Memorable trip to hortain plains "the cloud forest"...

 I got a chance to go to Hortain plains to try my luck on the leopards as well as for birding in the 2nd week of December 2021. The trip was organized by the dynamic naturalist Rajiv and an experienced birder (Hetti) also accompanied us .The tour party consisted of 8 people including a couple of dedicated birders as well. as expected the tour was 100% successful in terms of the logistics, accommodation and food and all the members bonded extremely well and made every ones stay  very comfortable.

The icing on the cake was when we got to see the illusive mountain leopard on my first trip to see the animal and also seeing the most sort after Sri Lanka whistling thrush among others.

On the way---

The sitting room of the lodge we stayed in ....African ambiance for sure.

Hortain plains entrance covered with mist at 6 a.m.

The much sort after Endemic sri lanka whistling thrush (arrenga)

Sub species purple faced leaf monkey or the bear monkey

This was priceless. Apparently in this area there is a family of 4 ( 3 cubs and the mother) In this particular instance we would have seen 3 trying to mingle but the photograph window was very small .

Although the weather forecast was not promising we were very lucky not to get heavy rains right through and experienced heavy mist and the cold only.

Eurasian black bird in the compound we were staying in.

This migrant kashmir flycatcher was also in the garden area.

yellow  wagtail too was in the garden

The sambar deer is a common sight in the cloud forest . They are in their numbers and is a good indicator to look out for leopards going by their behavior patterns.

Zitting cisticola

Hill Swallow

Jungle foul; very soon this could be a sub- species of  the highland.

female pied bush chat

Male pied-bush chat

Indian brown Mongoose

Endemic sri lanka white eye

Endemic rhino- horned lizard (female)

Sri Pada seen from the cloud forest

These endemic torque macaques gave us a good show.

Cinerine tit was also found in the garden 

paddy field pipit

Quite a rare sight to see the endemic blue magpie in the forest..

house sparrow

Endemic yellow eared bulbul

jungle crow

Endemic sri lanka wood pigeon

grey headed canary flycatcher

endemicCeylon deaf agama

Endemic "heen bovitia (Osbekia octandra)