Sri Lanka in March 2011: blue whale, leopard and elephant from Wilpattu to Mirissa

22nd March 2011 - 1st April 2011

Tour Review

Royle Safaris would first and foremost like to thank you both for your participation in the Sri Lanka Exploration tour to various sites around this spectacular country this March. This tour review aims to document the highlights of the tour and list all of the vertebrate species seen.

We were helped hugely on this tour by the expert skills and guidance of our driver and local guide Soysa. As well as various national park guides and jeep drivers. The tour was also arranged and lead by Martin Royle.

Tour Highlights:

• Spending 2 hours in the presence of 3-4 enormous blue whales as they feed on krill off the continental shelf.
• Happening across a large pod (20+) female sperm whales as they feed on squid in the depths of the Indian Ocean.
• Getting incredible close ups of Asiatic elephants in Yala National Park including great pictures of a male tusker.
• Having an early morning encounter with a large basking water monitor on the way to Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
• Getting up close and personal to endemic Sri Lankan Green-pit Vipers as well as Sri Lankan Keelback Water Snakes.
• Seeing two leopards (one in Yala and one in Wilpattu) including one crossing the road right in front of the jeep after our expert driver spotted the tracks in the sand and slowed down well before the leopard emerged.
• Finding two Indian Star Tortoises in the middle of the road on the way home from Wilpattu National Park.
• Getting great close up shots of a large herd of Water Buffalo whilst driving past the large lakes of Uda Walawe.
• Seeing both species of crocodilian (Marsh Mugger and Estuarine Crocodiles).
• Viewing beautiful and colourful soft corals
• Seeing two very brave White-browed Fantails, one which was mobbing a much larger Malabar Pied Hornbill and another who was equally energetic in trying to dislodge a Crested Serpent Eagle.
• Seeing some of the devastated areas of south-east Sri Lanka from the 2004 boxing day tsunami in Yala National Park.
• Getting many great photographs of some bird species which obliged with close ups; such as Painted Storks, Crested Serpent Eagles, Changeable Hawk-Eagles, Malabar Pied Hornbills and Indian Peafowls.
• Finding a breeding pair of beautiful Sri Lankan Frogmouths perched and snuggled together.
• Walking through the primeval virgin rainforests of Sinharaja and seeing over 15 endemic species of birds, reptiles, fish and mammals.
• After spending hours chasing and trying hard to get pictures of the national bird of Sri Lanka the colourful Sri Lankan Junglefowl - having one pose in the sunshine drying his feathers after a small rain shower.
• Taking fantastic pictures of some of the many frogs in the pools throughout Wilpattu National Park.
• Getting great pictures of the bizarre face of a Flapshell Turtle as it came up for air in one of the roadside pools of Wilpattu National Park.
• Having a beautiful House Toad guard our rooms whilst in Anuradapura.
• Experiencing one of the famous Sri Lankan tropical storms one evening whilst in the whale watching capital of Sri Lanka, Mirissa.
• Being privileged to see certain species exhibiting unusual behaviour; such as Indian Peafowl up trees and Whistling Ducks perched on branches. All of which makes for unusual and interesting pictures.
• Enjoying some of the many uses of the magnificent King Coconut to break up long drives through the country.
• Having a small impromptu tour of a gem museum in the ‘City of Gems’, Ratnapura and seeing the limitless different crystal formations and colours.
• Finding some amazing and colourful rock formations along the coastline of Horse Rock in Wilpattu National Park. The red and burgundy coloured rocks in almost pinnacle formations with a very strange blue-grey ‘skin’ which had formed over some of the newest sandstone formations.
• Seeing hundreds and hundreds of Common Grass Yellow butterflies throughout the first drive of Wilpattu National Park

Notable Sightings

Day Two - Wilpattu National Park

Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura Seen very close to the road half way up a tree and displaying its very grizzled coat colour. Crested Serpent Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus One perched in a small clearing very near the road and ideal for photographs. Common Grass Yellow Eurema hecabe Hundreds and hundreds of butterflies along the roads. Lesser Adjudant Leptoptilos javanicus One seen fairly close by before taking to the air and circling above the jeep. Land Monitor Varanus bengalensis Seeing a huge number of land monitor lizards throughout Wilpattu National Park on both days 2 and 3. Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak Two different individuals, these shy deer are only really seen in Sri Lanka, whilst on a safari in Wilpattu.

Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans Two were spotted crossing the road as we were heading back to the hotel from Wilpattu. They were a male and female and almost certainly a breeding pair.

Day Three - Wilpattu National Park

Flapshell Turtle Lissemys punctata Very good photos and portraits taken of this unusual looking turtle.

Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus Basking along the banks of some of the lakes in Wilpattu. Marsh Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris One spooked into the water from in front of our jeep.

Indian Skipper Frogs Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Many just floating lazily on the surface of all the muddy puddles throughout Wilpattu. Spotted Deer Axis axis Many seen throughout the day but one large and impressive stag in a small grassy meadow in glorious sunshine.

Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii One seen whilst digging into a termite nest along the roadside and (unlike many

mongoose sightings) he stayed around for some good pictures.

Sri Lankan Junglefowl Gallus lafayetii After countless attempts of close up shots, one impressive male posed in the bright sunshine and made for great and rare photographs of this beautiful bird. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Two or three were seen soaring over some of the lakes in search of any fish. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus One seen soaring before being scared off by the large White-bellied Sea Eagle. Leopard Panthera pardus Our driver spotted some tracks along the road, shortly before a large male leopard crossed the road in front of our jeep and heading into the dense bush before disap pearing into the shadows. Sambar Deer Cervus unicolor A male and female were seen feeding close to the road on the way out of the park. They stayed around for some pictures which is unusual for deer.

Day Five - Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Water Monitor Varanus salvator On the way to Sinhraja a huge (5-6ft) Water Monitor was seen basking in the early morning sun on the road. We stopped and got some of the best reptile portraits possible. Sri Lanka Green-pit Trimeresurus Two were spotted by our expert local Viper trigonocephalus guide, one large adult and one very small juvenile. Good close ups were possible with the first one as it remained still and patient waiting for some unfortunate prey to wander too close.

Sri Lanka Kangaroo Otocryptis wiegmanni A male and female were spotted along the Lizard pathway and allowed for some great close up picture opportunities.

Sri Lanka Keelback Xenochrophis asperrimus Whilst stimulating the fish in a small pool Water Snake with biscuits, three Keelback snakes emerged to try and take adavantage and catch a fish or two. Mixed Feeding Flock Over 10 species Sinharaja is famous for its mixed species

feeding and foraging flocks of birds and we had the chance to observe one large flock (albeit somewhat obscured by dense foliage). The species involved were Red- billed Malkoha, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Orange-billed Babblers, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Black-headed Bulbul, Sri Lankan Wood Pigeon, Crested Drongo, Sri Lanka Munia, Black Bulbul, Yellow-throated Bulbul, Yellow-billed Babblers and even and endemic Layard’s Striped Squirrel on the edge of the feeding flock. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie Urocissa ornata One was fed some biscuits by the local guide and obliged by coming within 4ft of Susan on the path. Purple-faced Langur Trachypithecus vetulus Watching a foraging troop of endemic Purple-faced Langurs as they crashed through the trees around 50m away from us, they having a troop keep Derek company as he rested on the pathway.

Day Six - Yala National Park

Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus Lots of Peacocks and Peahens seen and making for many different pictures, from feeding in tree tops, to adult males trying their hardest to get noticed by the females and even an immature male displayed (despite not having any long tail feathers!). Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala Three observed for a long time as they foraged and wandered across out path and followed a small stream down past the jeep, allowing for very good picture opportunities. Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii Many were seen (mostly ahead of the jeep - crossing the road) but it was easily the most Ruddy Mongooses seen on one safari by a Royle Safaris Group.

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia A small group seen feeding with Cattle Egrets, Indian Pond Herons, one Painted Stork and one Intermediate Egret close to the jeep. Water Buffalo Bubalus bubalis A large mixed group of domestic and wild

Water Buffalo in Uda Walawe very close to the side of the road as they cooled off in the water, the large males, protective females and young calves made for some great Buffalo portraits. Golden Jackal Canis aureus Despite seeing a few different pairs throughout the tour, the one individual who trotted ahead of the jeep and then rolled around in the loose sand near the sand of the road was a particular highlight.

Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Almost every branch had a Green bee- eater perched on the end of it and every now and again one would stay there long enough to make a good photograph, but the general colour and vigour of the birds added a definite highlight of the tour.

Day Seven - Yala National Park

Wild Boar Sus scrofa Many groups of Wild Boar have been seen throughout the tour in both Wilpattu and Yala National Parks however (except for the large sounder seen in Wilpattu of 29 individuals), seeing the very young piglets, complete with their stripes has to be the best Wild Boar sighting of the tour. Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica Seeing a small group perched along a dead tree branch and even spotting one of them dive quickly into a hole in the tree... very odd behaviour for a duck!

Leopard Panthera pardus One female spotted crossing the road 30m in front of our jeep and heading across to a dense area of forest, where we waiting for her to emerge and despite the constant alarm calls from langurs she never came back out. Asiatic Elephant Elephas maximus Today all the elephants were out, through out the day many were seen including large family groups with young calves and solitary males feeding on the periphery of the female dominated family groups. But the undisputed highlight was the adult male tusker (of which only 7% of all Sri Lankan Elephants have tusks). He was feeding and minding his own business

close to the jeep until he got the scent of some bananas in the jeep and cam over to have a look. This was the best and closest encounter with wild Asiatic Elephants that any Royle Safari tour has had. Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus Two were seen on a large lake where chirurgus several other bird species could be seen, including and Oriental Darter, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Ashy Prinias, Black- faced Munias, Painted Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Pygmy Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Cattle Egrets, Intermediate Egrets, Great Egrets, Indian Pond Herons, Rose-ringed Parakeets and others. Tufted Grey Langur Semnopithecus priam A few different troops have been seen whilst in Wilpattu and Yala National Parks but the troops towards the end of this day’s safari was very memorable as they were very close to the jeep and the number of juveniles and babies was quite large. They played and frolicked around the branches of the bushes and trees and allowed for some very intimate close up pictures.

Day Nine - Mirissa

Sperm Whale Physter macrocephalus Whilst on the way out to the usual Blue Whale feeding grounds offshore we came across a large pod of Sperm Whales. This single sex pod (females) as around 20-25 strong and we spent around 2 hours watching them dive and surface as they feed in the depths of the insular shelf as it plummets down to the bottom of the Indian Ocean some 1.2 miles down. The individual highlight was when one large female passed right in front of the boat.

Day Ten - Mirissa

Blue Whale Balaenoptera muluscus Today we went straight out to the recently found Blue Whale feeding grounds, where 3-4 individuals were seen and we spent the best part of 2 hours with the small

group as they made shallow dives and fed heavily on the abundant krill. We saw many dives where the flukes were raised above the surface. We got to within 50m of the closest whale and from this distance the loud blow was clearly audible and the sheer size of the whale just below the sur face was also evident.

Common Bottlenose Tursiops truncatus Before finding the Blue Whales we found Dolphin two small groups (between 5-8 individuals) as they hunted just over the continental shelf.

Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus One was seen feeding alongside the Blue Whales; they do form mixed loose associations with Blue Whales and when one of them dove and the dorsal fin was clearly visible it was evident that the whale was a Fin and not a Blue. A picture taken by another guest confirmed this whilst travelling back to the harbor.

Soft Corals Various species Whether due to the tsunami damaging much of the hard corals which usually dominate coral reefs or maybe that the conditions here favour soft corals, whatever the reason it is safe to say the the numerous colourful and intriguing soft corals seen whilst snorkeling was a treat to see.

Oriental Sweetlips Plectorhinchus orientalis One of the largest and most colourful reef fish in the Indo-Pacific region and there were a breeding pair guarding (presum ably) a very good egg laying site in the deeper reaches of the little coral reef.

Powder-blue Surgeonfish Acanthurus leucosternon One of the most beautiful and famous reef fish and one which was present here, al though in small numbers.

Mammals (21 species)

Birds (99 species)

Reptiles (14 species)

Amphibians (4 species)

Freshwater Fishes (7 species)

Marine Fishes (14 species)