The First Adventure
This is the story of our family’s first safari trip, as retold from my wildlife diary, edited for clarity (and to tone down my corny 12-year-old writing) and to include accurate common names and scientific names.
August 2009
The decision to visit Yala National Park was made with much deliberation and debate, because the civil war had ended mere months before. My mother (who was the most wary) eventually agreed on a two-day trip, with some sightseeing added.
Preparation
We booked a room for a night at the Tissamaharama Rest House and hired a van. My father bought a copy of The Yala Wildlife Reserves by Profs. Mangala and Padma K. de Silva, which gave an in-depth look into everything about Yala. And that included the fact that we were visiting Yala during the off-season, for August was one of the driest months of the year.
We were disappointed, but decided to continue. I remembered to pack up a camera (borrowed from one of my father’s friends), The Yala Wildlife Reserves, along with my trusty Photographic Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Deepal Warakagoda and TSU de Zylva.
Day One
The towns Kandana, Colombo, Dehiwala, Moratuwa, Panadura and Kalutara flashed by, as I hummed Rudyard Kipling’s Lukannon and dozed off, having woken up at around 3 am.
August 2009
The decision to visit Yala National Park was made with much deliberation and debate, because the civil war had ended mere months before. My mother (who was the most wary) eventually agreed on a two-day trip, with some sightseeing added.
Preparation
We booked a room for a night at the Tissamaharama Rest House and hired a van. My father bought a copy of The Yala Wildlife Reserves by Profs. Mangala and Padma K. de Silva, which gave an in-depth look into everything about Yala. And that included the fact that we were visiting Yala during the off-season, for August was one of the driest months of the year.
We were disappointed, but decided to continue. I remembered to pack up a camera (borrowed from one of my father’s friends), The Yala Wildlife Reserves, along with my trusty Photographic Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Deepal Warakagoda and TSU de Zylva.
Day One
The towns Kandana, Colombo, Dehiwala, Moratuwa, Panadura and Kalutara flashed by, as I hummed Rudyard Kipling’s Lukannon and dozed off, having woken up at around 3 am.
The Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery
Our first stop was the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project, where we visited a turtle nursery. We were allowed to touch the tiny hatchlings. They were mostly Green Turtle hatchlings (Chelonia mydas), along with a few Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea). It was strange to know that those little, palm-sized hatchlings with pinstriped suits would become oceanic giants.
There was an albino Green Turtle, about nine months old. Its head, neck and flippers were a beautiful milky white, while its shell had a chestnut and cream pattern.
Apart from them, Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) were there too.
Mudskippers at Madol Doova
The second stop was Koggala, along with Madol Doova, the island immortalised in Martin Wickramasinghe’s children’s novel of the same name.
We were taken on a boat ride on Koggala Lake around the small island, whose name comes from the Madol plant (Garcinia hermonii), endemic to Sri Lanka. Mangroves covered the island and grew in the surrounding waters.
Closer to shore, Barred Mudskippers (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) were seen near the waterline. These weird little fish were light grey, green and brown with darker mottling. They had large heads and bulbous eyes reminiscent of frogs, and flat mouths. They hauled themselves up the shore and onto land using their pectoral fins, occasionally returning to breathe dissolved oxygen.
Little black crabs were constantly crawling in and out of crevices in the rocks. The view around was beautiful, with deep blue seas and pure white spray.
The fourth stop was Bundala National Park, a welcome break from the monotonous drive. The first bird we saw was an Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus). We saw a young Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) that had been rescued by park officials. It was rather tame, and allowed us to approach close. It didn’t have the black, brown and yellow plumage of an adult yet, instead being a pale buff and brown. I also spotted an Indian Black Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata), singing its song.
Here’s a list of the species we saw on safari, in no particular order:
Crested Hawk Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)
Ashy-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus)
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Yellow-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris)
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii)
Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Purple Coot (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola)
Spotted Deer (Axis axis)
Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)
Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis)
Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
It was about 7 pm when we finally reached the Tissamaharama Rest House, where we refreshed ourselves, had dinner and went to bed, after glimpsing the Milky Way from the balcony.
