfast, of course another bird was going to turn up whilst we ate! Sure enough, we got up, bins and scopes in hand, as another Plum-headed Parakett arrived behind us. We had better views this time but not prolonged. Over the next hour we saw the bird again, but once more, not for long, talk about elusive!
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Eventually we had to go, we walked back down the track to the village and jumped back onto our bus, birding was over. We got back to the hotel around 11am, we ordered lunch and went to our rooms to pack our cases. We ate lunch at 12noon and then at 1pm set off for Colombo.
We spent all afternoon getting to the centre of Colombo we visited one or two places including the famous Monument of Independence.
the Group sitting on the terrace by the pool at the Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo
At 5:30pm we arrived at a 5 star hotel down-town Colombo, we sat for an hour by the pool sipping our drinks and then we were treated to a sumptuous evening meal, it was one the biggest buffets you will ever see, it was fantastic. Amazing good, beautiful settings and a terrific, lively, atmospheric buzz to the place.
We left at 8pm and drove to our hotel near the airport in the dark, preparation for our departure in the morning.