VISIT TO KALPITIYA AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP TO MANNAR

I made a brief visit to Kalpitiya  in the 3rd week of January to attend to a private matter and made sure that I visited the Mangrove reservation in Norachcholai  for a few hours and clicked my camera

Grey Francolin

Golden Pacific  Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Common Green Shank

I was planning to go to Mannar during the bird migration time for years but the logistic issues like  driving for hours etc halted my trip  many a time.
However by chance when I made inquiries, got to know that Fort to Thalaimannar train plies at convenient times and as such made a 2nd class booking in the 4th  week in January to go on a Friday night and to come on Saturday night. To my delight the guest house I booked to stay ( FOURTEES) is located right opposite the Thodaveli station the one after Mannar. The owner Laurance is an expert in migratory bird activity and their habitats and he arranged a trishaw to take me around the places whole day. To make things more positive , a couple of boys operating a boat in the  Jetty agreed to take me into the lagoon to check out the Flamingos though the tide was very low and water was very shallow .Earlier we  saw them  as a dot when  making rounds and to my delight we managed to go right up to them without disturbing them . It was a magical movement and also managed to photograph some special and rare migrants such as the Pin tail duck/ Northern shoveler/ Garganey/ Reef Heron/ Long tailed Shrike etc.


Started the day with the sunrise...



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Caspian Gull

Caspian Tern

A juvenile little grebe

Garganey- Female

Garganey  males in flight








Marsh Sandpiper

Bar TAILED Godwit

Northern Shoveler ( Female)

Northern Shoveler  -male





Kentish Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Glossy Ibis

Great Thick nee

Black Drongo

Blue tailed Bea eater

White bellied Sea Eagle

Lesser Plovers flying in a flock : a common site

Black Kite

This is how we saw the Flamingos first

The Jetty from which a boat was taken



Greater Flamingos at close range.

Long Tailed Shrike

Ashy Wood Swallows

With the sunset

Brown Headed Gull

The famous Baobab Tree

The baobabs in Sri Lanka is believed to have been brought by Arabian Traders. According to a study done in 2003, there are about 40 Baobab Trees surviving in Sri Lanka, out of which 34 has been identified and measured in Mannar. Most of the trees were calculated to be 300-400 years old. The oldest and the largest baobab is at Pallimunei which is said to be about 800 years old. This tree was calculated 723 years old in the 2003 study. The circumference of the tree is is 19.5 meters and its 7.5 meters tall. 

Female Northern Pin-tail

Male Northern Pin-tail

Black Winged Kite

 Bar  Tailed  Godwits in a paddy field which is rare

Marsh Sandpiper




Eurasian Curlew

Common Redshank

Whimbrel

Reef Heron


Black Headed Gull


Whiskered Tern