Day Two
We set off at 5.30 am for the morning game drive in the same van, reaching Yala by 6 am. Grey Langurs (Semnopithecus priam) were in the trees at the Palatupana Office. My sister saw a bird which was probably a Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus), while the rest of us peered at Baya Weavers (Ploceus philippinus).
The list, again:
Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
Spotted Dove (Stigmatopelia chinensis)
Indian Peafowl
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Elephant
Spotted Deer
Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica)
Grey Langur
I was the first to see the Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops). The black, white and chestnut bird that suddenly flew over the van bewildered me at first - and suddenly the word flashed in my mind and I cried “Hoopoe, Hoopoe!”.
This pretty bird has a chestnut head, neck and underparts, striking black and white wings and tail, and a long bill. Its most remarkable feature, however, is its crest.
We came to a partly dried-up reservoir, where we could see Painted Storks, an eagle - probably a young Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus), and a Great Egret (Casmerodius albus). We could also see a lot of Black-winged Stilts, a few Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans) and one Grey Heron. Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were wallowing in one end of the reservoir, while a Mugger Crocodile basked on the opposite bank.
Back to the list:
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Common Kingfisher
Our (relatively new) guide got a message that a leopard was sighted somewhere on a kill. We hurried to find it, but ended up lost, and while figuring out the way back, the van got stuck in a small rut - and had to be heaved out, in the sweltering heat and monotony of open scrubland close to noon.
Back on the way, the guide spotted an eagle feeding on a dead Spotted Deer. It seemed to be a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). We let him continue his meal and drove away. My father and sisters spotted another Hoopoe, this one dust-bathing.
Next, we saw a family of Yellow-wattled Lapwings. The four chicks looked just like miniatures of their parents, only lacking the conspicuous yellow wattles. My mother noticed a bird somewhat reminiscent of a female Sri Lanka Spurfowl crouched under a bush. It was more reddish than a Greater Coucal and rounder in shape. It was quite a puzzle.
At last we hit upon the right path. We passed another drying reservoir with a huge flock of Lesser Whistling Teals (Dendrocygna javanica), Stilts and egrets. Our guide spotted a Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) in the distance - a rare bird, and the biggest in Sri Lanka. It has a huge, heavy-looking bill, bare yellowish skin on the head and neck, black mantle and white underparts. We tried in vain to photograph it, but it was too far away.
We eventually reached the “leopard site”, but we were too late. There was neither leopard nor kill, and we had to satisfy ourselves with seeing a Wild Boar (Sus scrofa).
The list once again:
Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Sri Lanka Red-backed Woodpecker (Dinopium (benghalense) psarodes)
Sri Lanka Woodshrike (Tephrodornis (pondicerianus) affinis)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis)
Sri Lanka Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis)
Our safari was peppered with sightings of Spotted Deer, typical members of the deer family. They have white spots on their pale brown backs and white throats and bellies, with a dark line running along their spines. The big males have spreading antlers, which the does lack. They were not in their huge wet-season gatherings, and instead were seen in small groups or singly.
We were not lucky enough to see tuskers. The only elephant we saw in Yala was a solitary non-tusker, and we observed him feeding on thorny shrubs.
As the roadside grew wilder, we knew we were approaching Udawalawe National Park, a place famous for elephants. My father had just remarked that there probably would be no elephants in sight, when the first one appeared. It seemed to be a small male, a non-tusker. He paused and stared at us curiously, before ambling away.
Down the road we met two more elephants who were more phlegmatic, allowing people to feed them sugarcane (a terrible practice, as it only encourages them to raid safari vehicles and invade cropland seeking food).
The scenery turned breathtaking. It was about 4.30 pm and around us was wild country. The bushes and trees had dwindled, and had given way to vast plains, green and gold, dotted here and there with peafowl. The sky was a clear blue, with a few wispy white clouds. There were crags and mountains, which, though distant, still retained their majesty. We noticed Jerdon’s Bushlarks (Mirafra affinis) in their song-flights, providing music to the scene.
