MAMMALS ON OUR TRIP

While in Sri Lanka and birding we managed to spot a variety of different mammals. Though we did not spot many mammals (if you really want to see the tourist-wanted animals like elephants, leopards, sloth bears and etc. you have to go to Yala, Udawalawe or Wilpattu National Parks and we didn't go there this trip), we still spotted some.
SQUIRRELS
We saw two different species of squirrel.

INDIAN PALM SQUIRREL

The Indian palm squirrel Funambulus palmarum is by far the commonest of these. It is abundant almost throughout Sri Lanka and many of them inhabit my aunt's garden. Their chirruping alarm calls can easily be mistaken for those of a bird, a mistake I have made many many times. They are also very cute-looking. In Sinhala this is known as laena.

GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL (dry zone)

GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL (subspecies dandolena)

I saw three different subspecies of the Grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macroura on my trip. Classified as Near Threatened, this large species of squirrel is best seen in Sri Lanka. I saw the wet zone subspecies dandolena in Sinharaja, the hill country subspecies in Horton Plains and the dry zone subspecies at Ulagalla. The wet zone subspecies can also be found in India. In Sinhala this squirrel is known as dandolena. It is the smallest of the giant squirrels of the Indian Subcontinent.
BATS
I saw an unidentified species of microbat flying around Martin's Lodge in Sinharaja, but could not get a photo. I also saw a few dead common flying foxes, but they do not really count.
MONKEYS
I saw all three species of monkey that inhabit Sri Lanka. In Sinhala all are known as 'vandhura'.

TOQUE MACAQUE

The toque macaque Macaca sinica is a reddish-brown coloured monkey with a pink face, and is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known in Sinhala as the rilewa and has a whorl of hair on its head. It is also known as the temple monkey, because of its abundance in the Sri Lankan Cultural Triangle. Despite this it is recognised as Endangered. There were many at Ulagalla and I spotted some drinking from our jacuzzi. There were also some along the road to Bandarawela.

TUFTED GREY LANGUAR (subspecies thersites)

The tufted grey langur Semnopithecus priam is much shyer than the macaque but can also be found in the Cultural Triangle, though it is not as common as the macaque (however, one sometimes visits my aunt's garden in Colombo). It is pale grey with a long tail and black face. There are two subspecies. The nominate is found only in India and subspecies thersites in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. It eats leaves.

PURPLE-FACED LEAF MONKEY (subspecies vetulus)

Finally, the purple-faced leaf monkey is a species of monkey endemic to Sri Lanka. It is also known as the purple-faced langur and is a long-tailed, tree-dwelling species. Once very common, this monkey is now much rarer, though it is still fairly common to abundant in the right places. It is considered Endangered. There are four distinct subspecies. The western subspecies, nestor, was once common throughout Colombo but now is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world, and can only reliably be seen at Thalangama Tank (see posts about the tank for a photo). The hill country subspecies (bear monkey), monticola, has thicker fur than the other subspecies and can be seen at the Hakgala Botanic Gardens near Nuwera Eliya. The southern wetzone subspecies vetulus (shown here) is the commoner subspecies of the wet zone and can be seen at Sinharaja. Finally the dry zone subspecies philbricki I have not yet seen so cannot provide advice about seeing.

MONGOOSES
There are four species of mongoose in Sri Lanka, the stripe-headed, ruddy, grey and Indian brown mongooses. I spotted one species on my trip.

INDIAN BROWN MONGOOSE

The Indian brown mongoose Herpestes fuscus is a quick, shy creature that is the commonest of Sri Lanka's mongooses. It is very similar to the Southeast Asian short-tailed mongoose and is often considered to be a subspecies of that. It can be found in southwestern India and Sri Lanka, and is classified as Vulnerable. I spotted one at Horton Plains. Apparently Thalangama Tank's surrounds can be a good spot for this species but I have never seen one there.

DEER
There are three native species of deer in Sri Lanka, and one that may be introduced. I saw one of these.

SAMBAR DEER (subspecies unicolor)

The sambar deer is the largest of Sri Lanka's deer species. The nominate subspecies unicolor is found in Sri Lanka. It is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, and Southeastern Asia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand, Australia and St. Vincent Island in Florida. At Horton Plains you are almost guaranteed to see at least one of these deer.

Those are the mammals I saw.

