Last morning's birding in Sinharaja and Rockview
This was our very last birding excursion of the tour! Jith had departed for home so John, Gill and I were guided by Thilina our driver/guide who was more than capable of finding birds. We searched the high forest all the way back to Sinharaja village on a beautiful sunny morning.
Yellow-fronted Barbet
We left Rockview at 6:30am, our targets included Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Sri Lanka Hill Myna and anything else that turned up. We stayed out for 2 hours and had some wonderful sightings but nothing new came our way. We ended up at Magpie Lodge a kilometer from the village of Sinharaja. Their lush grounds held plenty of birds and a welcomed cold drink, I viewed the accommodation there and found a very nice venue for future trips, lovely clean, a/c apartments waiting for my group next year.
Black Bulbul
By 9am we were back at Rockview eating breakfast during which we sighted a raptor circling outside the restaurant window, it was Besra, a small falcon. Later, John found a much larger raptor circling in the valley, he correctly identified it as a Rufous-bellied Eagle, another trip tick.
White-browed Bulbul
That more or less concluded the birding tour, we were driven to the coast where we stayed in a hotel right on the beach but our binoculars were put away and our fiction novels came out.
Sri Lanka Drongo
White-bellied Drongo
Barn Swallow with Sri Lanka Swallows
We had seen 233 species of birds, 33 of which are endemic to Sri Lanka and over 20 mammals. For a full list of sightings check the trip report due out shortly.
Oriental Magpie Robin
Thank all of you that recommended Sri Lanka as a potential Tour venue, you were so right it is a wonderful birding destination.