FOGSL, IS IN THE KNUCKLES - RIVERSTONE, ILLUKKUMBURA AND PITAWALAPATHANA -1999

FOGSL under challenging conditions, Manathunge Bangalow 26th August 1999 - Pic Curtsy Ravindra Senadheera  

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) established in the year 1976 commenced field visits to most of the bird locations in the country in the mid-1990s. This was after a very successful membership drive related to the P B Karunaratme Memorial Bird Exhibition in 1996; which is now an annual event in the FOGSL calendar.

The 1990s was a period that the general public was getting interested in the Natural History of the country since independence in 1948. Until then the subject was more aligned to the Royal Asiatic Society in the region, patronized by the colonial aristocracy and a few influential locals. Organizations were a few and were limited to the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society and the Ceylon Bird Club; also formed in the pre-independence era and they both acted as clubs to an exclusive membership. FOGSL on the other hand formed in the Zoology Department in the Colombo University was open to all and the membership was initially for free. Today with the advancement of social media the interests in this sector have advanced in leaps surpassing all these organizations. The people are all about in the forest patches and their logistical requirements have turned into big business. 

However, when FOGSL commenced these field visits for bird recording in the mid-1990s there weren’t any decent facilities available for the overnight stay in these locations. The Sinharaja Rain Forest was the first field visit conducted then in 1996 and basic lodging was possible with Martin Wijesinghe in Kudawa who was a close associate of Professor Sarath Kotagama and the Bundala field trip after Sinharaja too was facilitated with the kind courtesy of Mr. Ajitha de Costa an environmentalist and a close friend of the Professor. The subsequent Nilgala visit too had the old village headman’s abode that was used as the temporary beat office by the Wildlife Conservation Department. In Horton Planes, we booked into the two dormitories, and the Field Techniques Workshop on Bird Ringing conducted in Buttala was at the Applied Science Faculty facilities of the Sabaragamuwa University. However, the planned visit to the Knuckles range was getting deferred for not having a facility to stay over. Finally, it was again through Professor’s influence that we managed to source an abandoned estate bungalow in Illukkumbura as a stay over which came free of charge. Having it for free we accepted it to be only a shelter and did pre-warn the participants of the extensive roughing that is to be expected. The trip spirits were so high the numbers stuck as they were. The Professor away on sabbatical and we the committee for the first time played the resource roll during this field trip from the 26-28 August 1999. 

L- R; Wilson, Uditha, Indrika, Thusitha, Sandun, Lal, Naveen, Amudesh in Riverstone - Pic Curtsy Ravindra Senadheera

26^th August 1999 happened to be a full moon Poyaday and we had to collect all provisions and needs the day before as the full moon Poyaday is a holiday. The plan for meals was to hire a cook from the locality and we carried the cooking utensils and the provisions; a typical menu of the staple rice and curry was the plan. The trip departed Colombo Campus on time and arrived at the location as planned.

We had to meet the caretake of a property that was owned by President Jayewardene’s grandson who would direct us to the location that we were to stay. For a moment we were mesmerized in seeing a lovely wattle and daub hall type open building with a mana grass thatched roof, adjoining their bungalow was our place for the next two nights. It was not so... the guy wanted us to drive down and come by a different entrance to a disused building on the adjacent property...the Manathunge Bungalow.  We were bewildered in seeing the state of the once majestic Manager's Bungalow of the Laggala Tea Estate. The 1300 acre tea estate that fell within the proposed Knuckles Conservation Area was acquired by the state and let to regenerate into a Mid Elevational Dry Evergreen Forest patch. However, the building and its immediate property was not acquired but had been put to disuse.

First things first we cleared a room of the ladies but the menfolk preferred the main hall as no other rooms were in a livable condition. The loo facilities are beyond discussion… not that they were dirty but had not been used for ages. The worst being the water supply that had gone dry and we had to manage with the slight treacle that came off a natural spring behind the house. The cook, a laborer from the estate said he is going back in the morning as he is unable to cook for us with this condition of the water supply. That was the first hiccup and I with my friend Amudesh volunteered to take over the food department and commenced collecting water, filling every available receptacle. Others started filling up ablution water into the numerous small tanks inside the bathrooms. 

