Blue Eyed Birder: Sri Lanka with Bird's Wildlife & Nature

Back to Tissa for lunch and a wind down and then out to Bundala NP. The short journey there took us through countless paddies, many of which were being worked by the farmers on foot and on small tractors. They were being followed by countless Eastern Cattle Egrets, Pond Herons and Black-headed Ibis and a flock of over 100 Glossy Ibis whiffled in to join them. Saman said that this was an exceptionally good number of this scarce species.

We soon met up with our drivers and headed out onto the Bundala trails. I think there were only two other vehicles on the whole reserve and it was actually a far more pleasurable experience than Yala. There was a similar spread of ‘wet’ birds but more time to look at them and amongst the waders we added Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper and Grey Plover and small flocks of zigzagging Pin-tailed Snipe that looked pot-bellied and dark under-winged in flight.

Indian Pond Heron

Painted Storks

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Oriental Darter - look at those feet

Oriental Darter

Spot-billed Pelican

Grey Plover - a scarce winter visitor

Redshank, Little Stints & Curlew Sandpiper

Spoonbills, Egrets and Pelicans

Great Thick-knee

Great Thick-knees

Redshank - Like the ones I see on Lesvos in the autumn - all felt longer billed than those I see in the UK

Redshank and two spangled Marsh Sandpipers

Tibetan Sandplover

Pheasant Tailed Jacanas were more common here and there were lots of Swamphens while amongst the Storks were found an imposing but inherently ugly Lesser Adjutant. Striated Heron and Yellow Bittern were seen and at one lagoon a fine Grey-headed Fish Eagle just sat and watched us as we looked at the assembled Egrets and Storks. Pied Kingfishers hovered over the pool and a Caspian Terns patrolled with the Gull-billed and Whiskereds.

White-breasted Waterhen

Grey-headed Swamphen

Lesser Adjutant, Cattle and Intermediate Egrets

Pheasant Tailed Jacana

Pop-eyed Black-winged Stilts

Caspian Tern

Grey-headed Fish Eagle

Ashy Crowned Sparrow-larks, Jerdon’s Bushlarks and Paddyfield Pipits scurried along the track sides and we were watched by curious groups of Tufted Grey Langurs.

Ashy Crowned Sparrow-lark

Jerdon’s Bushlark

Paddyfield Pipit

Paddyfield Pipit - a very educational species - more Tawny-like

Tufted Grey Langurs

Six Elephants were found – or rather found us and two Black-naped Hares were seen – one of which narrowly escaped being chased by a dog.

Black-naped Hare

Soft-shell Terrapin

Mugger

Land Monitor

Mugger

There were plenty of smaller birds with Asian Green Bee-eaters again, a large flock of chattering Baya Weavers, Indian Robins, a rusty Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Brown Shrikes, Jungle Prinias and Zitting Cisticolas that just did not sound quite right. A male Marshall’s Iora sat up briefly and was seen by others this time.

Common Kingfisher with a prawn

Marshall’s Iora

Asian Green Bee-eater

Baya Weavers

Ring-necked Parakeets and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters

Brahminy Kite

Crested Treeswift - almost forgot we saw this one perched

Crested Treeswift

Our circuit took us close to the sea but not near enough to see it but did give us another Lesser Adjutant perched up in a tree and a couple of Indian Thick-knees trying to blend into the dusty ground. Two dapper Yellow-crowned Woodpeckers put on a show in a bare tree with a punky crested Jacobin Cuckoo for company while three Orange Breasted Green Pigeons hurtled through – three new species in a few minutes.