Sri Lanka Bird Watch

Check out Wim van der Schot's Birds of Sri Lanka website!
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Sri Lanka Specialities Photo copyright Hans Martens ... Photo copyright Wim van der Schot.. ... Photo copyright Gaby Schulemann .... Photo copyright Christian Artuso ... Photo copyright Wim van der Schot. .... Photo copyright R. S. Suresh .... Photo copyright Gaby Schulemann Photo copyright Dave Behrens .... Photo copyright David Massie ... Photo copyright Wim van der Schot. ... Photo copyright Lawrence Poh ....

....A Birdwatcher's Guide to Sri Lanka - by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Lester Perera, Jeevan William, Deepal Warakagoda and Nirma de Silva Wijeyeratne, from OBC Bulletin 26, November 1997. OBC Bulletin 26 includes a 24 page supplement, the Birdwatcher's Guide to Sri Lanka, which describes 20 key sites. The section for one of those sites, Sinharaja, is presented here on-line.  ... ....Guide to Sri Lanka Nature Reserves - One of the most alluring attractions which bring travelers to Sri Lanka, is its natural heritage. There are enough national parks and reserves to merit a book on them. This site gives an outline of some of the most important of these wild areas. ... ....Watching seabirds on the West Coast of Sri Lanka:  by Rex I. De Silva, from OBC Bulletin 26, November 1997.  Although the majority of birders visiting Sri Lanka concentrate on searching for the endemic species, they overlook the fact that the west coast provides an opportunity for observing some truly exciting seabirds.  ... ....Sinharaja Forest Reserve - Located in southwest Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the last viable area of primary tropical rainforest of the country. More than 60 per cent of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to 50 per cent of the endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians. ... ....Yala National Park - by Dave Behrens. On a recent trip to Sri Lanka I had the opportunity for a one day visit Yala National Park (also known as Ruhunu National Park). All I can say is WOW! This is like a miniature African safari! The pictures shown are the results of only one day in the park. See also more photos from Dave's second trip to Yala. ... ....Muthurajawela Marshes - A Nature Lover's Delight by Marie-Celine Bastiansz.  The Pied Kingfisher is just one of several attractions at the Muthurajawela Wetland Conservation Project Visitors Centre a mere 40 minute drive from the City on the Colombo - Negombo Road and a couple of miles from the Bandaranaike International Airport. The centre was set up in an attempt to preserve in its present state some 7,000 hectares of wetland rich in plant and animal life. The project comprises large extents of marshland as well as the Negombo Lagoon. ... ....Sri Lanka - Directory of Wetlands of International Importance -  includes information on all Sri Lanka's Ramsar designated sites, including: Bundala ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka 2003 -  by Simon Plat. An extensive trip report to Sri Lanka, including pictures and a section on how to find the endemics and other targets. Sri Lanka proved to be a top birding destination. All different types of birdwatchers will be able to find their likings here. The island has 27 endemic species, 15 of these with an endangered status. Over 15 species are shared only with the southern parts of India. For the specialist, over 60 subspecies are endemic, of which several might be split in the near future. These numbers are, in relation to the size of the island and the accessibility, among the highest of any single island in the world. ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka - March 1-15, 2002, by Joseph Thompson.  Sri Lanka has been a well-recognized birdwatcher’s paradise for many years, as evidenced by the many quality trip reports that are available. In my report, I would like to emphasize the advantages of including Bibile, a site not included on larger tours, and relate the extremely high quality of the local Sri Lankan guides whose services are available. Sri Lanka is an extremely beautiful country whose people are among the friendliest in the world. Travel in the birding areas, which are in the south and central portions of the country, is quite safe and is exceptionally hassle-free.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka - 25 March - 8 April 2001, by Mike Prince. This report describes a two-week visit to Sri Lanka in late winter/early spring 2001. We chose our own itinerary designed to give a good mixture of birding and general sightseeing. There are some fine wildlife viewing sites, which offer the chance of seeing the endemic subspecies of Asian Elephant as well as other mammals and birdlife. The island is a suitable size to cover adequately in two weeks (the out-of-bounds north containing little of general tourist interest anyway), the people are friendly, English is widely spoken and food and accommodation are both good and relatively cheap - overall Sri Lanka makes an ideal holiday destination. The aim was to visit the key birding sites, particularly for the endemics, and main other sites of general interest.