The van that we hired was to leave us in the evening and a different van was to come over on the 28^th morning take us back. It was a time that we worked on tight budgets and retaining a van with an idle cost was too much. After a cup of tea, we sat down to discuss the modalities of our primary responsibility in preparing the first-ever bird list for Riverstern and Illukkumbura areas for FOGSL. Our plans needed to be changed; we had planned to leave basecamp as early as possible and walk up to Riverstern in the morning and come back for a late lunch and concentrate on the Illukkumbura area in the evening. Instead, we would now prepare a meal very early and come back late to prepare another that would supplement both lunch and dinner. This being agreed the ladies were advised to take their time and they preferred to stay back and records the birds around the bungalow.

After a dinner of rice and curry and we went to bed early for we had to save on the kerosene oil in the hurricanes and to be up as early as possible. I’m quite sure everyone on that trip would agree that that night and the one to follow was definitely the longest nights that we ever experienced. Yes, the two cold nights was a nightmare... if you slept on the timber floor to evade the chill a host of ticks enjoyed your stay... and if you shifted to the cement rendered section you were sleeping on a glazier.... everyone was sleepless... Madubashini Jayawardane, Upul Wickramasinghe, Shantha Silva and Amudesh having seen these pictures  posted by Ravindra Senadheera had their own versions of the dreadful trip that we definitely enjoyed in the roughest way. Ravi Daraniyagala who frequented almost all FOG trips then with his two lady cousins took an extra-long time to register for their next trip. It must be noted that we also had an MSc student of the Professor then, Mrs. Zeenia joining us for her research activities during the day but preferred not to stay over in the night.

That much on the bungalow, but we did our best in recording the birds of the different vegetation types in the Knuckles Range; classified as Lowland dry semi-evergreen forest, Mid elevational wet evergreen forest, Mid elevational dry evergreen forest, and Montane wet evergreen forest or Cloud forest. And these misty mountain ranges houses a wide variety of fauna and flora unique to this country.

Finalizing the Birdlist before departure - Pic Curtsy Ravindra Senadheera

The nights were dry and windy under a hunter's moon and we did go out stalking to see wildlife in the planes. Wild boar, Mouse deer, Barking deer, and some uncommon geckoes sitting in the rock crevises were encountered and some were quite large. Our interest being in birds, lacked in identifying these geckos. And our expectation to see small cats and elephants that are said to roam the planes at these times of the year in the nights did not materialize.   However, with all the odds against us, we still did manage to compile a list of 59 bird species as the first bird list for FOGSL in the Knuckles for Riverstone, Illukkumbura, and Pitawalapathana area back in 1999.

The way back did have its share of misfortune as well. Passing Matale, night fell and the driver Madanayake pulled to the kerb and on close inquires we noted a splintered drive belt that was affecting the power steering and the server tank. Being a Sunday and night falling all wayside assistances were closing and even the few that were open only confirmed our diagnosis, but there wasn’t any opened spare part vendor at your disposal. The only way out was to drive slow with a very stiff steering wheel and a rock hard brake pedal that depended much on your body weight. Young Madanayake became nervous to continue driving the long journey back and that task too fell on my shoulders and we reached the Colombo Campus way after midnight, However, Madanayake did manage to drive to Gampaha without any incident.  

Today FOGSL still continue to run its field trips on an annual calendar and are frequented by a different cliental altogether. Unlike then travel is in AC comfort and no roughing out is ever heard of.  It is to our astonishment that the same trip to the Knuckles is conducted and what an irony; for they stay over in the same bungalow renamed as Sir John's Bungalow under the most luxurious conditions, charging over Rs 20,000 plus per person inclusive of a candlelight dinner. And mind you, there are takers even at that cost for birding today. That said one can imagine the money that is in store for eco-tourism and for that matter it is birdwatching that takes the larger share.

