SRI LANKA, 24 February to 10 March 2010, a Mike Williams trip

 

​Wednesday 24 February

On a mild and rainy night headed for the Holiday Inn on the M4 arriving in time to watch the second half of Chelsea’s Champions League match with Inter.

 

Thursday 25 February

Caught the 7.40am hopper to T3 to meet Mike and the other eight at the Kuwait Airways desk at 8.30. Once airside we grabbed a quick coffee and banana before departing late. On arrival at Kuwait we discovered we had a 3-hour delay, our onward flight now due to depart at 11.15pm local time (UK + 2). Time to try a Costa coffee and after Mike had obtained meal vouchers we all managed a quick eat before boarding. The flight eventually left well after 11.15! 

 

Friday 26 February

Tried to sleep on the 5½ hour flight but only seemed to manage a stiff neck. Colombo was reached at 7.30am local time (UK + 5½ hrs) and a temperature of 26º. The trip through Immigration and bag claim ran well enough and we were met by ‘Wicky’, our Jetwing guide, waiting for us with his sign.

 

The air-conditioned minibus, freshened with mothballs, would now take us to the Sinharaja Rain Forest, a Unesco World Heritage site, situated in the south-west of the island another 5½ hours away! An early stop for local currency took a bureaucratically long time and we also stocked-up with water. Lunch was taken in the town of Nittambura where the piece of rough land beside the restaurant yielded our first butterflies of the trip, including the never-stopping Psyche. A further delay of around an hour occurred due to a political rally and traffic gridlock in Ratnapura and my seat over the rear axle was making me feel quite queasy. At the refreshment stop I declined a drink and Neil kindly swapped seats with me for the remainder of the journey. In fading light the last leg of the journey was undertaken in a kind of troop carrier with cases following in a Land Rover, bumping their way slowly up a long rough track through the forest to Martin’s Simple Lodge, situated in the heart of the forest. We arrived at last around 7pm in the dark some 30+ hours from reveille at Heathrow. Knackered, and feeling crap. Gekko in the room. No hot water, so endured a cold shower. No aircon or fan in the room. Met for dinner at 8pm, chicken curry. Fireflies dotted the dark sky, and an Oleander Hawk Moth came in to the light. Pleasantly surprised to learn that there are no mosquitoes here. 

 

Saturday 27 February

A Giant Squirrel seemed unpeturbed in the trees a few yards from my bathroom window/open hole in the wall. Joined the others for a subdued breakfast at 7am, the twitchers having already been out doing their thing. Tea, bread and jam, and a banana made me feel better but the arrival of lightly fried eggs was not what I wanted to see!

 

We left well before 8am to walk straight into the forest accompanied by Chandra, a quiet National Park Warden. Wicky led us to a Jackfruit tree in the hope of seeing a Blue Oakleaf but it was all quiet. Nectaring Blue Glassy Tigers were the first butterflies to grab our attention, followed by intense bee-buzzing around a large tree. Closer inspection revealed Common Birdwings, Tree Nymphs, Blue Mormons, and a stunning Clipper, some of the 84 species recorded here. All were impossible to photograph well, staying high and generally on the move. I walked on and found a rock to sit on in the shade being unable to peer into the canopy without straining my neck. A Wood Fowl passed close by me as if I didn’t exist. The others eventually caught me up and together we continued up the track in heavy heat. Tree Nymphs were common though by early afternoon activity had declined significantly. Leeches were around and I managed to avoid them, though some of the party didn’t. I walked back at lunchtime ahead of the others with Maureen, Neil’s Mum, and slept until 3pm. Tony had popped in to see if I was OK as the others went back into the forest. On a good line I rang Jean to wish her a Happy Birthday who sounded cheerful – won’t be away again, should have been with her. Watched a solitary wasp visiting its mud nest in the top corner of the room. Some time later Tony popped in again to tell me where the group were going in case I felt up to joining them – and I did, meeting up as the day cooled around 4pm. Butterflies were mostly absent now during the pleasant stroll and I was fortunate to spot a leech on my hand before it had a chance to feast.