It was nearing sunset by the time we reached the bridge over the Udawalawe Reservoir. The scenery had to be seen to be believed. The sky was a clear, brilliant blue, and the pale golden tinge from before had turned salmon-pink. The reservoir mirrored the sky, and pink-and-white Painted Storks were scattered here and there. Into this colour scheme was added a medley of greens: jade, emerald, green ochre, leaf green, grass green, yellow green ... the array was bewildering. Flocks of Little Swifts (Apus affinis) swarmed in the air, fluttering about hunting for insects. Their white throats and rumps contrasted clearly with the blacks and browns of their bodies. The mountains looked even more formidable, as they were closer by. It’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to capture it all on camera.
It’s true that I didn’t get to see the star-of-the show, the Leopard, but that disappointment was minor, considering what we did see. Someday I might come to Yala in season, and encounter much more of its hidden treasures.
Taxonomic notes:
The Sri Lanka Red-backed Woodpecker and the Sri Lanka Woodshrike were not regarded as endemics at the time of the trip, and were named the Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense psarodes) and the Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus affinis) respectively.
The Jerdon’s Bushlark, at the time, was named the Rufous-winged Bushlark (Mirafra assamica).
Closer to shore, Barred Mudskippers (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) were seen near the waterline. These weird little fish were light grey, green and brown with darker mottling. They had large heads and bulbous eyes reminiscent of frogs, and flat mouths. They hauled themselves up the shore and onto land using their pectoral fins, occasionally returning to breathe dissolved oxygen.
Hummanaya
Our third stop was the famous blowhole, Hummanaya in Dikwella, said to be one of the biggest blowholes in the world. When the sea is turbulent, water rushes into the undersea cave, is channelled upward and bursts out of a hole in the roof of the cave, onto the eroded rocks below.Little black crabs were constantly crawling in and out of crevices in the rocks. The view around was beautiful, with deep blue seas and pure white spray.
Bundala and Beyond
The journey continued. It was sweltering in Hambantota, and lagging there was the last thing I wanted. We passed miles of scrubland, which resembled the African savannah, and saw distant windmills.The fourth stop was Bundala National Park, a welcome break from the monotonous drive. The first bird we saw was an Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus). We saw a young Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) that had been rescued by park officials. It was rather tame, and allowed us to approach close. It didn’t have the black, brown and yellow plumage of an adult yet, instead being a pale buff and brown. I also spotted an Indian Black Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata), singing its song.
Here’s a list of the species we saw on safari, in no particular order:
Crested Hawk Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)
Ashy-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus)
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Yellow-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris)
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii)
Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Purple Coot (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola)
Spotted Deer (Axis axis)
Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)
Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis)
Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
It was about 7 pm when we finally reached the Tissamaharama Rest House, where we refreshed ourselves, had dinner and went to bed, after glimpsing the Milky Way from the balcony.
***
Day Two
The Safari
 |
| Indian Peafowl |
Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
Spotted Dove (Stigmatopelia chinensis)
Indian Peafowl
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Elephant
Spotted Deer
Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica)
Grey Langur
I was the first to see the Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops). The black, white and chestnut bird that suddenly flew over the van bewildered me at first - and suddenly the word flashed in my mind and I cried “Hoopoe, Hoopoe!”.
This pretty bird has a chestnut head, neck and underparts, striking black and white wings and tail, and a long bill. Its most remarkable feature, however, is its crest.
We came to a partly dried-up reservoir, where we could see Painted Storks, an eagle - probably a young Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus), and a Great Egret (Casmerodius albus). We could also see a lot of Black-winged Stilts, a few Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans) and one Grey Heron. Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) were wallowing in one end of the reservoir, while a Mugger Crocodile basked on the opposite bank.
Back to the list:
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Common Kingfisher
 |
| Wara (Calotropis gigantea) |
Our (relatively new) guide got a message that a leopard was sighted somewhere on a kill. We hurried to find it, but ended up lost, and while figuring out the way back, the van got stuck in a small rut - and had to be heaved out, in the sweltering heat and monotony of open scrubland close to noon.
