Bird Watching

Sri Lanka is an ornithologist’s delight as it boasts of more than 225 species of bird which are resident in the island which include 26. In addition, there are around 200 migrant species recorded, so avid bird-watchers will find themselves in paradise. The coastal areas are exotically picturesque with combinations of lagoon, swamp, river, jungle, lake and plain. Large flocks can be found of both resident and migrant birds. Whilst sanctuaries located down Sri lanka’s extreme southern coast such as Wirawila, Kumana and Kalametiya which are all lagoon locations the most popular locations for bird watching are perhaps Sinharaja, Kanneliya and Bundala but there are also lesser known place such as Bodhinagala, Muthurajawela and the Dambulla arboretum which is home for many endemic bird species.


Some Birds That Can Be Seen
Some of the birds commonly seen across the Island are : Myna, Babbler, Kingfisher, Whistling Thrush, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Red-faced Malkoha, Brown-capped, Indian Shag, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Lesser Egret, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black Winged Kite, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Fishing Eagle, Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Ceylon Shikra, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Jungle Bush Quail, Common Moorhen, Red Wattled Lapwing, Ceylon Wood Pigeon, Ceylon Spotted Dove, Emerald Dove, Ceylon Hanging Parrot, Rose-winged parakeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Layard’s parakeet,Indian Koe,Blue-faced Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, Asian Palm Swift, Little Swift, Crested Tree Swift, Common Kingfisher, Blue-eared Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-breasted Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, blue -headed Bee-eater, Roller, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, brown-headed Barbet, brown-fronted Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Red-backed Woodpecker, Greater Flameback Woodpecker, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-headed Oriole, White-bellied Drongo, Ashy Wood Swallow-shrike, Common Mynah, Hill Mynah (common Grackle), House Crow, Large-billed Crow, Large Cuckoo-shrike, Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike, Small Minivet, Large Minivet (Orange Minivet), Common Iora, Jerdon’s Chloropsis, Red-vented Bulbul, White-browed Asian Brown Flycatcher, Layard’s Flycatcher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Fantail Flycatcher, Azure-bleu Flycatcher, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Ceylon Paradise Flycatcher, Grey-breasted Prinia, Common Taylor Bird, Eurasian Blackbird, Indian Blue Robin, Magpie Robin, Indian Robin (Black Robin), Great Tit,Grey Wagtail, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Tickell’s Flowerpecker, Purple-rumped Sunbird Purple Sunbird, Long-billed Sunbird (Loten’s), Ceylon White-eye, Oriental White-eye ,House Sparrow, Hill Munia (Black-throated), and a host of others.

Sri Lanka being a tropical Island surrounded with water and blessed with many rivers lakes and lagoons can offer many exciting opportunities and fishing experiences, besides the country is home to 90 species of freshwater fish and 21 species of crabs. 26 species of such fish live only in South-West Rivers and streams. Most of these fish are small and have only adopted to the conditions of their habitat. Some are rare species which live in particular regions. Weather it is for a group of professionals, a fishing enthusiast or may be just a recreational passion we can arrange an exclusive fishing tour or simply combine this with a round tour of the Island. The experience is both relaxing and very sociable.

Fishing provides the coastal folk of Sri Lanka with their livelihood. There may be various fishing techniques adopted around the world, but the Stilt fishermen of Weligama in the deep south of Sri Lanka have a unique style of fishing which involves casting their lines from a perch on a sturdy pole out at sea. It is unknown how or where this unusual technique originated, but it has proven to be a very successful method and this jealously guarded livelihood has been passed down from generation to generation and is still commonly practiced in that particular region. Since this requires a lot of skill and practice and is very painstaking It is wise to leave this type of fishing to the local experts, as there are more comfortable and enjoyable methods of fishing to engage in.

Deep Sea Fishing
An attractive proposition for both the professional and recreational angler. The currents off the island bring the feeding food close to the mainland, attracting the big fish. Generally fishing is possible throughout the year but ideal period for sport fishing in Western and Southern coast is from November to April when the seas are calm and during May to October in the eastern coast.The popular bait is artificial lures but live bait is also used frequently. There is an abundance of game fish in Sri Lankan territorial waters such as Spanish Mackerel, Grouper, Sail Fish, Barracuda, Cobia, Tuna, Wahoo, Giant Trevallie, Benito, and species of Marlin, popular areas for fishing are at Bentota, 65km south of Colombo, which is a two hour straight drive or further down at either Hikkaduwa, Galle or Weligama also deal venues. North of Colombo lies the most popular fishing village Negombo where you are in sport fish territory where sailfish, swordfish tuna are within 50 miles catching range. Further north at Kalpitiya also provides excellent conditions. The East coast offers equally good Game fishing opportunities but with areas such as Batticaloa being a no go zone due to the security situation prevailing in the country, it is unfortunately still not possible to arrange a fishing expedition in this area although Trincomalee is a possibility which offers equally good opportunities.