 

On returning to the Lodge I had a coke with Neil and Maurice before psyching myself up for another cold shower before dinner at 7.30pm. Chatted afterwards with Wicky and Mike about the recent civil war and around 9.30 headed for bed.

 

Sunday 28 February

Woke at 6.30am to a cool and misty morning, feeling much restored, ahead of breakfast at 7. Today is a Buddhist holiday due to the full moon falling this evening. The sun came through as we reached the Information Centre disturbing a large monitor lizard from the rubbish pit. Male Birdwings glided overhead and Neil managed to shoot an excellent photo of one in flight, way above his head. A Purple Leaf-eating monkey sat in the trees some way off warming its back in the morning sun. Another visit to the jackfruit tree produced nothing though a pair of Black Eagles circled the distant tree-line.

 

Back in the protected area the big tree was buzzing again but butterflies were generally few and far between. Today we pushed-on to the research Centre and were rewarded with up to four Fivebar Swordtails taking minerals at the stream edge sandbank. A Clipper dropped in briefly along with a Baron. The stroll back yielded a few more butterflies but the sky was now clouding-over and butterflies became scarce.

 

After lunch at 3pm the overcast conditions reduced butterfly activity greatly and attention turned to photographing spiders, lizards etc. Upon returning at 5.30pm we were greeted by a power cut but another coke went some way to alleviating the gloom. Neil kindly offered me the luxury of a hot shower, gratefully accepted. A heavy sharp shower accompanied dinner and by 8.30pm I was back in my room. Tony and Mike went out with Wicky and torch to see what they could spot but only disturbed the local moggy (stray cat).

 

Monday 1 March

Breakfast, as usual, at 7am and then pack. The sun was through early this morning as was the local monitor lizard, rummaging through the waste food scraps at the tip. Drinks and two packed lunches bill was settled at 1,200 rupees, about £7.50! Our bags went on ahead and we walked downhill to meet up with them later. The pleasant stroll through the forest brought us to the new Visitor Centre where a mass of schoolkids were thronging the kiosk. The truck took us down to the waiting minibus and by 10am we were off again on another long journey.

 

After a short distance, and still in the trees, we pulled up at the roadside and immediately a Birdwing passed overhead at grabbing height. Naturally I had my macro lens fitted and another opportunity went begging! But not for long – a rather worn female came to a flowering tree nearby and I managed to rattle off several shots, still with the wrong lens fitted. It seems that the Birdwings are early fliers, whereas the Roses don’t appear until mid-afternoon.

 

Our route took us west to join the coast road north of Bentota – the Beach Hotel looked ‘just the same’ apparently not having been affected by the 2005 tsunami. The turtle sanctuaries were still there too. Just short of Galle we stopped for lunch at 2.30pm at a beachside restaurant where I tucked into fried calamari and fries rinsed down with a lime soda. Two or three turtles were swimming in the surf close in to the shore. Setting off again at 4pm, passing between Galle’s castle and cricket ground, the road took us to Rumassala below a huge radio red and white striped mast. In an unlikely setting we saw immediately Crimson Rose and Plumbeous Silverlines: a few local children peered through Liz’s scope.

 

Our next hotel, the Mandara Resort at Weligama, was reached at 6.30pm and very posh it was too: I was given a ground floor room with its own plunge pool, compensation maybe for the previous cold shower routine. Frangipani necklaces and a welcome drink completed the formalities. Drinks in the bar at 7.45 preceded dinner and within a couple of hours I was back in the room after what had been a long transit day.

 

Tuesday 2 March

The aircon and fan made for a fitful night, as did the expectation of an early wake-up call at 5.45am. Coffees were served in the restaurant at 6.15 after which we picked-up our packed breakfasts and boarded the bus for the short drive to the harbour to catch the 7.30 boat to go whale watching. Blue whales were the target as our boat, a re-purposed trawler, hit a heavy swell on the open sea, running at 6’ or more, as we hit it head-on for 13 miles. Using bins or a camera was pretty pointless in these conditions and our expectations of seeing anything began to subside. Between the two major shipping lanes, however, blow spray was seen by one of the spotters and the chase was on! Views were fleeting until a third whale approached us from behind coming in at ‘7 o’clock’ and seeming intent on a collision course. It came breathtakingly close before diving at the last minute resurfacing some way off the stern. The journey back seemed to be parallel with the swell and much easier, giving us better views of a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins and the odd flying fish.

