On 28 July 2010, Sashi Jayatunge observed a crow carrying a parrot by
the wing and the parrot looked dead. This was near the Access Tower in
Colombo.

Wicky was on tour with Jetwing Eco Holidays client Bryan Perera from
Melbourne, Australia and managed to sight and photograph a pair of
mating leopards on 25 July 2010 on the near Jamburagalla old campsite
on Old Jamburagala Rd around 5:15pm at Yala. They observed the pair
for over 20 minutes. At 4:00pm, a male leopard at Welmalkema was
sighted relaxing on the sand.

Upali Nissanka was on tour with Jetwing Eco Holidays client Dr.
Andrew Whitehouse, sighted a Ceylon Whistling Thrush on the 18th July
near Seetha Eliya, four Cotton Pygmy Geese in Debara Wewa on the
following day and a Pained Snipe at Uda Walawe on the 21st July.

On the 18th July around 7:30am Jehan Mendis was at Yala and spotted a
leopard and three sloth bear simultaneously on the Patanangala Rock
from the beach side around 7:30am on Sunday, 18th July 2010. Leopard
was on the top left of the rock, while the bears were near the cave.
One of the bears, which appeared to be the mother, went into the cave
while two of the large cubs climbed down the rock and chased each
other heading towards the main road, while the leopard on noticing the
bear moved off in the opposite direction. Amrit Rajaratnam managed to
get a photograph of the Leopard on top of the rock with one of the
Bears climbing down the rock.

Mudara Perera was also at Yala National Park on the 18th July. Upon
hearing spotted deer alarm calls on the Thalgasmankada Road in Yala
around 8:30am, he stopped his vehicle and waited. A few minutes later,
a wild pig and its three piglets crossed the road. One of the piglets
stumbled while trying to get across the road and suddenly a leopard
emerged from the other side. The leopard zeroed in on its unsuspecting
prey, pounced on the piglet and immediately took it up a tree as the
helpless mother could do nothing.

On the 03rd July 2010, Tariq Mohammed and Shanik De Silva were on
their way to Yala using the Bundala-Kirinda Road, had a good sighting
of a Rusty Spotted Cat 3-4 km in around 1am. It was spotted in an area
at the edge of a lewaya near the salterns.

Devaka Senviratne sent in photographs taken of a hepatic phase female
Lesser Cuckoo. He says “The bird in the photos was found in my garden
in Wijerama, Nugegoda on Tuesday 11 May evening. Unfortunately one of
my dogs had caught it. The bird was rescued and taken to Pet Vet
clinic for treatment of a wound on the upper body and leg. However, it
did not survive the night. I was in Vavuniya so never saw the bird
myself.”

The Lesser Cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) breeds in the Himalayas and
NE India. Its a winter migrant to Sri Lanka. Perhaps this was a sick
bird which could not manage the journey back.

On Monday 10th May 2010, Dr Peter Hayes (British High Commissioner)
had a Leopard, a Sloth Bear and a Fishing Cat on a morning game drive.
His children in another vehicle saw two Golden Jackals on the same
game drive. On the evening game drive he had a mother Sloth Bear and a
cub, a Common Palm-civet and more Leopard.

Devaka Seneviratne was off the seas of Kalpitiya Peninsula on
Saturday 24th April. He says “We were out in the hope of seeing whale
/ dolphin and had gone out towards Talawila but the swells were too
much. It was literally around 8 – 10 ft high so we turned around and
were on our way North when we came across them. About 10 km from shore
between the Sand Bar and Uchchumunai we came across a mixed flock of
sea birds. This held a Lesser Noddy, Bridled Tern and Persian
Shearwater.

I usually stay at Turtle Point Cottage or Sethawadi in Kandakuliya.
The two trips for the lecture however were done out of Diyamba, also
in Kandakuliya. It’s right next to the Kandakuliya fishing harbour so
you can walk out and into the boat. I also have a couple of boatmen
that I use. They understand that we are not casual tourists and make
an extra effort in showing things / taking us places.

Also fascinating is speaking to the fishermen there, the wealth of
information they have with regard to sightings is immense and
unfortunately unrecorded. They even swear at seeing Dugong. Which for
me would be my ultimate sighting on the peninsular”.

On 17 April 2010, Mohammad Abidally observed a Purple-faced Leaf
Monkey at Dickman’s Road in central Colombo. There is at least one
troop of Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys which are centred around the Buller
Road (Colombo 07) area. Reports from Flower Road (Colombo) and Model
Farm Road (Colombo 08) 07 may be from this troop.

On Saturday 27 March, Susantha one of the boatmen at Alankuda Beach
Resort had taken a group out dolphin watching. Around 8am they came
across a group of 3 Sperm Whales, in shore of the reef, within the
‘dolphin line’.

On Friday 26th March, Chamath Ariyadasa observed a Tropic-bird flying
inland past his apartment in Wellawatta in Colombo.

On Saturday 7th March a group of dolphin watchers had seen an Orca
near Barr Reef. This was conveyed by Zainab Ibrahim who had been at
Barr Reef.