A Trip To Sinharaja National Park

At the start of the year we had planned to visit Sinharaja National Park, but other things popped up and we thought we would not be able to do that, so we would visit Horton Plains instead. Almost at the end of the trip my father came to me and said "We have an extra few days now, so would you like to visit Sinharaja?" I said yes and so we went. It was a long drive and the last part of the road was very thin and bumpy, but eventually we got there, ate dinner and went to sleep. We woke up to the sound of blue magpies calling . . .

After getting ready and grabbing my camera I quickly ventured outside, to see a lifer flying past me, my first Sri Lankan blue magpie! 

And it wasn't my last, either! Many of them flew through the air and perched on trees and tables, their calls filling the forest. Along with the magpies were shyer spot-winged thrushes darting around on the ground, and a giant squirrel in a tree. Soon we had our breakfast and went on a walk through the forest.

This spot-winged thrush was standing in front of some stairs leading down to the forest

First we had to go to the park visitor center to get permission to enter the national park and also to get a guide. While on the way we spotted an emerald dove and what I think is a Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard before reaching the center. Here we met our guide and went forward through the forest. Almost immediately I spotted a lifer, a yellow-browed bulbul, along with a black-capped bulbul which darted into the forest too quickly for a photo.

This yellow-browed bulbul managed to sit still long enough for me to get this shot

Finally, a dark-fronted babbler that let me get a photo!

We walked further along, spotting a flock of dark-fronted babblers that let me get a rather blurry photo, as well as a few more skinks and kangaroo lizards. Finally we got to the entrance of the park. We walked a bit further. Suddenly chuckling calls seemed to fill the air. Our guide motioned for us to stop as, very quickly, something appeared in a tree . . .

AN ASHY-HEADED LAUGHINGTHRUSH!

We walked further on to the screeches of flying Layard's parakeets and the calls of black-capped and yellow-browed bulbuls. We stopped at a spot where the Sri Lankan frogmouth was supposed to roost, but could not see it. We did bump into a besra (another lifer) though, as it perched on a branch above the canopy, looking for prey, as well as a very tame Sri Lankan junglefowl that sat behind a bench while I ate a snack on it (the bench, not the junglefowl).

A besra waiting for breakfast

We stopped suddenly again to the calls of birds in the trees. It was a feeding flock of birds and it was heading our way. In Sinharaja, if you want to see all the endemic birds you basically HAVE to see a feeding flock. Many different birds gather into flocks that sweep through the forest, crossing trails and feeding on whatever they can find. These include many of the endemics. I spotted a pair of crested drongos in a tree. These birds are known for normally being the first birds in a feeding flock to cross the road/track. I snapped a few photos and then, suddenly . . .

The birds all headed back into the forest. 

We walked further along, spotting a few more Layard's parakeets darting overhead. Finally, we were almost at the end of the track we had been walking on when birdcalls filled the air again. This time, they didn't grow softer. This time they loudened. As a lifer black-naped monarch darted into the forest I knew. We were in a feeding flock!

A rufous babbler that was one of the many in the flock

The flock was almost completely of rufous babblers which moved up and down the road, feeding in trees. A few ashy-headed laughingthrushes flew across the road, and a yellow-browed bulbul came out from behind a bush. True, it was a small flock, but it was a flock. We walked further down and finally got great views of a lone crested drongo that had forgotten to move on with the flock.

It was a great day, but unfortunately enough it was over. We said our goodbyes and went down along the road, stopping for one last lifer in a pine tree, a black bulbul.

WE'LL BE BACK!

BIRDING BANDARAWELA AND THE SURROUNDS

In the early mornings of every day I was staying at my grandfather/grandmother's place, I looked around for birds. I used to be able to spot the endemic Sri Lankan scimitar babbler very easily here, along with some other birds. Now these birds appear to be less common or more secretive in the area. Even so, I still managed to pick up this lifer early one morning, a forest wagtail.

Other birds that are fairly common/possible in the surrounding forest are great (cinereous) tits, greater coucals, scarlet minivets, spotted doves, rose-ringed parakeets, common mynas, feral pigeons, large-billed crows and black-rumped flamebacks. There is a flowering plant in the garden which purple-rumped sunbirds frequent. Finally, a pair of Sri Lankan junglefowl inhabits the forest and can usually be seen crossing the road. 

A greater coucal that was sitting in a plant next to the road

This species, the cinereous tit, was recently separated from the great tit Parus major

The female purple-rumped sunbirds in the garden are very tame, and even stayed in the garden while we were having our very noisy New Year festival!