 

Back on dry land at 12.15pm the bus took us back to the hotel for lunch and checkout before departing again at 2.50pm for our next destination. We followed the coast road east passing paddy fields, stopping for a short birdwatch, and finally arriving at the Elephant Reach hotel, Yala, in the dusk at 6.20. This was another superb hotel with chalet-style accommodation on a large campus. The end of the day was standard – dinner at 7.30, and the room two hours later.

 

Wednesday 3 March

Another early start beginning with a 5.30am wake-up call. Land Rovers took us away at 6am into the Yala National Park consisting of old dunes – so sandy and acacia scrub with scattered larger trees and many ponds and lakes (tanks). A browsing male elephant crossed between the two vehicles eyeing us suspiciously I thought. Our major target today was to see leopard and a disappearing rear view of a young male had to suffice – it was all over so quickly that I didn’t have time to bring my camera to my eye. Butterfly watching from the vehicle wasn’t great but Tawny Coster and Common Leopard were seen.

 

Back at the hotel for 10.50am I decided I’d had enough sitting in vehicles and chose to sit-out the afternoon safari. I needed to get out on foot and try to find some butterflies! After a short while the group walked off from the hotel down a track into a weedy field under a blisteringly hot sun. This area produced several good species, including Plain and Common Tigers, African Babul Blue, and my pick of the session a solitary Pioneer (that only I saw/managed to photograph).

 

We took lunch at 1.15pm and my sweet and sour prawns plus two EGB’s were excellent. After lunch I reviewed my photos in the cool of the room and opted-out of the 3pm afternoon drive. Wicky had told me that I’d find some good habitat across the road but all I encountered were people’s houses and far too much attention. So I headed back to the pre-lunch plot where very little was now on the wing. Got back to the room at 5.15pm, met the others for drinks at 7, followed by dinner, and bed by 10pm.

 

After dinner some of the group took the bus back towards the park to see what the headlights revealed – another moggy and also several nightjars on the road, presumably enjoying the retained heat.

 

Thursday 4 March

The 6am booked morning call didn’t happen but I was awake anyway and ready to depart half an hour later by Land Rover – with the birders – for another Yala drive. This is a truly superb park with only 15% or so open to the public. On this trip we were able to dismount at a couple of locations and at the first I managed to lie in wait for a stunning Blue Wanderer to return to a particular flower for its photo, and at the second stop, on the banks of a wide, shallow, clear river a Common Mormon was intently taking nutrients alongside a patch of pierids. The other vehicle spotted a leopard, but we didn’t. The drivers took us off the well-worn tracks and put the vehicles through their paces covering a number of ‘impossible’ looking stretches. Good fun! The hotel was reached at 1pm and lunch followed half an hour later.

 

A change of habitat was chosen for the afternoon, the wetlands of the Debarawewa Tank which we reached at 3pm after a 30-minute drive. A local lad got us into a plot being cleared by its owner but which nevertheless contained several butterflies, namely, Tigers, Crows, Evening Browns, and a distant Jezebel. A xxx Pitta was also glimpsed by Maurice and I. The final stop of the day was at another tank at Tissa to wait for the dusk departure of thousands of fruit bats from their ancient roosting Rain Trees. During the wait I found a couple of Plain Tiger larvae on Calotropis gigantea and earned myself a beer from Mike – well worth the effort! Exodus over, and mozzies abounding, we departed at 6.40pm and were back in the hotel by 7. Shower, bar 7.45, bed by 10.