FOGSL in Candlelight comfort at Sir Johns Bungalow, Riverston, Sri Lanka 7th March 2020 - Pic Curtsy Sri Srikumar

However, I’m still lost for the connection that the Manathunge Bungalow has with Sir John; our Third Prime Minister in the country. Browsing through the Internet this is what the famous page Trip Advisor had to say about this bungalow today...   

Manathunge Bangalow turned Sir John's Bungalow - Pics Curtsy Trip Advisor 

 “Offering sweeping vistas of the North Eastern Knuckles mountain range, an area that is celebrated for its striking peaks, pristine waterways, bewitching cloud forests, and diverse flora and fauna, Sir John's Bungalow is situated at the threshold of a land before time. Built by the British during the colonial era as a residence for the Superintendent of the 1,300-acre Laggala tea estate, the Bungalow was once the holiday home of Sir John Kotalawala, the third Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. As the area is within the Knuckles conservation zone tea cultivation was abandoned thirty years ago allowing the jungle to reclaim its bounty. The planter's misfortune has thus become a dream come true for trekkers, wildlife enthusiasts, and all seekers of the sublime. During the dry months of June to September, elephants from the plains of the nearby Wasgamuwa National Park roam the estate in search of water and food. Wild buffaloes are in abundance, with leopards and fishing cats making occasional nocturnal visits, and the sounds of the timid barking deer echoing in the surrounding forest. Committed to an ethos of environmentally sustainable hospitality, Sir John's Bungalow is carbon-neutral, harnessing solar energy for electricity and recycling all waste matter. Accommodation tastefully appointed with modern conveniences, Sir John's Bungalow also retains its old-world charms and comforts, including roaring fireplaces in the living and dining rooms. All bedrooms feature king-sized beds, elegant teak floors, and attached bathrooms with hot water showers. Both the Riverstone suite and Sir John's suite have four-legged cast iron bathtubs that can be filled for a long, relaxing soak.”

 BIRD LIST

 KNUCKLES (ILLUKKUMBURA & RIVERSTON)

 26/08/1999 - 29/08/1999

1.         Crested Honey-Buzzard

2.         Crested Serpent Eagle

3.         Black Eagle

4.         Sri Lanka Junglefowl

5.         Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon

6.         Spotted Dove

7.         Emerald Dove

8.         Sri Lanka Lorikeet

9.         Blossom-headed Parakeet

10.       Layard's Parakeet

11.       Common Nightjar

12.       Indian Edible-nest Swift

13.       Palm Swift

14.       Small (Common) Kingfisher

15.       Three-toed Kingfisher

16.       Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

17.       Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill

18.       Malabar Pied Hornbill

19.       Brown-headed Barbet

20.       Sri Lanka Yellow-fronted Barbet

21.       Small Barbet

22.       Crimson-breasted Barbet

23.       Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

24.       Red-backed Woodpecker

25.       Rufous-winged Bushlark

26.       White-vented Drongo

27.       Common Mynah        

28.       Sri Lanka Grackle      

29.       House Crow

30.       Common Wood-shrike

31.       Little Minivet

32.       Orange Minivet

33.       Common Iora

34.       Jerdon's Chloropsis

35.       Gold-fronted Chloropsis

36.       Black-capped Bulbul

37.       Red-vented Bulbul     

38.       Yellow-eared Bulbul

39.       White-browed Bulbul

40.       Yellow-browed Bulbul

41.       Black Bulbul

42.       Brown-capped Babbler

43.       Scimitar Babbler

44.       Black-fronted Babbler

45.       Common Babbler       

46.       Orange-breasted Blue Flycatcher

47.       Grey-headed Flycatcher

48.       Ashy Prinia

49.       Common Tailorbird

50.       Magpie Robin

51.       White-rumped Shama

52.       Black Robin

53.       Grey Tit          

54.       Velvet-fronted Blue Nuthatch

55.       Small Flowerpecker

56.       Purple-rumped Sunbird

57.       Loten's Sunbird

58.       Sri Lanka White-eye

59.       Hill Munia

udithawijesena@gmail.com