On the first day I went on a quick walk in the tea plantations of the hills above and below the house. Previously this was a great place to see many chestnut-headed bee-eaters, but I only saw a single one. I did see red-vented bulbuls, large-billed crows, common mynas, rose-ringed parakeets, brown-headed barbets and scaly-breasted munias, as well as a single black-rumped flameback. We went on several trips to relatives, cousins and friends. At their houses I saw some of the above birds, along with white-throated kingfishers and white-vented drongos. One of my cousins lives right next to a paddyfield, where great coucals and large-billed crows have been seen in the past along with cattle egrets. All those above birds, except the coucal, were all seen this time along with my lifer white-browed fantail and an ashy prinia.

This white-browed fantail was sitting in a tree next to a path going through part of the paddyfield

And this ashy prinia was right behind the house

That is birding in Bandarawela, with a great deal missed out on. 

BIRDING THE SRI LANKAN HILL COUNTRY, OR HORTON PLAINS NP

It has been a while since I posted about my Sri Lankan trip, so here I am again. Today's post is about the Sri Lankan hill country, where we were staying with family in the town of Bandarawela (not sure if I spelled that correctly). On our first morning my father and I decided to go on a trip to Horton Plains National Park, one of the best places to go birding in the hill country where a lot of the endemic birds can be seen. All endemics are in bold.

This Sri Lankan wood pigeon surprised us on the road, giving great views

The drive was short but a little bumpy, with a stop-over for a Sri Lankan wood pigeon along the road as well as some more Jerdon's leafbirds, scaly-breasted munias and plain prinias, and soon we arrived at the park. As soon as we got to the park gates I spotted two endemics, a yellow-eared bulbul and a dull-blue flycatcher, with hundreds of Pacific swallows flying around in the sky! Three lifers within five minutes of staying in the park! And it only got better.

This yellow-eared bulbul was feeding in a tree next to the park gates! 

There were dull blue flycatchers everywhere, feeding on the ground and perching in trees

We continued our walk along the trail. There were dull blue flycatchers pretty much everywhere, flitting from tree to tree, feeding on the ground, basically showing off for the camera. In trees were a few shyer Sri Lankan white-eyes as well as some great tits, a single rufous babbler and a giant squirrel. Finally, on the ground were indian blackbirds. As we went further along we managed to tick off more of the hill country endemics. We saw yellow-eared barbets flying off into the trees far too quickly for us to get a photo, and soon the only endemics we were missing were the arrenga (Sri Lankan whistling thrush) and Sri 

A Sri Lankan white-eye staying still on a branch

A very lousy shot of a rufous babbler I spotted 

Lankan bush warbler.  Eventually we came out of the forest and passed into the grassland. Paddyfield pipits were everywhere, along with pied bushchats, Pacific swallows, a grey wagtail and a single brown shrike, but no bush warbler. Soon we arrived at the visitor center in the middle of the park. 

Paddyfield pipits were everywhere

Less common, but still there, were these pied bush chats

We spotted this brown shrike near the visitor centre

Again, dull blue flycatchers were basically everywhere. This time, large-billed crows and feral pigeons joined them. Though there were not many good birds around the center, there were many tame sambur deer foraging on the grass, as well as a rather shy mongoose.

Sambur deer are common throughout Horton Plains

Indian brown mongooses can be very shy, so it was nice to finally get a photo of one that wasn't dashing into the bush

A zitting cisticola, also known as a fan-tailed warbler

We drove further along, in search of the endemics we hadn't seen. We came into more grassland, where all the above birds were seen along with a zitting cisticola and a soaring brahminy kite. Suddenly the car we were in slowed down dramatically. We stopped and leaned out to get a very, very lousy picture of what was a . . .

SRI LANKAN BUSH WARBLER!

(the photo is way too lousy to be showed on this blog)

We drove further along, spotting more of the birds above. We then came to the end of the road and headed back, not able to find the 'Arrenga Pool' (a pool of water the whistling thrush or arrenga apparently can often be seen at). We saw most of the endemics, but that arrenga will have to wait for another visit. 

A Trip To Long Forest

My dad had the Sunday off work and I wanted to go birding, so we decided to go to Long Forest National Conservation Reserve in Bacchus Marsh, to see what we could see. The reserve is home to the only mallee forest south of the Great Dividing Range, so even if we did not see anything it would still be a good day out. The plan was to get there at 7:15, but we ended up leaving at that time. After a few wrong turns we eventually got there, but couldn't find the carpark, taking up even more time. Eventually we found the carpark and walked along the Long Point Track.
At the start of the track was an information booth where two superb fairy-wren females were hopping around on the ground. The birds here were mostly very quick to hide and shy, but we still saw several good birds. We walked further on and stumbled into a feeding flock of birds.
Most of the birds were striated thornbills, with a single buff-rumped thornbill darting away much too fast for me to get a picture. In a tree next to the track was one of the specialties of the reserve, the dry country or yellow-rumped form of the spotted pardalote.