 

Friday 5 March

A luxurious lie-in until 7 but had been awake earlier and used the time to pack although my laundry from a couple of days earlier was still awaited. Another long transit lay in store and after taking a few hotel shots we were away around 8.40am, destination Nuwara Eliya and the highlands. After a quick ATM stop we stopped again to stretch our legs at Ella which also turned out to be an excellent butterfly spot. The cobbled car park was dampened by some dubious moisture but attracted clouds of pierids, some interesting blues and nymphalids, and a Yamfly was seen on a nearby creeper. But the star of the show was a Tawny Rajah tucking into a delightful pale turd oblivious to its paparazzi. After a coffee we set off again at 12.15 stopping briefly to look at a waterfall taking lunch alfresco at the lovely heritage Bandarawela Hotel.

 

Arriving in Nuwara Eliya we stopped to visit Victoria Park packed with schoolchildren playing and running about on the extensive lawns. Butterflies were largely absent and the birders came into their own. Towards the end of the visit I took my leave to cross the road to take a better look at the colourful fruit market run by Muslims. The St Andrew’s Hotel was a short drive away and yet another lovely heritage pile. It boasts a snooker room built around 1830 retaining all the original panelling and a professional table that hosted the Sri Lankan championships. Neil and I put on a demonstration lasting at least an hour that we had to abandon at 8pm for dinner with 5 colours still unspotted! And this was despite Neil being coached by the ‘snooker room master’ an old boy of 31 years service who seemed to think Neil needed more advice than me! Dinner was boisterous with tables of noisy Europeans apparently enjoying the lively pop music (sadly) being provided by a live ensemble with a flat vocalist – I managed to dodge the conga as I headed for bed at 10pm. The hot water bottle in bed was certainly a surprise!

 

Saturday 6 March

A mozzie buzzed in my ear around 3am and woke me totally but the bugger managed to evade detection. It returned around 5am attaining a similar pitch to the distant call to prayer. The wake-up call at 6am wasn’t really appreciated but the buffet breakfast was excellent, some consolation.

 

The altitude called for the light fleece to be worn, at least initially, as the bus slogged relentlessly uphill through the endless pastures of the Ambewela dairy estate, the road controversially bumpy due to damage from the dairy’s heavy trucks. A roadside stop in a wooded area gave Liz and opportunity to demonstrate her great dexterity with the ‘scope to locate an Evening Brown way off in the undergrowth. The extensive forestation was pleasing to see as we eventually reached the flat top of Horton Plains, our destination for today at 7,000 feet. But this was not before Mike and Wicky spotted a Banded Peacock from the bus and despite an rapid stop and exit it was nowhere to be seen.

 

Unable to stray off road for reasons of conservation and the presence of leopards our walk stuck to the traffic-free tarmac road through light woodland. A Blue Admiral spotted by Maurice and Barbara appropriately brought up the butterfly ton and even though it dashed off into the trees we saw enough to whet the appetite for more. But apart from this, the butterflies were disappointingly few and far between. Our packed lunch was taken at the bus back at the main visitor centre.

 

On the way back we made a couple of stops at ponds but the puddlers had gone in the overcast conditions. Habitualised Samba deer stuck their muzzles through the windows, surely easy meat for a hungry leopard? A cuppa at 4pm back at the hotel outside with Mike and Tony was most welcome. Time to text the girls and do some ID’s before the bar and dinner. A sharp downpour clattered on the roofs. The bar group was cosily seated on soft sofas and the open fire crackled behind us.

 

Sunday 7 March

Feeling back to normal for the first time on this trip after a good night’s sleep we were up at 6.30am for breakfast at 7 ahead of an 8am departure for the 30-minute drive to the Hakgala Botanical Gardens. The route took us out past the long lake and through the immaculate market gardens in the valley to the lovely botanical gardens. Despite its promising first impression, butterflies once again were ‘few and far between’ apart from a mass migration to the NE of whites, Common Albatrosses we think.

 

Off at 10.30am, interrupted soon after for a drink stop, we resumed our journey towards Kandy an hour later. The landscape consisted largely of tea plantations and small roadside carefully laid-out veg stalls. At one point a flower-seller ran down to intercept the bus at a succession of long hairpins (reminiscent of Macchu Pichu) and was clearly disgusted with us for not stopping to buy. On entering the university suburbs of Peradeniya Mike nipped out to photograph a massive fig tree (for Mary) and shortly afterwards we enjoyed a good buffet lunch in an upstairs restaurant.

