Journey to the lakes/tanks around Tissamaharama. Colloquially shortened to Tissa is eminently the place for birders and bird photographers. The area is blessed with 5 larger lakes or handmade tanks . It is also near Yala and Bundala National Parks as neighbours.  Tissa is also a good drop-off base for owls and many other resident as well as endemic bird species. During migration time, an influx of birds from North-Western Europe as well as Siberia and China are observed in this area, the season starting mid-October to the end of March. Species visiting this area include Pintails, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Common Redshank, Western Reef Heron, and Barn Swallow, to name a few.  Also Tissa is the home base for the Sri Lanka Woodshrike.  Anyway, we came especially for the owl species found in this area. The safari we did here is special, we know the jeep safari as well as the walking safari, but here we did a motorcycle safari with the two guides Nipun and Saichintha, both of whom specialise in this new phenomenon, and know the area like the back of their hand. The owl species living in this area include the Eastern barn-owl, jungle owlet, Indian scops owl, brown boobook, brown fish owl .  I saw and photographed four of the five species there. The brown fish owl was nowhere to be seen these days.

With a good guide and of course some luck, you can also find a sixth species near Tissa, namely the brown forest owl.  Both guides are very concerned with the local wildlife, and handle it with care. They know how fragile the habitat can be, and for that they try to be as least disruptive as possible. In this so-called dry zone, the weather can also be very hot as well as stormy with many thunderstorms. There are warning signs to avoid taking shelter under large trees, lightning can strike there. Besides these owls, there are many other species of birds to see and discover. For instance, there are several Kingfishers to see, such as the White-throated kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher that pray in the sky, with some luck you will also see the Stork-billed Kingfisher and the common kingfisher. Smaller species are the munias, sunbirds, oriental white eyes. Slightly larger species are the smaller heron species, such as Yellow Bittern, Indian pond heron, Night heron, Cinnamon Heron. Then there are the larger heron species to be seen in all sizes and shapes such as Purple Heron, Great Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Little Egret. To distinguish these you have to look at the colour of the feet and beak to tell the difference.  Then of course there are the larger birds to discover like the Asian open bill stork, painted stork. Also birds of prey you may come across, are the Crested Serpent eagle, Shikra, Changeable hawk-eagle, Grey-headed fish eagle, White-bellied sea eagle. Other animal species you may encounter are the Mugger crocodile, Toque Macaque, Hanuman Langur, Jackal, Fishing cat, Palm civet, Cobra and Python also live in these areas. If you have time, there is a lot to explore in the areas around Tissa. , you will also find beautiful monumental trees where hundreds of flying foxes wake up at dusk and hunt in large numbers for food, mainly fruit. It is a great area for photographers in general both for landscape and nature in general as well as for bird photography. The area has good infra structure in terms of accommodation and restaurants.  Definitely a place to return to several times.

On quiet days, early in the morning it’s great to relax on your porch. Here in the garden surrounding the house there are many tall trees and shrubs on one side, on the other part you will find a slope with tea bushes. It is the ideal biotope for the many birds to find their food here, both on the ground under the leaves and higher up in the trees where fruit and insects fly around. Sometimes the squirrels shout the alarm cry, which means danger in the garden, it could be a mongoose or rat snake, or just a cat, which also attack squirrels. At this time of writing in early March, there are still bird migrants from India, daily the Pita visit several times in search of worms and other insects. This is the third year in a row that this unusual bird has visited our garden. we also recently saw the female Blue Indian Robin scavenging its food. This female form does not have any blue color as the male, but drab brown color with lighter underbelly tending to orange color. Another strange visitor and migrant was the Gray Wagtail, this one I saw for the first time here scurrying under the tea bushes. The birds described above are generally very shy, at any disturbing noise they shoot under the bushes to hide. The Red vented Bulbul does not tolerate other birds in their territory and defend the airspace against intruders, even the bigger brother the crow is not tolerated by them. They are quite busy and noisy birds. The Tickel’s blue is a pretty little bird steel blue with bright orange breast always resting quietly on a wire or twig waiting for a mosquito to fly by. Sometimes you have to be lucky too, the ever shy Black-headed Oriole, was chased by the aforementioned Red Vented Bulbul. He landed about two meters away from me on a branch, and stayed there for a few seconds, just enough for a nice photo.  As previously reported all these shots were taken with the OMSystem OM-1 with the MZuiko 300mm f/4 lens and Teleconverter TC 1.4, Converted for fullframe cameras that is 840mm. This combo delivers very sharp images overall. You have to work with higher ISO values, but with today’s software this is no problem to remove the noise in your images. The only problem I do run into is that you virtually can’t use the Pro capture feature because up or away flying birds both large or small. There is not enough room to get a decent photo when they fly away. The view is usually blocked by wires, thin twig and branches.

