Close at hand
View(s):
Lesser Whistling Duck at Thalangama and on our Magazine Cover, Loten’s Sunbird.Pix by Danushka Gunasekara
- With World Environment Day on June 5, Arrenga Nadaraja explores how you can take in wildlife without travelling far
A developing metropolitan city is not where one would imagine wildlife lurking in the shadows, hiding in the trees or on the streets at the Port City… but this is true in Colombo.
Colombo’s many wetlands and wetland parks such as the Thalangama Lake, Beddagana Wetland Park, Muthurajawela Wetland Park, Diyasaru Park and Nawala Urban Wetland Park, are home to a wide variety of wildlife from birds to elusive mammals.
Highly recommended as a good spot for birds in the early hours of the morning and early evening is Thalangama Lake in Battaramulla where you can spot the Purple heron, Asian openbill, Lesser whistling duck, Egrets and White-breasted water hens and much more.
Grey- necked Bunting at Nawala urban wetland park. Pic by Erich Joseph
The Bird Watching Tower located at Diyasaru Park offers a great vantage point to see birds. Erich Joseph, wildlife and nature photographer and author of the book Symphony of Serendip also recommends the area near the Parliament while interestingly photographer and film maker Raoul Rutnam recommends the Port City for bird watching. Other places in Colombo for birding and wildlife would be Thalangama for a wide array of birds and reptiles, Beddagana for birds, reptiles and otters (which he is yet to see), Diyasaru for birds and reptiles and the Kimbulawala jogging track for birds especially including the Pied Kingfishers, Raoul notes.
Anya Ratnayaka, co-founder of Small Cat Advocacy and Research (SCAR) and Founder / PI,Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project says some good spots to experience urban wildlife are Diyasaru Park, Beddagana Wetland Park, the Thalangama wetlands, Weli Park, and any area close to a wetland system, adding “home gardens are also a great place to start.” You can also spot mammals like the Fishing cat, (in wetlands like Diyasaru Park and Beddagana Wetland Park), Eurasian otter, Sri Lankan jackal, Indian porcupine, Indian palm civets as well as the Purple-faced langur, mongoose and bats, she adds.
If you want an expert overview, consider taking the ‘Urban Wetland Walk’ with SCAR (Small Cat Advocacy and Research) conducted bi-monthly from 6.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. where you are guided through Beddagana Wetland Park, Diyasaru Park and the Thalangama wetland and in addition to seeing the wildlife, learn the basics of camera traps and how to spot animal spoor. See https://scar.lk/ or email mail@scar.lk
Camera trap image of Fishing Cat (Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project)
Cinnamon Grand Colombo, under Cinnamon Nature Trails, has tours of Beddagana wetland and Diyasaru Park with ranger, Vijaya Anand. The tour lasts three hours and you will be able to spot over 50 bird species, mainly aquatic birds and some mammals, as well as butterfly, dragonfly and reptile species, says Mr.Anand. See their website, mail cinnamonranger@cinnamonhotels.com or call the hotel’s reception for more infomation.
Fancy a boat ride while bird-watching? The Muthurajawela Wetland Park, north of Colombo can be experienced from the visitor centre in Bopitiya. They offer two sessions: one at 7.15 a.m. and the other at 4 p.m, with tours lasting two hours and conducted by villagers. The centre is open from Monday to Sunday from 7 a.m, and tours can be arranged any day. You can contact them at 0114 030 150 or visit the centre in Bopitiya
Tour companies such as Lakpura, Red Dot, Eco Team, and Sri Lankan Expeditions, among others, also conduct tours to Muthurajawela, some starting off from Negombo. Expect to see are a variety of fish, birds such as the Pied kingfisher, kites, and shikras, as well as different kinds of vegetation. See https://us.lakpura.com/pages/muthurajawela-wetlands.
Among the many companies that offer bird-watching tours in Colombo, Eco Team offers a Muthurajawela boat tour, a walk in Diyasaru Park or Thalangama Wetland. Their tours start from 7 a.m. or 4 p.m. and last two to three hours. Visit their website at https://www.ecoteam.lk/.
The Bolgoda boat safari tour which takes in the islands of Bolgoda lake, home to the Purple-faced langur, migratory birds, and crocodiles is another popular choice. See bolgodalakeboatsafari.com
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