 

Departing just before 3pm our hotel was reached an hour later amidst rolling wooded hills and tea plantations. Once again, this was another superb spot and the hotel was excellent being a converted set of plantation buildings. Straight out to savour the last couple of hours of daylight Mike, Neil and I strolled the grounds and saw Red Pierrot, Evening Browns, and a Plum Judy guarding a path through the shrubbery. We stayed out into the dusk returning at 6.45pm. In the bar at 7.30pm, and appropriately on Oscar’s night too, we conferred the award of ‘Honourary Member of the Butterfly Society’ on an unprepared birder Liz for her contribution as a skilled telescope operative and Mike proudly presented her with a commemorative copy of the ‘Comma’. 

 

Monday 8 March

Another wake-up call at 6am ahead of a 6.30 departure in low cloud with packed breakfast to the Knuckles Range some 2½ hours away. We entered the Conservation Forest at 8.45 via tea estates disembarking ten minutes later after another long journey. We strolled up a tarmac path through low bushes and trees towards a radio station on the summit around 4,000 feet. Much time was spent identifying Bushrowns and Treebrowns, various skippers and blues. Low cloud rolled past us at the bend near the top. On the way back, however, Mike and I pursued a Red Pierrot up to the bend again where it pushed several times into the wind before successfully negotiating the elements and pausing for a while to recover enabling us to get some decent shots. Barbara and Maurice made me envious with close-up shots of a basking Blue Admiral that somehow I managed to miss.

 

We left at 1pm, stopping for lunch at 2.30 and off again at 3.45pm headed for a riverside spot where Wicky always saw Black Rajah (in August). The location was perfect for the species – pepper vines and water - but this was March. We stayed here for 40 minutes or so with not much doing. Back at the hotel by 5.30 I went straight out for the last hour but there was very little about. The evening routine was followed with Three Coins beer replacing the preferred Lion brand.

 

Tuesday 9 March

Packed before breakfast at 7am and went for a wander in the grounds. A local plantation worker and his two small children tried to engage me in friendly conversation without much mutual understanding and decided to accompany me back towards the hotel. With style severely cramped I missed a potential Red Pierrot opportunity and shook them off further down the track. Bought the excellent fold-out Gehan’s butterfly poster at the shop.

 

Another long trek had us depart the hotel at 9am stopping three hours later at Ukuwela for a pee and a drink. A new species of blue, the Apefly, was found fussing about on a small leguminous shrub edging the plot. Our final hotel, the ocean-edge chalet-style Seashells at Negombo to the north of Colombo, was reached at 1pm with dinner at 2. Belatedly bought postcards. After lunch went off with Neil in search of some local waste ground for a final butterfly fling. We were rewarded with an Indian Skipper and, best of all, in a banana plantation close-up shots of a Jezebel resting on a leaf. Cooled-off at the hotel at 4.30 ahead of a 5 o’clock group meeting with Wicky and his boss, Ganga. (Ganga told me I reminded him of Paul Collingwood, the English cricketer – not sure if that’s a compliment or not!).

 

Copied the species list from Mike’s notebook, wrote cards, showered, and met in the bar at 7.30pm. Ate a light soup and bread dinner under the stars on a balmy night and checked-out. An evening of traditional Sri Lankan music, dance and tabla-accompanied fire eating threatened to delay my sleep but it stopped at 10pm just as I lay down.

 

Wednesday 10 March

Wake-up call at 2am. Feeling better than expected, set-off for the airport at 2.30 ahead of our scheduled 5.30 departure. Delayed 45 minutes – could have been worse. Arrived Kuwait at 9am and revisited the Costa coffee stall directly opposite gate 2 which we colonised for the next two hours. Away on time at 12.30 for the 6½ flight to LHR touching down about 50 minutes late around 5.10pm. No suitcase, hopper or undue M25 dramas and arrived home at 7pm via Wendover just in time to say ‘goodbye’ to Jean as she headed off to choir. Normality quickly resumed!