Sri Lankan Wildlife
5th - 13th Feb 2024
Rainforest at Kitulgala
From the Western Ghats, I took the short flight to Colombo to spend a week exploring Sri Lanka, starting with Mirissa in the south-west. It was the first time I'd been back for 17 years and I was astonished at how much the country had changed. Instead of a wild ride south through chaotic narrow streets full of livestock and bicycles, we purred down a pristine, four-lane motorway! With so much new development I wondered whether there would be any wildlife left...
Mirissa
The reason for choosing Mirissa was the whale-watching trips, which head out into the Indian Ocean feeding grounds of various cetaceans including my main target, the incredible blue whale. I took two trips with Raja and the Whales (http://rajaandthewhales.com/) who were excellent... very knowledgeable and responsible and I would definitely recommend them for Sri Lankan whale-watching.
Unfortunately we didn't see blue or any other whale species on either trip, which sadly is becoming the norm in this region. Increasing numbers of huge container ships are passing through as well as irresponsible tourism, particularly divers trying to get 'selfies' with the whales, and are driving them away. We did however get great views of lots of Risso's and Spinner Dolphins and the trips were certainly worthwhile.
Pod of Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris)
Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) mating
Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Yala National Park
Next stop was Yala National Park, one of my favourite wildlife watching locations. I was hoping for sloth bear which I'd missed on all my previous visits, but it wasn't really the right season and I failed again. Yala is never a disappointment though, with so much other wildlife to see.
I kept clear of the crowds of safari trucks queuing up for a pair of leopards in a tree, and managed to find my own calmly sitting in the road with no-one else around. There were also monkeys, mongooses, giant squirrels and a host of superb birds.
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Treron bicinctus)
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
Female Toque Macaques (Macaca sinica) with babies
Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis)
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
Kitulgala
The final stop on my brief Sri Lankan tour was Kitulgala Rest House in the central rainforest. The lodge was excellent with great food and particularly helpful staff, and more importantly its perfectly situated for visiting the local forest.
I spent a very pleasant few days exploring the area and photographing a lively brown mongoose family and a variety of insects and birds including some particularly aggressive yellow-fronted barbets!
Yellow-fronted Barbets (Psilopogon flavifrons) fighting
Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura)
Brown Mongoose (Urva fusca)
Crimson Rose (Pachliopta hector)
Three-striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) eating fruit
Despite my concerns when I arrived, Sri Lanka again proved an excellent wildlife-watching destination. Despite the development and large numbers of visitors, the national parks are well run and within their boundaries wildlife continues to thrive. I arranged this trip completely independently, without the use of any guides or tour companies... simply booking accommodation and tours on-line and then messaging them to organise transport from one to the next. This made it a very economical trip and although I probably missed out on some species a guide might have found, I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to explore this beautiful country on my own.
Mammal Species
Yala National Park
Leopard (Panthera pardus)Ruddy Mongoose (Urva smithii)
Stripe-necked Mongoose (Urva vitticolla)
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)
Sambar Deer(Rusa unicolor)
Spotted Deer(Axis axis)
Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica)
Tufted gray langur (Semnopithecus priam)
Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis)
Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura)
Three-striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Mirissa
Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Three-striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Kitulgala
Brown Mongoose (Urva fusca)Three-striped Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) nursery group