Tropical Birding Sri Lanka Virtual Tour by Sam Woods

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Sri Lanka presents those who have never visited the culturally rich Indian subcontinent with a wonderful introduction to the region, while also offering “Indiaphiles” a host of new southern specialties and 33 endemic species. With the fluid state of taxonomy, this list is sure to grow, with many other local races split in the future. We’ll visit a range of parks and reserves, from wet lowland tropical forests in the Wet Zone, to the grasslands, scrub and stunted woodland of the the game parks in the Dry Zone, to highland cloud forests that will bring with it the real promise of almost all, if not all, of the possible Sri Lanka endemics, including the recently discovered Serendib Scops-Owl. All of our recent tours have managed to find all of the endemic birds.
However, to think of Sri Lanka as a mere collection of endemic birds, found nowhere else, would be an injustice; it is much more than that. It is a great destination for the all round naturalist, with a list of more than 20 mammal species regularly recorded on this tour (usually including Leopard and Asian Elephant), as well as a profusion of colorful butterflies, and a discrete set of reptiles unique to the island. From 2019, we are also including a boat trip out of Mirrissa to search for the largest mammal of them all, the massive Blue Whale. On top of all of this is a vibrant, and unique, Buddhist culture, dating back thousands of years, which has led to the birds and other wildlife being both abundant and approachable; and making for a fascinating tour from a cultural perspective. For those who have a particular interest in this, while we will experience some of this firsthand on the tour; we also highly recommend adding on a few extra days in Kandy, the cultural heartland of Sri Lanka. (Tropical Birding can arrange this for you, if desired). Sri Lanka is also an excellent tour for the “foodie”, with the cuisine often also providing a major tour highlight for many too. While this is a well-established, and popular, birding destination among British and European birders in particular, it remains relatively little known, and less visited by those from North America; a mystery, seeing as a series of great parks, and excellent facilities and lodging for almost all of the tour, make this both very comfortable, and accessible to all.

[@danetteh873]

Thanks for another wonderful Tropical Birding video. Yes you convinced me Sam - will add Sri Lanka to the ever growing list of tours "wish-list".

[@filmstudiojapan]

Great video!