Back on the way, the guide spotted an eagle feeding on a dead Spotted Deer. It seemed to be a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). We let him continue his meal and drove away. My father and sisters spotted another Hoopoe, this one dust-bathing.
 |
| Juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle feeding on a Spotted Deer |
Next, we saw a family of Yellow-wattled Lapwings. The four chicks looked just like miniatures of their parents, only lacking the conspicuous yellow wattles. My mother noticed a bird somewhat reminiscent of a female Sri Lanka Spurfowl crouched under a bush. It was more reddish than a Greater Coucal and rounder in shape. It was quite a puzzle.
At last we hit upon the right path. We passed another drying reservoir with a huge flock of Lesser Whistling Teals (Dendrocygna javanica), Stilts and egrets. Our guide spotted a Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) in the distance - a rare bird, and the biggest in Sri Lanka. It has a huge, heavy-looking bill, bare yellowish skin on the head and neck, black mantle and white underparts. We tried in vain to photograph it, but it was too far away.
We eventually reached the “leopard site”, but we were too late. There was neither leopard nor kill, and we had to satisfy ourselves with seeing a Wild Boar (Sus scrofa).
The list once again:
Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Sri Lanka Red-backed Woodpecker (Dinopium (benghalense) psarodes)
Sri Lanka Woodshrike (Tephrodornis (pondicerianus) affinis)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis)
Sri Lanka Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis)
Our safari was peppered with sightings of Spotted Deer, typical members of the deer family. They have white spots on their pale brown backs and white throats and bellies, with a dark line running along their spines. The big males have spreading antlers, which the does lack. They were not in their huge wet-season gatherings, and instead were seen in small groups or singly.
 |
| Spotted Deer |
 |
| Elephant |
The Return
Having finished the safari, we left Yala, had lunch in the hotel and embarked on the return journey. Passing Lunugamvehera National Park, we saw a lot of peafowl. A bright blue flash from a telephone wire indicated that I’d seen my first Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis). It isn’t very impressive when it’s landed - dull brown and blue-green, but when it flies, it bursts into brilliant azure, purple and turquoise blue.As the roadside grew wilder, we knew we were approaching Udawalawe National Park, a place famous for elephants. My father had just remarked that there probably would be no elephants in sight, when the first one appeared. It seemed to be a small male, a non-tusker. He paused and stared at us curiously, before ambling away.
Down the road we met two more elephants who were more phlegmatic, allowing people to feed them sugarcane (a terrible practice, as it only encourages them to raid safari vehicles and invade cropland seeking food).
The scenery turned breathtaking. It was about 4.30 pm and around us was wild country. The bushes and trees had dwindled, and had given way to vast plains, green and gold, dotted here and there with peafowl. The sky was a clear blue, with a few wispy white clouds. There were crags and mountains, which, though distant, still retained their majesty. We noticed Jerdon’s Bushlarks (Mirafra affinis) in their song-flights, providing music to the scene.
It was nearing sunset by the time we reached the bridge over the Udawalawe Reservoir. The scenery had to be seen to be believed. The sky was a clear, brilliant blue, and the pale golden tinge from before had turned salmon-pink. The reservoir mirrored the sky, and pink-and-white Painted Storks were scattered here and there. Into this colour scheme was added a medley of greens: jade, emerald, green ochre, leaf green, grass green, yellow green ... the array was bewildering. Flocks of Little Swifts (Apus affinis) swarmed in the air, fluttering about hunting for insects. Their white throats and rumps contrasted clearly with the blacks and browns of their bodies. The mountains looked even more formidable, as they were closer by. It’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to capture it all on camera.
In Conclusion
I needn’t have regretted going to Yala out of season, since my tally of birds rocketed up to the 90s. The sites covered along the Southern Coast were an added bonus, especially since I had never gone further than Galle.It’s true that I didn’t get to see the star-of-the show, the Leopard, but that disappointment was minor, considering what we did see. Someday I might come to Yala in season, and encounter much more of its hidden treasures.
***
Taxonomic notes:
The Sri Lanka Red-backed Woodpecker and the Sri Lanka Woodshrike were not regarded as endemics at the time of the trip, and were named the Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense psarodes) and the Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus affinis) respectively.
The Jerdon’s Bushlark, at the time, was named the Rufous-winged Bushlark (Mirafra assamica).
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