Sri Lanka - Part 2

As usual in the mornings the sun is shining and the temperature quickly shoots up into the 30s, so plenty of sun cream applied after breakfast.. To digress for a moment, I have to say the food in our hotel was fantastic, being a lover of spicy food I was in seventh heaven (non spicy options were always available) there were at least 5 or 6 different curries every day... including breakfast.

Anyway back to the wildlife, I am going to concentrate on what was to be found in the Hotel grounds in part 4, so parts 2 and 3 are all about trips out.

We started day 3 with a trip to an Elephant transition camp, where a small group of young orphaned Elephants are kept prior to being released back into the wild, so no actual touching was allowed, although we were allowed to feed them. As this was done by the means of a funnel and hosepipe only the Warden actually had any contact with the Elephant.

Surprisingly although we were on the edge of a Reserve there was very little bird life about, just a butterfly and a Lizard

After the Elephant Transition Camp we had the delight of catching a train! This was real throwback to ages gone by, the station had a 1920s charm with absoluley no automation (apart from a telegraph!):

The land at the back of the station did prove quite fruitful on the bird front, we bagged:
Yellow-billed babbler, Red-vented Bulbul, Grey-breasted Prinia, Common Iora, Oriental Magpie-robin, Purple-rumped Sunbird and Barn Swallows.

Yellow-billed Babbler

Gray-breasted Prinia

Common Iora

After the train ride (cost 25p) we had lunch, more curry, a rest then set off for our second game drive to the Minneriya National Park, we set off later for this one to ensure we found the Elephants at the lake, so again the light wasn't good but the important thing is to enjoy the wildlife, photographs are a bonus! (Sounds like an excuse to me)

The Elephants delivered again much to Tinas delight, brilliant!

The birding was again great, new species here were the Ceylon Jungle Fowl, this was pretty elusive, sticking to the bushes and scrub, just a few brief views in the open:

For the record as it popped out and ran off into the gloom!

A great spot was a Kentish Plover with a chick, a Marsh Sandpiper, I did have photo's of both, but the light was so bad at that point, the photo's are just a blur.

You may have spotted in one of the above Elephant photo's a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage:

The best addition though here was the Lesser Adjutant, again the photos aren't great but it was nearly dark!

From earlier in the drive:

Green Bee-eater

Gray Langur Monkey

End of day 5.

Now we get cultural, so not many wildlife opportunities. Todays programme included a Gem Workshop, this was very interesting and lightened the wallet, a wholesale vegetable and fruit market, interesting but chaotic!

A Batik factory:

A Spice Garden, this was brilliant, the chap who gave us the tour was so knowledgeable and interesting I think we could have listened all day. There were a few birds around but difficult to spot as we were amongst trees most of the time, we did see the Purple-rumped Sunbird again, a Great Tit and a White Wagtail.

Then onto a Wood Carving Workshop and finally the Dambulla Cave Temple, lots of Swallows and Swifts about, I only managed to positively identify Barn Swallows and Alpine Swift though, the only other bird of note was a Brown-headed Barbet, they have the most amazing Kookaburra style call.

End of day 6 and end of part 2

Sri Lanka - Part 1

We have just returned from a week and a half in Sri Lanka, where we have mixed being poolside with culture and wildlife, so whilst it wasn't a designated birding holiday, we did manage a fair bit. We saw 91 species of birds whilst we were there and 56 of those were from in the Hotel grounds! The majority of the rest came from two afternoon game drives that were included in the holiday.  We probably would have seen more but the lake next to the hotel was dry which was disappointing, but what can you expect with temperatures in the mid 30s and no rain for nearly 6 months! Nobody's fault, I could have a go at 'him upstairs' but had better not as it was fantastic anyway.

We stayed in Habarana which is near to 3 national parks (we only did 2) and also near to 3 World Heritage Sites, the holiday got off to a cracking start as we were being shown to our lodge, we saw a White-throated Kingfisher, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, a Water Monitor and  Wild Elephant in the distance.

Photography wasn't easy, because of the heat there was very little bird activity during the day, we concentrated the wild life side of the holiday to late afternoon, when the temperature dropped, unfortunately the light also went quickly and on most days it became very hazy and overcast as well.

The first day we stopped at a Hotel near Colombo Airport as it was a 5 hour drive to Habarana and after we had freshened up we had a quick walk around the grounds, this resulted in just 8 species and a Fruit Bat which was HUGE!

Greater Flameback

Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat

Common Myna

Ring Necked Parakeet

I forgot to put my camera on charge that night! School boy error! So no photos on day 2 for the trip to Habarana and for the first afternoon.

The highlight on day 3 was an afternoon game drive through the Kaudulla National Park, the objective being wild Elephants, Water Buffalo and whatever birds we could find, we weren't disappointed!

Crested Serpent Eagle

Two Juvenile Brahminy Kites

Great White Egret

Darter

Woolly Necked Stork

Darter

Gray Headed Fish Eagle

White Browed Fantail

Crested Hawk Eagle (Changeable Hawk Eagle)

Red Wattled Lapwing

Green Bee-eater

Oriental Pipit

Black Winged Stilt

Stilts, Ibis & Egrets

Eurasian Thick Knee (Stone Curlew)

No Caption Required!!

