Yala

So on our way to the hills of central Sri Lanka. We set off early at 03:30 to visit Yala, a place for which we had high hopes. The sun started to rise as we were approaching.

The locals were in a rush to get there as well.

And it was as if they knew we were coming.

Even some of the big guns came out to greet us.

Not all the deer were quite as enthusiastic.

Though some were more than others.


"Come in here out of the way girls"
"Hey and you Charlie, come in here with the rest of us"
"Cmon Charlie, I need some help too"


"Awww mum, you spoil all the fun"


But as the sun got higher everyone came out to play.
"Hey guys, I can see some of them humans again"

"OK OK enough already"

Aww giving her a cwtch.

"But I saw her first"

"Yeah but I'm older than you"

"Oh well Mavis, boys will be boys eh!"

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like dad"

"Why was I born so beautiful"

"Now c'mon girls, we got to get in a row for Donna and Martin"
Lesser whistling ducks

Yala is a national park, that has never been lived in apart from some park rangers. It also has a pristine coastline on the Indian ocean.

"I'm a green bee eater"

"Let's play hide and seek"

'Now can you see me"

"Now can you see me."
Crested serpent eagle, great camouflage eh!

Sri Lankan jungle fowl or Ceylon jungle fowl. They are endemic to Sri Lanka and their national bird.
"Hey quick boys, line up"

"C'mon boys stand to attention"
The one on the end was a tad recalcitrant. Well two out of three ain't bad eh!

"I wonder if they'll see me if I just stay still?"

"Dad Dad............ where are you?" 

Can you see the shy peacock, trying to hide in the back?

Mind you, his brother didn't give a hoot...... but that's got a lot to do with not being an owl eh!

"We think we're Crimson-fronted Barbet's but we're not sure. Either way we're very happy eating insects and fruit"

Unfortunately, the light was playing havoc but we had to include this little sequence.

He's a lot more graceful on the wing than they are on the ground

And they are quite vocal too!
 "I'm a Sri Lankan painted stork and I actually do walk like I do in the cartoons....... see" 


"I'm stag and I don't eat ducks"
"Yeah but I'm a crocodile and I like a duck or two"  
"Quite frankly I prefer storks"

"Yeah but when I'm peckish, if I could get to the shops, I would p-p-p-pick up a penguin"
As we said Yala has some splendid vistas, including this one overlooking the Indian Ocean. This would be a spectacular place to build a home... talk about a room with a view. How about this for Weaver bird real estate.
This is my Weaver bird home, could you see them dangling in the previous picture?

This truly amazing landscape could never be captured.

This edifice is known as the magnificent "Elephant Rock"

 This silent vista of skeleton trees made for an eerie serene, tranquil place to ponder and focus.

 When indeed you can focus and zoom in, there is life here too. But sadly this Fish Eagle was at the limit of our lens.

 Then a very acrobatic display and courtship of these Tringa birds ensued for a few minutes.
Before she managed to shake him off and settle in for the afternoon.

As we mentioned, Yala has a pristine Indian Ocean coastline. The only foot prints you find here are round and belong to elephants!  


As we only had the zoom lense on, we couldn't capture the length of this coastline in one shot. Looking east, it appears endless.
Looking west you can see the village and homes of where the park rangers used to live. 


The desolate village is no longer inhabited since the Tsunami of 2004. However it stands as a sobering, stark site.
Whilst we have travelled in Sri Lanka, we've been deeply moved by some of the personal stories and memories we've heard. 


  Whilst standing here looking across the void is thought provoking. Sadly 47 people died near here that day. 
You may now be wondering about the animals. Surprisingly there was less loss of life to wildlife, as you may have thought. This was because of the animals sixth sense and they knew something was wrong!

Alas our time in Yala was drawing to an end and we had to leave this wonderful place.
We saw many other birds and animals on the day but wern't able to capture their beauty. 
The illusive Mr Leopard and Mrs Hephalump never crossed our path!


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