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka - 27 January - 10 February 1999,  by John Martin. This report describes a trip to Sri Lanka made in early 1999. Sri Lanka has something like 26 endemic species (depending on whose taxonomy you follow) including some superb birds such as Red-faced Malkoha. Though we visited most of the major sites this was not a full on birding flog. We managed to see over 200 species including nearly all the endemics plus some good mammals and other wildlife and were well pleased with the trip. By dispensing with the beach days the manic lister could probably see all the endemics in two weeks. ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka. This trip report is provided courtesy of Urs Geiser's Trip Report Archive.  March 28 - April 10, 1999 - by Ian Mills.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka. This trip report is provided courtesy of Urs Geiser's Trip Report Archive.  July 23 - August 8, 1997 by Rohan van Twest. I have wanted to visit to Sri Lanka for some time to reacquaint myself with the birds of my youth and to introduce them to my children. After much deliberation we decided go on a family vacation in July-August. This is not an ideal time for birding in Sri Lanka, as the southwest monsoon usually brings heavy rains and there are no  passerine winter visitors to augment the resident bird species. ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka. This trip report is provided courtesy of Urs Geiser's Trip Report Archive. October 20 - November 4, 1997 by Mike Bowman. October/November are amongst the wettest period of the year in the wet zone, but the advantage is that the hotels are mostly empty, and few tourists are encountered.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka - 25th January 2001 - 15th February 2001. By Andy & Isabel Senior. My wife Isabel, and myself, decided in May 2000 to arrange a tour of Sri Lanka. We've some experience of bird tours elsewhere, and were attracted to Sri Lanka for a number of reasons. Not least among these, was the list of Sri Lanka's endemic birds. Initial enquiries revealed a wide range of available tours, at a wide range of prices.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka. This trip report is provided courtesy of Urs Geiser's Trip Report Archive.   December 1-20, 1997 by Chris Bowden & Angela Schmid. This is a brief account and checklist for a three week trip birding in Sri Lanka in December 1997. We used public transport, only hiring vehicles where there was no alternative within the two National Parks, stayed in hotels at the cheaper end of the spectrum, and used around five of the days on non-birding activities including planning etc. The birding is generally fairly easy, and we managed to see or hear all but one of the 21 endemics.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka, October 22-28, 2000, by Jeff Blincow.  There are several species that occur with a restricted range to South-west/Southern India and Sri Lanka (e.g. Sri Lanka Frogmouth). Sri Lanka also has a very high number of sub-species, and we made an effort to see these as well (we saw 45 out of 58). With the current volatile state of systematics it is prudent to insure against future splits. Only a few years ago there were 22 accepted endemics to Sri Lanka, and now there are 26.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka, December 2-17, 2000, by Clive Harris.  I recently spent just over 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. Most of this was work-related, running a conference at the Kandalama Hotel (near Dambulla) which is an excellent birding location (it was someone else's choice of venue!). I also managed a weekend away to go to the highlands and make a half day visit to Sinharaja Forest Reserve.  ... ....Trip Report: Sri Lanka, December 24, 2000 to January 8, 2001,  by  Jim Hackett. In the Christmas-New Year interval 2000-2001 my wife and I went to Sri Lanka for 14 full days. We did extremely well birdwise, thanks largely to the help of Upali Ekanayake, who is both a delightful guy and a Sri Lankan birder with 30 years field experience.  ... ....It's a Red-vented Bulbul, Stupid! - Two Weeks in Sri Lanka: the  Land of Temple and Tank. The  Scottish Ornithologists Club Ayrshire Branch, Easter Trip - 24th March 1999 - 7th April 1999. Author: Keith Martin.  ... ....Sri Lanka Trip Reports - you can find Sri Lanka trip reports on John