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Gal oya National Park in Sri Lanka was established in 1954 and serves as the main catchment area for "Senanayake Samudraya", the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka. "Senanayake Samudraya" was built under the Gal oya development project by damming the Gal oya at "Inginiyagala" in 1950. Gal oya reservoir currently defined as "Senanayake Samudraya" is the largest and very special among other reservoirs in Sri Lanka in various manners. Gal oya Scheme is one of the largest 4 modern irrigation projects of Sri Lanka. This scheme involved the restoration of a number of ancient medium scale reservoirs & construction of the "Senanayake Samudraya" (7680 ha), the largest reservoir in the history of Sri Lanka. "Senanayake Samudraya" is one of the main project of the Scheme. Senanayake reservoir which consist a catchment area of 384 square miles has been constructed by the earthen dam of which is 3600 feet in length and 140 feet in height comprising 2 million cubic yards of soils. This can store 770000 acre feet capacity of water. A concrete spill of which is 1020 feet in length has been constructed far away from the main dam to inspections. It is 770 feet in spill length and 60 feet in height comprising 6 doors and distributes water by the sluice with 13 feet in diameter. From 1954 to 1965 the park was administrated by the Gal oya Development Board until the Department of Wildlife Conservation took over administration. The National Park is situated 314 km from Colombo The Gal oya Development Board established several protected areas to protect the catchment areas of "Senanayake Samudraya" and several other reservoirs.
Kumana national park is located in Ampara district in Eastern province of the Sri Lanka. It's around 340km from Colombo. You can reach "Kumana" passing Rathnapura, Udawalawa, Thanamalwila, Wellawaya, Siyabalanduwa, Pothuwil and Panama town. Kumana is a well known bird sanctuary where a multitude of birds breed and roost. Regular sightings include such species of bird as pelicans, painted storks, spoonbills, white ibis, herons, egrets and little cormorants. The very rare black necked stork has also been spotted at the swamp. One of the most significant features of the park is the ‘Kumana Villu’ is a 200 hectare natural swamp lake, fed by the ‘Kumbukkan Oya’ through a half mile long narrow channel. Attached to a lot of lagoons, lakes and swamps.
Kumana is more of a bird sanctuary providing shelter for myriad endemic and migrant birds. Bird watching in Kumana is one of the top most events in every tourist’s sightseeing list in Sri Lanka. Kumana National Park has been rated as one of the most important breeding grounds in Sri Lanka. Many ancient cave engravings and inscriptions had been discovered in Kumana which date back to the 1st Century BC. Significance in Kumana is that Buddhist and Hindu devotees turn to Kumana on their foot pilgrimage towards the sacred Kataragama. Another significant part of the Kumana visit is witnessing the Kumana Villu during the months of May and June. One can say it is the heart of Kumana, in the prospective as a bird sanctuary. The reason for "Kumana Villu" given such importance in the checklist is it is the nesting place for many birds. It should be noted that "Kumana Villu" is subjected to sea water inundation occasionally. Kumana is also home to some of the mammals found in the neighboring "Yala" National Park such as elephants and leopards which can also be seen on safari. Other animals which reside inside Kumana National Park include the Golden Jackal, the European Otter. It is also reported that approximately 30-40 Sri Lankan elephants reside in the park, although they do crossover to Yala National Park.
The Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Gallus Lafayetii, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a close relative of the Indian Red Jungle fowl, Gallus Gallus, the wild Jungle fowl from which the chicken was domesticated. These are large birds, with colorful male plumage, but are sometimes difficult to see in the denser woodlands. It is common in forest and scrub habitats, and can usually be seen at sites such as Kitulgala, Yala and Sinharaja. This is one of four species of bird in the Genus Gallus. It is a ground nesting bird, which lays 2 - 4 eggs in a nest. There are 4 species of Gallus so far recorded from Asia. The Red Jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the Grey Jungle fowl (Gallus sonneratii), the Green Jungle fowl (Gallus varius) and the Sri Lankan Jungle fowl (Gallus lafeyetii). The Sri Lanka Jungle fowl is endemic to Sri Lanka, and is not found anywhere else in the world. It spends its life in forest or its outskirts, never venturing far from cover, though, especially in wet weather, it likes to frequent open places, such as roadsides or glades. The food of the "Wali Kukula" consists of grain, weed seeds, berries, various succulent leaves and buds, and a large proportion of small animals, such as crickets, centipedes and termites. The main breeding season is in the first quarter of the year, but often a second clutch is laid in August to September, and breeding may go on throughout the year. The nest is often a shallow scrape in the ground, concealed by herbage, at the foot of a tree or beside a dead log. The eggs number two to four, they are creamy white, some very finely peppered, other more boldly but sparingly speckled with brown and they measure about 48 × 35 mm.
