Sri Lanka Wildlife Diaries- Memoirs from the wilderness: Hardcore Birding in Mannar

Mannar situated in the North West of the country is the Holy Grail for birding in Sri Lanka. The species of migrants seen is mindboggling. My friend Niroshan came back with some amazing sightings few weeks ago, and I could not wait any longer, I made arrangements with Erich to go there during the Independence Day long weekend in February. I booked the famous Four Tees Rest Inn which is patronized by many birders and is great value for money. We were joined by one of my oldest friends and a keen birder Hafiz.

The iconic wild donkeys

On the way to Vankalai

Hafiz at Pallavi

Barn Swallow

We departed Colombo at 3.00 am and took the longer route via Anuradhapura. We stopped by at Thissa Grand Rest House which was an old colonial building with a rustic charm. Unfortunately the place was heavily overpriced. I would not recommend it for a quick stop. Back on the road we passed Medawachchiya, Cheddikulam and the Giants Tanks on our way. The mannar region is home to many migrant waders and water birds every season, and the best place to see them is the Vankalai Sanctuary which is just before the town. This sanctuary was declared as the 4^th RAMSAR wetland site in Sri Lanka. We reached the turn off to Vankalai village and found a new road declared for the rail way track. We took this road and slowly drove along till we came to the wetlands. What we witnessed was amazing; over 1000 ducks from four species were identified. These were- Eurasian Widgeon, Northern Shoverler, Northern Pintail, Garganey and the Common Teal. They were all feeding and swimming in the water 200m away from us. Due to the noise created by the newly laid gravel while we drove along the birds flew into the air like a cloud and landed far away from us. I was disappointed as I did not get any photographs. Despite this I was amazed by the abundance of life in this area. We spotted many more species like the Eurasian curlew, several species of terns and few other common species like the little grebes and black winged stilts. The Vankalai sanctuary was vast and was bordered by the massive causeway linking Mannar to the mainland. We drove along this causeway and observed many Nothern Pintails, several species of plover and many egrets. I wanted to see the Western Reef Egret very badly, and this was the target of my trip. Unfortunately that afternoon it was not to be. My friend Niroshan and his group had seen one on the causeway but were facing the back light and thus was not a good angle for photography. I was determined to better this and photograph this beautiful bird.

We reached Four Tees Rest Inn which was 7km from the Mannar town and was greeted by Mr. Lawrence the owner. I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely the place is. The inn was located in a 5 acre plot of land lined with many trees, and was also home to birdlife. The rooms were basic but very comfortable and clean. The prices were amazing, and we were charged only Rs 1,500 for a triple room. The food on all three days was amazing with delicious sea food being served at every meal.

The guest house was filled with birders (bird watchers) who have arrived from all parts of the country. This place was highly recommended by many friends, and the owner Mr. Lawrence is very knowledgeable on the subject. We got friendly with a group of doctors and surgeons who were experts on the subject, and have been visiting Mannar since 2003. The people we met were very friendly and shared the same interest and passion.

During the evening we drove along the causeway and photographed some terns in flight. We headed towards Pallavi tank which was on the Pooneryn road. It was a beautiful sight, a small tank lined with palmyrah trees and bordered by a large Kovil. We didn’t see many birds, but coming back to the Causeway we observed a large flock of gulls and terns. We could not photograph them as the light was fading. We headed back to Four Tees for dinner and hit the sack early. We got up at 5.00 am and headed out to Vankalai by 5.30 am. The plan was to slowly walk to the edge of the marsh in the dark and blend in with the surroundings in order for the birds to get used to our presence. We waded through thick mud and each of us settled in separate locations with a good view of the lagoon. We spend around 1.30 hours till the sun came up, and the birds started flying in. They were oblivious to our presence and I managed to capture some good flight shots. The ducks unfortunately did not arrive in the numbers we expected, and the shovelers that I did manage to capture on the camera were far away. One northern pintail female swam right past me which I managed to photograph at close quarters. I photographed a lovely group of Eurasian spoonbills landing in the water right beside me. After a good 3-4 hours we decided to move on. The mud was very deep and I was covered shin deep in mud. After washing ourselves we drove along the Vankalai railway track. We came across a rosy starling which I had never seen before. Unfortunately the bird flew off when I tried to get closer.

Caspian Tern

Northern Shoveler

Eurasian Spoonbill

Whiskered Tern

Eurasian Spoonbill

Common Tern

Hardcore Birdwatching

Eurasian Spoonbill

Pacific Golden Plover

Rose Starling

Little Grebe Chick

Common Tern ?? need identification

Erich perfectly camouflaged

Little grebe mother and chick

Female Nothern Pintail

Above and Below- Male Common Teal

While we were driving along we saw a very unusually colored kingfisher. It was most probably a juvenile common kingfisher, but the colorations were very different. I would need proper clarification from some expert birders to make sure.

Need identification please

When we reached the corner of the road I saw what I was dreaming of finding. A Western Reef Egret in the distance. I photographed the beautiful metallic grey bird before it disappeared from sight. I was sad that I couldn’t get a better shot. Suddenly the bird walked back into our line of sight, but because its head is so small and detached from its body I had a hard time focusing with my lens. After a few seconds it flew off. I was still not satisfied as I didn’t get the images that I wanted, but I was happy that I spotted this rare bird. Back at the causeway we spotted a very unusual sight of hundreds of northern pintails with their backs in the air as they were feeding head down. It was very funny to see so many ducks in such an unusual position. Approaching the town along the causeway Erich suddenly stopped the car, and to our amazement there was a Western Reef Egret right in front of us. I went to town photographing every angle possible as it was fishing. My memory card ran out after about 20 min, and being extremely hungry we headed back to Four Tees in jubilation. I was over the moon, I had wanted to photograph this bird for a very long time, and finally it because a reality.

Common Kingfisher

Western Reef Egret

Common Kingfisher

Western Reef Egret

Garganey or Nothern Pintail

Northern Pintails feeding upside down

Common Kingfisher

Nothern Pintails feeding upsidedown

Eurasian Curlew

After a good afternoon nap, we headed back towards the Pooneryn road as we heard that some Avocet’s were seen there. But it was not to bee, as the birds had flown away. I did manage to photograph a Whimbrel which is a rare bird very similar to the Eurasian Curlew. Also I photographed a plover which needs identification; it could either be a grey plover or a Caspian plover. Will need to get confirmation from the experts.

Whimbrel

Common Redshank

Grey Plover or Caspian Plover ?? need identification

Common Redshank

Grey Plover or Caspian Plover ?? need identification

Large group of gulls and terns

Long Tailed Shrike

Painted Snipe

Back at Four Tees we planned to head back to Colombo by 6.30 am and we took the Tantirimale road which cut about 40km and we reached Nochchiyagama by 10.00 am with many stops along the way. I was back home by 4.30 pm and had a good night sleep dreaming of Mannar.

*One word of advice on what we experienced, these birds are most active form 8.00 am to 1.00 pm which is the best time to be on the road looking for them. Also remember to drive very slow and keep a sharp eyeout because you can easily miss them.