Thanks for reading and watching and go outside and enjoy. To be continued in the next episode. 

This morning we leave early for Balangoda district some 55 km from Diyatalawa, Kahagolla. The drive takes us first towards Haputale, the earlier in the morning you pass this town the better it is for photographers, it is always a treat to drive down Road 4 so early in the morning. 

It always leads to the parking lots along the road to enjoy the light and fog play that plays out over the low mountains in the distance, sometimes the sun is blocked by the mountains and clouds, other times there is the light play of the sun’s rays. The road continues along the mountains down, a little later we pass Haldumulla and other villages that lie along the main road, don’t think that this road is a road like in western countries it is a wide two lane road, nothing more and in all the early morning very busy already. Especially bus line 99 drive like crazy on the road with a speed as if it is a Formula 1 car with all the dangers involved. 

Our goals for today are Kalthota village and there we visit the limestone pools Hunugal Pokuna and 4 km further on the Duwili Ella Waterfall.  At Belihuloya we take the turnoff to Kalthota, we drive parallel to the reservoir Samanalawewa there are some viewpoints where you can stop for a moment to stick your legs or take a picture, The sun is still rising, it provides a beautiful atmosphere with the sunbeams peeking between the trees and branches. 

A little later we pass a checkpoint that notes down the numbers of passing motorists, why they do this is not clear to me, perhaps because about 27 km further on is the first entrance gate of Udawalawa National Park. In the meantime we approach our first location, we wonder where to park, that is quite a challenge on these narrow roads, we decide to do it in a remote place at a house, a parking sign is at the entrance. 

For a small fee the car is safe. From here it is a good 2.5 km walk via a narrow path downhill into the forest. 

Via rice and vegetable fields we descend, the path becomes wetter and wetter, in some parts completely under water, it has rained heavily the past few days. 

There are also narrow streams gushing down. Further down the mountain and the path becomes even narrower, we now walk along electric fence, there are many wild elephants in this area. 

We also see the ubiquitous toque macaque, this is endemic to Sri Lanka. It takes a little hour before we arrive at the first attraction Limestone Pool - Hunugal Pokuna.  Villagers in the area say it was discovered around 2001. 

You have to descend almost 2 meters steeply to get there, it requires some sliding and climbing work to view this unique piece of nature. It is not that big in surface area 25 by 25 meters or so. but it is worth a visit. The water is very clear and luckily no littering around here. 

For photography it takes a bit more effort to find your compositions, the contrast in light and sun that comes through the trees is a challenge, it is better when it is a bit cloudy. We manage to take some nice shots. 

The first local tourists arrive slowly and with every minute the place is overcrowded. 

And the peace and quiet is over. On the way back then, the temperature rises as well as the humidity. 

We slowly advance resting at some points and taking a few more pictures of this environment.

Finally we reach the car and pay the parking fee to the resident, it will be 250 rupees. 

We now drive about 4.5 km to the waterfall, the costs there are 650 rupees entrance fee, to be allowed to park and visit the waterfall. 

This is asked for the maintenance of the paths, well paths that have been the same for centuries, and nature should be free I think. 

You do take your own waste to home. That is rule number one. 

After we have neatly parked the car we go towards Duwili Ella Waterfall. We have to go down 360 steps.

Once down the path continues, here is a split to the left and right. We choose right. This leads to a playing field with some play areas for children, a little further on you come to a kind of viewing platform that is completely shielded with a metal and grid fence.

The waterfall can therefore be photographed from one side here, unfortunately. The height is about 40 meters and is fed by the Walawa Ganga. 

We go back and take the left turn that comes out at the upper part of the Duwili Ella Waterfall and Walawa Ganga river, the water here cleaves a path down between the rocks. Further on it is a bit quieter and a good time to rest and take in the nature and its surroundings. 

In the treetops a group of Toque macaque move they come down and look curiously at what we are doing as we walk by. 

It is time to go back to the steps 360 steps up in the tropics. It is a good work-out. 

On route we have our lunch around 1500 pm. After lunch we stop at the so-called two bridges point near Kaluhapana and there is also a restaurant. 

We visit the adjacent boulders in the Weli Oya river, where the water comes down from the mountains, as the crow flies behind this lies Horton Plains, Baker’s bend and other sights. That is for another trip.

It is slowly time to get back home. It is quickly clouds closing in and the first rain is already falling. 

Towards Haldumulla and Haputale the clouds are already sailing against the mountains, the sun is already slowly setting and through the thin layers in the clouds, the last rays of the sun let through beautiful sunrays of the last daylight, it gives beautiful dramatic effects above the hills