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| Jungle Fowl (Male) |
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| Jungle Fowl (Female) |
Singharaja World Heritage Rain forest is largely undisturbed most famous rain forest in Sri Lanka. This important forest is also a man and biosphere forest reserve. It is home to a large number of endemic species. The Sinharaja region has long featured in the legends and lore of the people of Sri Lanka. Its name, literally meaning Lion (Sinha) king (Raja), perhaps refers to the original ‘king sized or royal forest of the Sinhalese. Sinharaja Rain Forest (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the last viable remnant of Sri Lanka's tropical lowland rain forest spanning an area of 18900 acres is located within "Sabaragamuwa" and Southern provinces of the south west lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka. One of the few virgin forests left in the world. Streams, springs, rivers, waterfalls, leopard, monkeys, butterflies and moths, rare trees, valuable shrubs and medicinal herbs are all found within its green canopy. It is one of the least disturbed and biologically unique lowland rain forests in Sri Lanka. This rain forest covers an extent of about 11187 hectares from east to west of Sri Lanka. The length of the Rain forest is about 21 km and width from North to South is about 3.7 km.
Sinharaja Rain forest is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rain forest more than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians. There are three access points to Sinharaja forest. Easiest route from Colombo is to go to "Rathnapura", "Kalawana", "Weddagala" and enter the forest through "Kudawa" entrance at northwestern edge of the forest. You can stay at Forest department managed "Kudawa" camp. You can also stay at "Martin’s Lodge" or "Blue Magpie lodge" situated close the forest. Second entrance is from "Galle" or "Mathara" you can go to "Deniyaya" and then enter the forest through "Pitadeiniya" Entrance at Southern edge of the forest. You can stay at "Pitadeniya" conservation resource center. You can also enter the forest by going to "Deniyaya", then turn off main road just south of "Suriyakanda" and enter the forest through "Morning Side" Entrance at eastern side of the forest.
Udawalawa National Park is located approximately 200 km South East of Colombo city and is a major echo tourism destination in Sri Lanka. it is sixth largest animal sanctuary of Sri Lanka. Dry Monsoon forest with an annual rainfall is about 1520 mm has mean day & night temperature are 29 and 24 degrees centigrade respectively. The Udawalawa national park was established in 1972. This national park spans approximately 31000 hectares and is located in the southern dry zone. The park cuts across two of the Southern Provinces and includes the Udawalawa Reservoir. The most prominent peak called "Ulgala" is located in the west of the park. It rises up to a height of nearly 380 m from the lowest point in the area which is at 100 m above sea level. It lies in the lower catchment of Udawalawa Reservoir in the country's Intermediate Low land region. Keeping company to the herds of Elephants, the main attraction of the park are Water Buffalo, Wild boar Spotted Deer, Sambur Deer, Jackal, Samber, Black naped hare, mongooses, bandicoots, foxes, s the endemic Toque Macaque and Gray Langers. Sighting Leopard and other smaller cats like Fishing cat & Jungle cat would be a bonus. Udawalawa is undoubtedly the best place in Sri Lanka to see wild Asian Elephants throughout the year: there are about 500 elephants in the park and they often roam in herds of up to 100. Udawalawa National Park is unique in terms of consistency in numbers of elephants roaming the park it has no a seasonal variation in herds of elephants. The best hours to visit the park are in the mornings and evenings. Late evening also affords the photographic opportunities in the backdrop of loveliest sunsets. Udawalawe is also a good birdwatching site. Endemics such as Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Brown-capped Babbler, and Sri Lanka Junglefowl are among of the breeding resident birds. White Wagtail and Black-capped Kingfisher are rare migrants. A variety of water birds visit the reservoir, including cormorants, the Spot billed Pelican, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork and Black-headed Ibis. The open parkland attracts birds of prey such as White bellied Sea Eagle, Crested Serpent eagle, Grey headed Fish Eagle, Booted Eagle, and Changeable Hawk eagle. Land birds are in abundance, and include Indian Roller, Indian Peafowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Pied Cuckoo.
Common Names: Purple headed Barb, Ruby Barb (Bulath Hapaya)
Scientific Name: Puntius Nigrofasciatus
Family: Cyprinidae
The Ruby Barb (Bulath Hapaya) originates from Sri Lanka, where they were once plentiful in the forest streams in the upper elevations of the Kelani and Niwala rivers. It inhabits densely grown and fairly slowly flowing hilly streams at an elevation of approximately 300 meters (1000 feet). These regions are tropical but the shaded streams are comparatively cold 20–26 °C. The water stays in the lower part of the temperature range during the winter and increases during the summer and the water is acidic (pH 6.0 - 6.5). A high backed, deep bodied fish that lacks barbels. Coloring is normally subdued, with a pinkish grey body crossed with three to four, faint black bars. The back is usually dark copper brown. In females, the bases of the fins are predominantly black, and in males the whole dorsal fins is black. In breeding condition the males glow with an intense purplish red coloring, and the blackish areas become deep velvety black. A group of males kept together seem to compete for the females' attention by remaining in breeding coloration for most of the time. At maturity, Black Ruby Barbs will reach a maximum size of two to three inches. Males are easily distinguished from females by their larger size and brighter colors. Male Black Ruby Barbs also have dark-tipped ventral fins. The females have clear ventral fins.