A 'yellow-rumped' pardalote

Walking further on, we saw several eastern yellow robins and a few more thornbills. Soon we came to an area where there was a gully on one side of the track, with several tall trees stretching up. A bird with a yellow belly flew into one of these trees and my first thought was 'it's another yellow robin, lets forget about it'. Then I got a closer look and almost jumped out of my shoes. I reached for my camera, I zoomed in, I took a photo and . . .

A YELLOW-TUFTED HONEYEATER!

It was one of my target birds! We walked on further and startled a fox that was trying to have a bath in a creek. There were many, many eastern yellow robins. Finally we came out of the forest and into a grassland area, climbing up a hill to see a male scarlet robin in a tree nearby and a few superb fairy-wrens on the ground.

We walked further along the grassland, seeing more superb fairy-wrens, a crimson rosella, two eastern rosellas and three eastern grey kangaroos. Soon it was time to head back and we walked back along the path, stopping to eat some snacks. We got back into the mallee and soon spotted another feeding flock, again mostly of striated thornbills. On the forest floor I spotted a grey bird that stayed along for some time, which I could not identify. In a tree I saw a weebill, Australia's smallest bird, its body almost completely hidden by the leaves. It stayed for a few seconds before quickly flying away, far too quickly for my camera. Soon we were back in the car. We headed home, spotting a red wattlebird in a tree and a little raven on the way. This is a place we must visit again. 

The mystery bird

French Island

We had a whole day spare, so my dad and I decided to go to French Island. Initially we were planning to stay the night, but we had something on the next day so we had to just do a day trip. It all started early Sunday morning, at about 6 am. We woke up, got ready, had a bit of breakfast and drove off to Stony Point, where the ferries to the island go . . .
Before I continue, I will explain what exactly French Island is. French Island is Victoria's largest offshore island, just a few kilometres north of Phillip Island (see previous posts) in the waters of one of the two bays in the Greater Melbourne Area, Western Port (the other bay is Port Phillip Bay). It is well-known for being the only place in Victoria that is not governed by any shire and thus does not have a council. There are about 80 people who live on the island. Though the people who live on the island can use cars, other cars cannot be brought onto the island from the mainland. The only transport visitors can bring are bikes. The only way to get to the island is on the Island Packers ferry that operates between Cowes in Phillip Island, Tankerton in French Island and Stony Point on the mainland.
Now that my explanation is complete, let's get on with the trip report!
Soon, after about two hours, we were at Stony Point. It was almost 8 o'clock, when the first ferry would go, so we swiftly ran up to the jetty and boarded the ferry. As we left, I noted eastern rosellas in the trees, and several birds on the beaches. Pacific gulls, silver gulls, little pied cormorants, hoary-headed grebes, little black cormorants and white-faced herons were all on the mudflats (it was low tide). We would  have gotten to the island at 8:15, but my dad forgot to get off the boat. We had to wait until
the next visit, at 9:00. When we got onto the island, we first had a look around from the jetty. On rocks and flying above us were silver gulls, caspian terns, little black cormorants, little pied cormorants and

Three pied cormorants

A Caspian tern flying past the jetty

pied cormorants. Then, we walked the 2.5 kilometres to the General Store. This, the island's only shop, is basically a cross between a cafe, supermarket, souvenir shop and bookshop. It also hires out bikes. It
was a very long, very cold walk, but there were birds. At the start of the walk, we could see many brown thornbills in trees on the sides of the road. These thornbills were very common all over the island. Along with the thornbills were New Holland honeyeaters, eastern yellow robins and white-browed scrubwrens, though they were slightly less common. Perched on fences, we could also see a few grey shrike-thrushes. We came out of a small forest and into a more grassland-like area, where I saw an Australasian pipit flying. In a tree we spotted a koala. Soon, we were at the General Store.

