Sri Lanka Slow Lories Quest

In March 2012 I did an ill-timed “full moon” trip to Sri Lanka that had a trip list of 48 mammals, 201 birds, 26 frogs and toads, and 6 snakes. I was limited by time in that I had to tie it to work in London over spring break and then get back to California to teach. It was a rushed 10 day trip straddling the full moon, but as the numbers verify, a British partner and I did all right. The trick was our guide, Uditha Hettige. He is the same one Jon has such good experiences with. My sense is that without expert guides (who can get into closed areas “after hours”) and who have staked out species on private land, a solo visitor could only end up getting half of those totals. To get the highest total of all (see previous trip reports), you have to decide to spend whatever it costs, to go at an optimal time (I edged up too close against the rainy season), and to have at least 2 full weeks available. Note too that Uditha is popular with the American bird tours (eg “Field Guides”) and so is booked up pretty far in advance. He’s the guy, though, if you want to nail it all. For felids, with his help, we had Rusty-spotted Cat, Fishing Cat, Leopard, and a hybrid Jungle Cat with some backcrossing of feral cat in its lineage. As the army expression goes, good luck and good hunting. / Charles Hood, Palmdale, California, hoodcw@gmail.com