White Bellied Fish Eagles

You can do it!

Home time I think..

Sunset and end of Part 1 .....

Happy Osprey to Me!

We had a great afternoon on Saturday, a real Birthday treat for me, we finally got time to get down to Upton to see the Osprey that has been delighting the crowds!

We went to the Moor Pools first, only to have just missed him fishing, so we went around to the flashes, where he perches to have his lunch!

We had great views from the Avocet hide. It's brilliant to see such a magnificent bird on our patch. We have had great views up in Scotland in the past (Loch Insh) but to see one on your own doorstep is fantastic!

He never got really close, so the photos are all from a distance, but I'm happy!

A little bit indulgent with all those, but it's not every day...........

So that was the Osprey, others worth mentioning, were the Snipe:

Green Sandpiper:

Performing Lapwings:

Magnificent Curlew:

In addition a Pintail was also a first for us at Upton. A Hobby did a quick fly past the hide, I might get a photo one day!

Sadly we missed the Redstart that had been around the hide just before we got there, never mind!

We went back on Sunday, in the hope of seeing the Osprey fishing, but that didn't come off for various reasons, though we did add a Dunlin to the weekend list.

We popped around to the Water Rail hide hoping for the Kingfisher, but alas he was being shy today! Although just before we left at 5:30 the Canada Geese and the few Greylags gave us a great show by leaving in dribs and drabs then coming back enmasse, we just love that noise:

Our UK year list is creeping up, add 1 for the Osprey!
So our full list for the weekend:

Blackbird
Black-headed Gull
Blue Tit
Buzzard
Canada Goose
Carrion Crow
Common Sandpiper
Coot
Cormorant
Curlew
Dunlin
Goldfinch
Great Crested Grebe
Great Tit
Green Sandpiper
Greenfinch
Grey Heron
Greylag Goose
Hobby
Kestrel
Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Magpie
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Osprey
Pied Wagtail
Pintail
Reed Bunting
Robin
Rock Dove
Snipe
Starling
Teal
Tufted Duck
Woodpigeon

Bye for now.
We'll be off the air for a couple of weeks.. Going to Sri Lanka tomorrow night!! So hope to add a fair number to our life list!

Planes, Birds and a Party (Or An Afternoon at Martin Mere)

Well after a very quiet August where we didn't get to do much wildlife watching and only clocked 42 species of birds for the whole month, September is looking better already, over a busy weekend, we have passed August and stand on 43! But out of those 1 is a lifer and we've had a first (observed) visit into our garden by a Great Spotted Woodpecker this morning! Brilliant.

So what have we been up to, firstly on Saturday it was off up to Cheshire for my Great Nephews joint 18th and 21st birthday party, hence the party of the title, a very merry time was had by all. But where do the planes come in the title........... you'll have to wait!

Back to the Saturday, it's always a joy going up to my sister in law's for many reasons, one of them being the birds. As I've probably mentioned in previous posts, she lives by the River Weaver, so gets a great variety of visitors to her feeders, (back window) and from the front window views over the river. Highlight on the feeders this weekend was a Nuthatch, brilliant to see them so close.

We had decided that as we were staying over and had never been to Martin Mere (and are members) that instead of heading home Sunday we would go and visit. We knew it wouldn't be spectacular as it can be fairly quiet this time of year, but as it happens it was. Here comes the planes bit, what we didn't know was that it was Southport Airshow, so from the Ron Barker hide we had birds and planes, the best of the heavy metal was the Vulcan!

So back to birds, we had a great afternoon in the Ron Baker hide, we just stayed in there as there was so much going on and chatted to a very nice like minded couple for the majority of the time in there.

The lifer for us were the Ruff, it would have been nice to see them in Summer plumage but a lifer none the less, beggars can't be choosers.

We had brilliant displays from the raptors: Buzzards, Kestrel and 3 Marsh Harriers (2 Female, 1 Male)

There were plenty of Greylag and Pink Footed Geese about:

We just love the noise of flocks of Geese coming in and can't wait to go to Norfolk in November to see them in their thousands!

Another plus were 3 Whooper Swans:

The only draw back was that the waders were staying well away from the hide and with the sun in our eyes and the hazy conditions it was tough to identify them for sure, we did confirm Dunlin, Black Tailed Godwit , Redshank and of course hundreds of Lapwing.
Apart from Mallard, the only confirmed Ducks were Teal and a solitary Shelduck flying past. We apparently missed the Kingfisher by minutes and it didn't come back, oh well will have to go to Upton or down Haden Hill Park. (On the Upton Note, anyone know if the Osprey is still about?)

So a lovely afternoon out:
Birds of a feather:
Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull,
Black Tailed Godwit, Ruff, Dunlin, Lapwing, Redshank, Grey Heron,
Coot, Moorhen,
Mallard, Teal, Shelduck,
Buzzard, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier,
Crow, Starling, Robin, Woodpigeon,
Swallow,
Cormorant, Whooper Swan,
Greylag, Pink Footed Goose.

Birds of Metal: (of Note)
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Lancaster, Hurricane & Spitfire)
Avro Vulcan B.2
Panavia Tornado GR4
Westland Lynx
plus many more

8 Days to Sri Lanka..............