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.

Alexandrine Parakeets were distinguishable by their larger size and longer tail even though they didn’t want to come any closer.

This Orange Minivet tried to hide from the camera but his bright colours gave him away.

Some Sri Lanka Wood Pigeons were hanging around near the restaurant.

The staff kindly came and got me during lunch when a pair of Sri Lanka Grey Hornbills was spotted in a tree in the front.

A Little Cormorant showing off.

Cute Red-vented Bulbul

Shy Sri Lanka Drongo………..and one not so shy.

Common Mynahs foraging.

Not sure about these, any help?

Last but not least, a squirrel.

Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Tara

The Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) aka Emerald-collard Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet. In Sri Lanka, this bird is knowns as alu girawa අළු ගිරවා (ash-parrot) in Sinhala Language. This bird appears on a 50c Sri Lankan postal stamp

My photos of this stunning bird were blurry and at a distance so here’s a close-up from Wikipedia.

They are endemic to Sri Lanka and most easily seen (albeit from a distance) flying through the rainforest opposite the town of Kithulgala. I also got a brief glimpse of one flying overhead at Sinharaja. See the red dots below. Use a Central Asian award to get to Colombo, then take a taxi or bus.

Although they share the same habits as Alexandrine Parakeets, the Layard’s are smaller and have shorter tails. If you try to photograph them you will need all the zoom you can get and a steady hand.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT

VIDEO

India & Sri Lanka – Birding “On The Fly”

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Tara

I usually plan trips at least a year in advance and book them when the last segment I need is within the 11 month booking window. So hastily throwing together a trip to India & Sri Lanka was totally out of character for me. I had been planning to do this trip in 2015 but when US Airways announced a major rebate promo, I couldn’t resist bringing it forward!

I knew which parrots I was targeting. I never tire of seeing India’s beautiful Malabar Parakeets, Alexandrines and other psittaculas. I was also dying to see the stunning Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and many other bird species.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I had enough miles to book us in business class on Thai outbound and Singapore return. This is a Central Asian award.

Since Sri Lankan Airlines hasn’t yet joined One World (only 4500 with Avios) and Air India hasn’t yet joined Star Alliance I had to pay for a bridging flight between Bangalore (via Chennai) and Colombo. The cheapest flight was on Spice Jet which I booked on their website.

I spent a day reading reports of bird sightings and put together the itineraries for both countries based on which locations had my desired parrot species and as many other species. In India, I knew I wanted to visit Coorg, Wayanad and Mudumalai.

In Sri Lanka, I knew I wanted to visit Kithulgala & Sinharaja.

With itineraries chosen, next step was to find accommodation…………………….

My Top Twenty-Five Bird Sightings Of 2013

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Tara

Following on from last year’s post in which I highlighted only parrot sightings, this year I have expanded to all bird species. There were just so many birds who made a major impression on me! I have also increased the number to 25 since we did 3 birding trips this year. I didn’t always get good shots so I will put my own photo when I got one. Some of them were pretty quick! They are being presented in chronological order.

1. Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) – seen at Nimbokrang & Waigeo, Indonesia; March 2013

2. Lesser Bird-of-paradise, (Paradisaea minor) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

I couldn’t get a photo as he stayed in the trees so here’s one taken in Jurong Bird park, Singapore.

3. Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

Victoria Crowned Pigeons, Nimbokrang

4. Western or Arfak Parotia (Parotia sefilata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013 I’ll never forget this feathered Lord of the Dance trying so hard to woo 3 aloof females!

One female Western Parotia comes in for a closer look while the male shows his best moves. There were a couple other females higher up in the branches.

5. Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013

OK lady Bowerbirds, come and check out my awesome bower!

6. Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) – seen near Nimbokrang and on Waigeo Island, Indonesia, March 2013

7. Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, (Cicinnurus respublica) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia in March 2013. This little guy played hard-to-get with the camera.

Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus respublica

8. Red Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea rubra) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia , March 2013.

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra), Waigeo- dancing in the trees

9. Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Laguna del Lagarto, Carara, Soberania, August 2013. This was the first parrot we saw after arriving in Central America so I chose him to represent all the Amazon species seen all over Central America.

Red-lored Amazon or Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)

10. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Soberania, August 2013

11. Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) – seen at Selva Verde & Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

12. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tangara larvata) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

13. Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

14. Collared Araçari (Pteroglossus torquatus) – seen at Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, Soberania. August 2013.

15. Hummingbirds (all of them) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Monteverde, Savegre, Soberania. There is no way I can single out one species, they are all spectacular!

16. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

17. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) – seen at Monteverde (Curi Cancha) & Savegre. I will never forget both sightings of this stunning bird! The first one because I found him by myself and the 2nd one because there were several of them and they hung around a while so I could watch them.

18. Sulphur-winged Parakeet (Pyrrhura hoffmanni) – seen at Savegre, Costa Rica, August 2013

I haven’t started the India & Sri Lanka series yet, we only got back a few weeks ago and I have been playing catch-up. These birds will be covered first thing in the New Year. The photos are a sneak-peek!

19. Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) – seen in Coorg, India; Nov. 2013. This time there were only fleeting glimpses of a flock flying overhead so the photo is one I took in 2011 in Kerala.

20. White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

21. Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. They were swift flyers and refused to perch & pose.

22. Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. At least he posed, albeit with the sun behind him!

23. Alexandrine Parakeet – (Psittacula eupatria) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

24. Malabar Trogon (Harpactes fasciatus) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. He only let me get one shot before turning his back.

25. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie or Ceylon Magpie (Urocissa ornata) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

I didn’t get a photo of them since they stayed in the trees so here’s one from Wikipedia.

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