Brown Thornbills were common all over the island

After eating some lunch at the General Store we decided to see if we could spot any more birds. First we rode a short distance down Clump Road. We saw two Australian shelducks and a grey currawong, the second of which was a lifer. We rode back and spotted another grey currawong. Then we rode four kilometres down Coastal Road. We spotted blue-winged parrots, New Holland honeyeaters, eastern rosellas, eastern yellow robins and brown thornbills, as well as a juvenile white-bellied sea eagle which soared over the track. We then rode back and left our bikes at the General Store, heading to the jetty to

Eastern rosellas were seen both at Coastal Road and Stony Point

White-bellied sea eagles breed on French Island, here is a juvenile one

wait for the ferry. While at and walking to the jetty we looked for waterbirds and we saw Pacific gulls, grey teals, black swans, masked lapwings, pied oystercatchers, silver gulls and pied cormorants. We decided to take a short walk on the rocky beach and saw starlings, black swans, masked lapwings, pied oystercatchers and a black-shouldered kite in a tree. All too soon it was time to head back from a successful birding trip. We boarded the ferry and went back to Stony Point, where as the sun set I spotted an eastern great egret, a white-faced heron, some Pacific gulls, many silver gulls and a little pied cormorant.

Near the jetty were several pied oystercatchers

Further along the beach we spotted a white blob that turned out to be this black-shouldered kite

BIRD LIST
1. Grey Teal
2. Australian Shelduck
3. Black Swan
4. Hoary-Headed Grebe
5. White-Faced Heron
6. Eastern Great Egret
7. Little Black Cormorant
8. Pied Cormorant
9. Little Pied Cormorant
10. Black-Shouldered Kite
11. Masked Lapwing
12. Pied Oystercatcher
13. Silver Gull
14. Pacific Gull
15. Caspian Tern
16. Eastern Rosella
17. Blue-Winged Parrot
18. Brown Thornbill
19. White-Browed Scrubwren
20. New Holland Honeyeater
21. Eastern Yellow Robin
22. Grey Shrike-Thrush
23. Australian Magpie
24. Grey Currawong
25. Little Raven
26. Australasian Pipit
27. Common Starling
28. White-Bellied Sea Eagle
29. Purple Swamphen

MAMMALS
1. Koala

A walk in the park

It was a very sunny, clear day, so my sister, my mother and I all decided to go on a long walk around the suburb I live in, Avondale Heights. Thinking that we might see some birds to blog about, I decided that I would take my camera. We were all ready, so off we went.
As we headed along the walk, we walked down Buckley Street. In the eucalyptus trees along the sides of the path were little wattlebirds, red wattlebirds, New Holland honeyeaters, white-plumed honeyeaters, mynas and blackbirds. We came to a steep hill which we go down every day on our way to school. We crossed the road to get to the footpath going down the hill. In the eucalyptus trees beside the top of the hill were many New Holland honeyeaters. We went down the hill, spotting a black-faced cuckoo shrike in the eucalyptus trees as we went. Unfortunately, the cuckoo-shrike quickly flew off and I could not get a photo of it. We started to climb the hill until we reached a tunnel that goes under Buckley Street. We walked through this tunnel and came out to the second part of our walk, the Steele Creek Track.
So we walked along this track. On both sides of the track was grassland, dotted with many eucalyptus trees. In the trees were many willie wagtails, and in the sky tree martins and welcome swallows swooped and soared. It was a beautiful day, as red wattlebirds fed in the trees, their cackling and coughing calls filling the air.

White-plumed honeyeaters are very common in Avondale Heights and even visit my garden.

Willie wagtails are also very common in Avondale Heights

Then we reached a bridge over Steele Creek, and the best bird of the day showed itself.

AN EASTERN GREAT EGRET!

We watched the egret for a while, then kept on walking. I wanted to try and get a better view of the egret, so I followed a path that would take me near the egret's position. In the bushes and reeds around the track, I could see many white-plumed honeyeaters and superb fairy-wrens. As I got close, I was disappointed. A thicket of reeds was blocking my view of the egret. I walked back and continued on the track. We headed down a steep hill until we reached the Maribrynong River. The track continued to follow the river. In the bush I saw common starlings, rainbow lorikeets, house sparrows and superb fairy-wrens. In the river were most of the common waterbirds in the area, namely chestnut teals, dusky moorhens, little pied cormorants, little black cormorants, hoary-headed grebes and Eurasian coots. We reached a picnic table and ate some snacks we had brought with us. In the grass around us were red-rumped parrots and a single white-faced heron.

Red-rumped parrots are very common in the Maribrynong parklands. The male is on the left-hand side and the female on the right

White-faced herons are not that common in the suburb. They can sometimes be seen along the river and on grasslands and lawns. 

We continued our walk, listening to the maddened screeches of many sulphur-crested cockatoos. We quickly ran up a few hills and we were home.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos are fairly common in the parklands.