SriLankan Airlines Joins Oneworld

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Tara

It’s official, Sri Lankan Airlines is the latest member of OneWorld, hot on the heels of US Airways and TAM! Depending on the routing rules of your OneWorld airline’s frequent flyer program, this can open up some great opportunities for mini-eco-tourism stops when flying between Europe & Asia. Have a look at the route map. I highlighted the destinations Sri Lankan serves with their own metal as code-shares usually can’t be booked as awards.

SPENDING A DAY LAYOVER IN COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

Most nationalities can transit Sri Lanka without a visa. This makes it very easy to do a day trip to Kithulgala for some amazing birding!

Transit visa

Transit visa up to 48 hours currently issued free of charge only at www.eta.gov.lk (travelers must have ETA reference number)

If there is any inquiry regarding ETA pleases contact:

Hotline: 0094 71 9967888
fax: 0094 11 2674631
email: eta@immigration.gov.lk

Now in actual practice, you will only get less than 24 hours if you are using a transit through Colombo as part of an award. This is still time to make a day trip to Kithulgala. I’ve blogged about my stay there last year. Even though we stayed the night, it’s close enough to the airport that you could hire a taxi for the day in the arrival hall to go there.

Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria)

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Tara

The Alexandrine Parakeet or Alexandrian Parrot (Psittacula eupatria) is a member of the psittaciformes order and of the Psittaculidae family. The species is named after Alexander the Great, who is credited (blamed) with the exporting of numerous specimens of this bird from Punjab into various European and Mediterranean countries and regions, where they were considered prized possessions for the nobles and royalty.

The Alexandrine Parakeet is the largest species of all Parakeet (small Parrot with long tail) species, thus often being the largest Parrot in their native range. This species measures 58 cm (23 in) in total length with a wing length averaging 18.9–21.5 cm (7.5–8.5 in) and a tail length of 21.5–35.5 cm (8.5–14.0 in).

The following sub-species, many of them allopatric are recognised based on geographical distribution:

Psittacula eupatria eupatria, Nominate Alexandrine Parakeet – East India to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in the South, Sri Lanka.
Psittacula eupatria avensis, Indo-Burmese Alexandrine Parakeet – Northeast India to Amherst in Myanmar
Psittacula eupatria magnirostris, Andaman Islands’ Alexandrine Parakeet – Andaman Islands
Psittacula eupatria nipalensis, Nepalese Alexandrine Parakeet – Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, North and central India, Nepal, Bhutan to Assam in Northeast India.
Psittacula eupatria siamensis, Laos’ or Siamese Alexandrine Parakeet – Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, north and east Thailand

Of these, I have seen the nominate and the Nepalese subspecies.

Because they have such a large range, you can plan birding trips to Central and South-east Asia and have a good chance to spot them. I have seen them in Chitwan National Park, Nepal & Kithulgala & Sinharaja in Sri Lanka.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

VIDEO

It’s surprisingly hard to find videos of these parrots on Youtube as they are so popular as pets. At least I found one from Sri Lanka!

Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis)

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Tara

The Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) is a hornbill and a widespread and common endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.

The Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill is a gregarious bird found in forest habitats. It feeds mostly on figs, although occasionally it eats small rodents, reptiles and insects.

They are widespread througout Sri Lanka. I had no trouble spotting them in Kithulgala & Sinharaja. An award to Central Asia can get you to Colombo, then take a taxi or the bus to Kithulgala or Sinharaja.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Ceylon Bird Club

VIDEO

Getting Lost Enroute To Sinharaja

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Tara

The trip started out easily enough. I knew that we had to get a bus from Kithulgala to Ratnapura and that these buses left from the main street and were very cheap.

I always feel so bad for the poor birds stuck in these pet shops in tiny cages.

The trip went smoothly up to this point and we arrived in Ratnapura about 90 minutes later after making a lot of stops. The instructions from our next lodge, Rock View Motel near Sinharaja were to take a Kalawana bus, then change to a Rakwana bus and hop out when we saw the motel on the road side.

At the Ratnapura bus station, we waited to see a bus with Kalawana written on top. Soon, a bus with Rakwana written on top pulled in. I thought we were being smart to avoid a change of buses in Kalawana so we hopped on and headed out of Ratnapura.

We saw another bus with Kalawana written on top so alarm bells went off but I ignored them thinking we were still OK.

We continued on and enjoyed more scenery.

We finally arrived in Rakwana and I was wondering why we didn’t see the motel on the road side.

I should have listened to the alarm bell! As it turned out, the road to Kalawana and subsequently the Rock View Motel were different from the road to Rakwana. On the map below, you see the road we were supposed to take in blue with the blue X marking the hotel location. The red line represents the road we actually took.

By the time we got to Rakwana and realized our mistake, it was too late to get another bus so we had to hire an auto-rickshaw to take us to the motel which cost more than if we had just taken the rickshaw from Ratnapura! It was annoying to arrive after dark but lesson learnt! Always check even the smallest towns on a map, listen to your gut feelings and follow directions!

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Tara

The White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, West Asia east through the Indian Subcontinent to the Philippines. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.

They are fun to watch and I saw several in Kithulgala. They were easily seen by their bright blue backs and seemed keen to pose for photos! This one wanted to make sure I got his best side – both of them!

He’s got a beakful!

White-throated Kingfishers have a huge range throughout Central and South-east Asia so it shouldn’t be hard to find an award ticket to get to one of their many habitats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Naturia

VIDEO

Getting ready for a hot date?

This one was happy to hang around and be filmed.

Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus)

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Tara

The Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot is a small, mainly green hanging parrot, only 13 cm long with a short tail. Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot is less gregarious than some of its relatives, and is usually alone or in small groups outside the breeding season. Its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a sharp whistled twiwittwit..twitwitwit. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as Gira Maliththa or Pol Girwa in Sinhala Language.

I couldn’t get a good shot because of backlighting from the sun so here’s the Wikipedia one followed by a few of my attempts to catch this beautiful bird in flight and perched near Kithulgala.

They are endemic to Sri Lanka and most easily seen around the town of Kithulgala. See the red dot below. Use a Central Asian award to get to Colombo, then take a taxi or bus.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

VIDEO

This little guy was hungry!

Chestnut-backed Owlet (Glaucidium castanotum)

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Tara

The Chestnut-backed Owlet (Glaucidium castanotum) (often misspelled Glaucidium castanonotum), is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most of the smaller species of owl. This species was formerly considered as a subspecies of the Jungle Owlet.

They are endemic to Sri Lanka and most easily seen in Kithulgala. They are quiet and hard to spot but if you have a good guide, they will know where to find them. They can also be seen in Sinharaja and around Sri Lanka. Use a Central Asian award to get to Colombo, then take a taxi or bus.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

VIDEO

This has to be the cutest owl I have ever seen!

Guided Bird Walk Through Kithulgala Area

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Tara

The manager of Kithulgala Resthouse booked an excellent guide for us – Shanaka Lakmina for our morning bird walk. I told him I was especially keen to see parrot species, preferably close up so he tailored the walk to the areas of most interest. Of course we saw lots of fantastic birds along the way. We did manage to find a Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot that perched for awhile except he was backlit by the sun. There were also a few Alexandrines and possibly a quick flyby of a Layard’s Parakeet. The other highlight of the trip was the endemic Chestnut-backed Owlet.

First meet Shanaka. He’s a licensed guide who works for Kelaniriver Adventure Kithulgala (KAK). He can be booked via your hotel or in advance by Facebook. He’s a great guy, knows the local birds quite well and where to find them.

These are photos he sent me of the parrots since I couldn’t get good shots. The smaller one is the Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, the others are Layard’s Parakeets in a nest.

Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot – just hanging around

Layard’s Parakeets in a nest.

Layard’s Parakeet on a tree

And now some blurry shots of parrots at a distance taken by me.

Chestnut-backed Owlet

And the rest of the birds in chronological order starting with the walk through town.

After the bird walk, we sat down and ticked off all the species we saw over both days. This was my final tally: Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Green Imperial Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard’s Parakeet, Alexandrine Parakeet, Chestnut-backed Owlet, White-throated Kingfisher, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Orange Minivet, Sri Lanka Drongo, White-bellied Drongo, Black-capped Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Orange-billed Babbler, Yellow-billed Babbler, Oriental White-eye, Lesser Hill Myna, Common Myna, Purple-rumped Sunbird, White-rumped Munia, Grey Wagtail.

Lodge Review: Kithulgala Resthouse

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Tara

Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts. With not a lot of time to prepare and research, and a worry of rooms selling out for this beautiful eco-tourism escape from the city of Colombo I had to do a quick look around and book something fast.

Kithulgala Resthouse came up in several searches – Google, Trip Advisor, Booking.com and Agoda. The photos were stunning and reviews were mixed but although some people found the rooms out-dated; all I cared about was the view and the birding! I also loved the historical aspect – it was the location used for filming of The Bridge over the River Kwai and the crew stayed there during filming. Evreward turned up a deal using AAdvantage’s click-thru mall to Booking.com so that sealed my decision.

There really is no need to use Colombo as a gateway. There is only 1 hour of travel time difference between the airport and Kithulgala & the airport and Colombo. Also, you won’t get stuck in traffic on the Kithulgala road. The airport is the big red dot.

I was not to be disappointed. The grounds were gorgeous and I could hear birds as we drove in. The restaurant overlooked the river with more birds flying overhead and it had that historical feel to it.

They have both fan rooms and AC rooms, I had chosen a fan room overlooking the river. Yes, if you are used to Park Hyatts and Sheratons you will probably find the room simple and “dated” but that is exactly what I love in a room – character!

A White-throated Kingfisher was there to greet us!

Laundromat!

Nice patios to sit and watch birds.

It was fun to watch the locals rowing across the river.

A beautiful young wedding couple showed up a bit later.

Watching birds from our patio.

I loved the artwork around the property! Unfortunately, it wasn’t for sale.

The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Since there weren’t many people there they didn’t do a buffet, we ordered off the menu. They cooked from scratch so service was slow by Western standards but I didn’t care as there were plenty of birds to watch from the restaurant balcony, even Layard’s Parakeets! The food was good and they will tone down spiciness for those who don’t care for it. I do wish they had a gift shop though as I really wanted some of that art! We hung around the lodge and birded the grounds the first day, then had the manager book us a guide for the next morning……………but that’s another post! I loved this place and highly recommend it for birders!

Kithulgala Resthouse – Easy Birding

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Tara

Sometimes you have to work hard to see the best birds. Other times you can just sit back, relax and let them come to you. Kithulgala Resthouse is like this. You can sit in the garden, on your own patio or on the balcony at the restaurant. Since we were pretty tired that first day, we enjoyed a relaxing day just birding the grounds and even got several Sri Lankan endemics, including the beautiful Layard’s Parakeet – albeit from a distance.

The White-throated Kingfisher was easily spotted with his bright blue back and kept us entertained as he caught insects for dinner and fished in the river. I don’t know if this is the same one or not but we never saw two together.

There were several Layard’s Parakeets flying over the river. They never came close enough for a good photo but at least we got to see them! It’s really hard to spot them amidst the foliage and zooming in only blurred them even more.