Trout Fishing
Nuwara Eliya is the most popular place for Trout Fishing where the main waters around the city flow through tea estates, and light jungle, grassland and nature reserves. Although it is generally restricted to fly-fishing and wet fly is typically used since there is little natural fly. There is no closed season, although Nuwara Eliya & the District Fishing Club may impose certain restrictions after restocking.

Lagoon fishing
During certain times of the year small fish like sardines, and anchovies are abundant in some of the shallow lagoons, allowing one to just scoop them up with a small net, such opportunities perhaps provide a better alternative for the beginner rather than having to sit patiently at the water’s edge with a rod and reel waiting for your pray to take the bite.

Although fishing opportunities in Sri Lanka are excellent, unfortunately quality fishing equipment is quite scarce and there is only a limited amount of equipment for hire, therefore you would be advised to bring your own gear to avoid any disappointment.

Millions of years before man colonized Sri Lanka, it is known that sea turtles had been coming to the undisturbed beaches of this Island to lay their eggs. The coastline of approximately 1,600 km and the many wide and sandy beaches fringing the island continue to provide the ideal habitat for nesting turtles. Five out of the 7 species of Sea Turtles come ashore to nest in Sri Lanka. All 5 species are however endangered. Such species include Olive Ridley, Hawksbill, Green, Leatherback, and Loggerhead turtles. In spite of the obvious stresses faced by marine turtles in Sri Lanka, very little progress has been made on scientific research, with the exception of a few surveys on their status and nesting beaches, and hatchery record maintenance (Research and Monitoring). Marine turtle nesting beaches have been recorded mainly on the western, south-western and southern beaches, although a comprehensive survey of the entire coastline is yet to be undertaken

Legal protection and Marine Turtle Conservation Initiatives In Sri Lanka
Under the legal provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), No. 2 of 1937, suitable areas were identified and declared as wildlife reserves. Towards the end of 1940's, the Governement realized the necessity to establish a separate Department to enforce the ordinance and to manage the increasing number of reserves. Accordingly, the Department of Wildlife Conservation was established in October 1949. Since then amended by Act No: 49 of 1993, together with relevant provisions for the increase in fines through Act No: 12 0f 2005 have contributed considerably towards the conservation of the Turtle. The Fisheries and Aquatic resources Act has also provisions for the protection of this species today, turtle conservation has become a major thematic area within the department's special projects and the first ever sanctuaries in Sri Lanka declared under FFPO,

Turtle Conservation Projects in Sri Lanka - www.tcpsrilanka.org
At the forefront of Turtle conservation projects in Sri Lanka is The Turtle Conservation Project better known as TCP. This organization commenced it’s pioneering conservation program at Rekawa in the 1996 and is now a registered as an Independent Sri Lankan non-governmental organization (NGO) with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). The TCP mission is to devise and facilitate the implementation of sustainable marine turtle conservation strategies through education, research and community participation. A project which we actively support. The organization has taken many initiatives to protect the sea turtles in their natural habitat while providing an alternative source of income to local people formally dependant on illegal collection of eggs. TCP initiated it’s second conservation program in Kosgoda in 2003. Surveys have revealed that almost 100% of the sea turtle nests occurring on the Kosgoda beach are robbed for thir eggs. The eggs are either consumed raw on the spot or sold to private dealers It is also a known fact that the turtles themselves are caught and slaughtered for the consumption of their meat or for the preparation of a soup which for some is a delicacy. The research programe employs those individuals who were dependent on the egg poaching and research activities include identifying and counting the number of turtles coming to nest on Kosgoda beach, measuring the turtles, nest counting, measuring and weighing the eggs and to obtain such data TCP conducts research 24 hrs a day throughout the year.

TCP’s other activities in Sri lanka are educating the local people to “Tourist Guides” to give them an alternative income to egg poaching, sponsoring primary schools in Rekawa, Kalpitiya, Bundala, Kosgoda and Panadura, Organizing education and awareness exhibitions. TCP also established a small community library in Rekawa and is carrying out English classes.