Horton Plains
Tuesday 18th February – Out at 5.00am this morning for an hour drive to Horton Plains for dawn. This was the last day of our trip so no room for dipping any key species! We arrived at the entrance just as the first glimmers of light were showing and while we waited for the usual permits we got an Indian Blackbird singing.
Permits sorted, we got back in the van and headed into the reserve but soon stopped to walk up a path through some dense bushes. Halfway up we stopped and listened as a harsh call started sounding next to the path. We didn’t have to wait too long before a Sri Lanka Bush warbler crept out of the tangle of scrub and kept giving brief views as it moved around, being joined by another nearby. Unfortunately the light was still too poor to get any photos but we were pleased with the views. We then got brief views against the light of another endemic, a Dull-blue Flycatcher, as we retraced our steps. Further down the road we stopped where a couple were photographing some Grey Langur Monkeys and were surprised to find it was another birder from Buckinghamshire, Chris Ward! Chris is a great photographer and was no doubt capturing some stunning shots for a future slide show.
Dull Blue Flycatcher – Another endemic species. Only seen at Horton Plains.
We moved on down the road where a pair of Dark-fronted Babblers crept out of the bushes, while the sound of Sri Lanka Junglefowl was ringing all around us. We tried for a Whistling Thrush that we could hear singing down a densely vegetated slope but after loads of searching it moved off and we tried another spot. Another bird was singing on the other side of the track but again it moved off and went quiet before we could get even a glimpse. Ashoka was not at all hopeful by now that we would see one as they are notoriously shy and usually only seen just after first light, but we had one last try back up the road where Neil was sure he had heard one calling briefly. It sang again. There was a glimmer of hope. Ashoka started calling quietly back to it, then after a few minutes he froze and started nodding and pointing as carefully as he could to the bushes next to him. There was a stunning male Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush half hidden perched about 2 metres away! It stayed here for a few minutes before flying further back into the scrub and then disappeared. We couldn’t believe it as we had virtually given up hope of seeing one so long after dawn but fortunately Ashoka managed to pull one out of the bag. A Dull Blue Flycatcher then appeared in some of the higher branches giving us better views of the colouring than the first bird.
At 10:30 am the Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush is not supposed to be viewable. We had almost given up when we heard one singing as we walked back to our vehicle. With some encouragement the bird came right next to the road. The bird can be seen as a dark shape in the middle of the bush, with our guide Ashoka looking at the bird.
Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush – Never easy to see in the thick vegetation.
Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush – As the name suggests, a Sri Lankan endemic.
The next stop came up trumps too when a Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon flew in and landed in a nearby tree and a Sri Lanka White-eye was flitting about on the other side of the track.
Sri Lanka Wood-Pigeon – Another endemic species which we only saw at Horton Plains.
The Pigeon was the last of the endemics we needed at this site but we carried on out to the more open plains where a pair of Pied Bushchats (see below) were collecting nest material but despite searching we found nothing else of note.
We found a very confiding Sambar Deer stag, which seem very used to visitors, and which provided some excellent photos, we also had views of Dusky Striped Squirrel.
On the way back down the slope from the reserve we had great views of a Dull-blue Flycatcher and a showy Forest Wagtail.
After driving up through forested roads for some time, we eventually arrived on the “plain”.
Click on this link for a short video clip of Sammie the cake eating Sambar Deer
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